For rainy Tuesday night viewing, watch Metro’s updated Union Station explainer video.

There are plenty of big changes coming to Union Station in next few years. In October, Metro’s Board of Directors approved $15,000,000 for preliminary engineering and environmental work on the long-discussed cut-through tracks (officially called the SCRIP – Southern California Regional Interconnector Project.) During the SCRIP presentation, Metro staff presented the above bar graph showing forecasted growth in Union Station ridership. From 2012 to 2040, people using Union Station will double from current totals around 110,000 to an estimated 220,000 – with increases in people riding the bus, subway, and Metrolink/Amtrak, plus new high speed rail. 

There are too many projects to elaborate thoroughly today, but look forward to future SBLA coverage of Union Station improvements including:

• Bike-Share: Metro’s 1000+ bike-share system is expected to open in downtown L.A. by mid-2016, including bikes at Union Station.
• Bike Hub: Metro’s The Source reports that a Union Station bike hub is expected to open around 2017.
• Silver Line BRT station: Reported by the Daily News, Metro is delayed in getting its new El Monte Busway Bus Rapid Transit station underway.
• Pedestrian Plaza: Reported by KPCC, Metro was recently awarded a $12.3 million California Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant for “wider sidewalk, streetscaping and better crossing facilities at the Alameda Street entrance.”
• SCRIP: According to last month’s Metro staff report [PDF], the new Southern California Regional Interconnector Project run-through tracks will increase the number of trains that can use the station each day from 180 to 278 trains, and reduce train dwell times from 20 minutes to 5 minutes.