Union Station

Eyes on the Street: Metro Demolition Makes Way for Union Station Run-Through Tracks

Metro is demolishing industrial buildings in order to extend tracks over the 101 Freeway. The Link US project will greatly increase the capacity and efficiency of Union Station.

By Joe Linton

1:19 PM PDT on July 23, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Metro Demolition Makes Way for Union Station Run-Through Tracks

Demolition underway in April. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

There is some visible progress on Metro’s much-needed Union Station run-through tracks. The Link US project will greatly expand Amtrak and Metrolink capacity, and prepare the historic station for California High-Speed Rail.

Union Station run-through-tracks slide – via 2022 Metro presentation

For now, the delayed and scaled-back LinkUS project is in pre-construction, which means Metro has acquired property and is clearing the way for future elevated tracks. A Line and J Line riders can see that Metro is demolishing a couple of vacant industrial buildings located at the northeast corner of Center Street and Commercial Street. At this site, the Link US project will build a new elevated structure to carry trains over the 101 Freeway.

Metro shared early demolition photos in February.

This Streetsblog editor has been bicycling past the site and snapping photos for several months. Now you see it. Now you don’t!