Little Tokyo/Arts District station is an underground light rail station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It replaced an at-grade station with the same name that was located on the east side of Alameda Street between 1st Street and Temple Street, on the edge of Little Tokyo and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. The at-grade station opened in 2009 as part of the Gold Line Eastside Extension and was served by the L Line. The at-grade station closed in October 2020, and the new underground station on the south side of 1st Street between Central Avenue and Alameda Street opened on June 16, 2023.[2]
History
Former services
This area was once a key area for trains in downtown. James M. Davies, for whom the large tract was named, subdivided the area in 1891. Several railroad lines from different companies connected through this site. Davies great-nephew, Robert Davies Volk, was the owner of the lots at 1st and Alameda streets with brick buildings shaped to fit the long-gone rail lines.[3] The structures had played an important role in the cultural life of the Little Tokyo neighborhood for decades before the site was cleared for the future station.[4]Los Angeles RailwayP Line yellow streetcars operated on the surface of 1st Street[5] until 1963, including a call at Alameda.
At-grade station
Little Tokyo/Arts District station's former at-grade platform, 2009
In September 2005, Metro began construction on a 6 miles (9.7 km) extension of the Gold Line light rail line called the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which replaced a once-planned Red Line (now the B Line) subway extension. The light rail extension runs from Union Station through Little Tokyo, ending at the corner of Pomona and Atlantic Boulevards in East L.A. It began operation on November 15, 2009, and serves some of the city's most historically underserved neighborhoods. One of the stations that opened was the at-grade Little Tokyo/Art District station which was located east of Alameda between 1st and Temple Streets.[6]
In 2012, the Regional Connector project and its Environmental Impact Report was officially approved.[7] The Regional Connector is a light rail tunnel through Downtown Los Angeles that connects the former Metro Rail A, E, and L (Gold) Lines. The Little Tokyo/Arts District station was planned to be served by both the restructured A Line, connecting Long Beach and the San Gabriel Valley, and the restructured E Line, connecting Santa Monica and East Los Angeles. Due to this, Metro needed to rebuild the original L Line station, underground, south of 1st Street to serve both lines. The decision to rebuild the station underground was driven in part by traffic concerns on Alameda and 1st Street caused by at-grade trains.[8]
The Regional Connector project started relocation of utility pipes in December 2012 and heavy construction began two years later on September 30, 2014.[9] The above-ground station was briefly closed in early 2016 due to the relocation of tracks for the project.[10] The station was again closed for a final time on October 24, 2020, before the new underground station opened 32 months later. Until the replacement station was completed, a bus bridge operated between Union Station and Pico/Aliso station for those riders traveling along the former L Line.[11]
Little Tokyo Arts District station plaza under construction in February 2023
New underground station
When construction on the Regional Connector project started in September 2014, crews began work on building three new stations for the A and E Lines. The new Little Tokyo/Arts District station is underground, located on the west side of Alameda with entrances 500 feet (150 m) south of the original station. The tunnel boring machines for the Regional Connector tunnel were also launched from that location.[12] The station was originally referred to as 1st St/Central in planning documents, but was ultimately assigned the same name as the previous at-grade station in early 2017.[13]
Preliminary work for the underground station required the demolition of two modest single-story brick store buildings with one of the structures dating back to at least 1898.[4] However, a series of new developments are being built on the blocks surrounding the station.[14]
Starting on April 9, 2023, the A, E, and L Line trains ran through the newly built station from Long Beach to Azusa and Santa Monica to East Los Angeles for final testing of the Regional Connector tunnel.[15] The new Little Tokyo/Arts District station officially opened with the new tunnel on June 16, 2023.[16]
Beyond the Regional Connector opening, the Southeast Gateway Line is planned to terminate downtown via a new light rail tunnel to Union Station. The line will feature a new transfer at Little Tokyo/Arts District station, which requires connecting the two subways with new infrastructure.
A Line service hours are from approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m daily. Trains operate every 8 minutes during peak hours, Monday through Friday. During weekday midday and weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., trains run every 10 minutes. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.[17]
E Line service hours are from approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m daily. Trains operate every 8 minutes during peak hours, Monday through Friday. During weekday midday and weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., trains run every 10 minutes. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.[18]
Connections
As of December 10, 2023[update], the following connections are available:[19][20]
