Norwalk
C Line 
Norwalk station platform
General information
Location12901 Hoxie Avenue
Norwalk, California
Coordinates33°54′50″N 118°06′18″W / 33.9139°N 118.1050°W / 33.9139; -118.1050
Owned byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeFreeway median, below-grade
Parking1,759 paid spaces[1]
Bicycle facilitiesRacks and lockers[2]
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedAugust 12, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-08-12)
Previous namesI-605/I-105
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Lakewood Boulevard
toward Redondo Beach
 C Line Terminus
Future services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Lakewood Boulevard
toward LAX/Metro Transit Center
 C Line
(2024)
 Terminus
Location
Map

Norwalk station is a below-grade light rail station on the C Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located in the median of Interstate 105 (Century Freeway), below Interstate 605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) in the city of Norwalk, California, after which the station is named. It is currently the eastern terminus of the C Line.

The original name for the station was I-605/I-105 for its location but was later changed to Norwalk.

This station serves as a major transfer point in the Metro system. Across the bridge from the station, Metro Express route 460 offers service to the Disneyland Resort and Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, Express route 577 provides service to both El Monte Station and California State University, Long Beach.

One of the major criticisms of the C Line is that it doesn't extend to Metrolink's Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs station, located 2.8 miles (4.5 km) to the east. The gap creates a major inconvenience for anyone wanting to take rail transit between Orange County or the Inland Empire and western Los Angeles County. Norwalk Transit route 4 connects the two stations, but the trip takes 15 to 25 minutes, and travel times can be longer because of connection times between buses or traffic.[3] Originally, the Century Freeway was to start at Interstate 5, but a lawsuit from the City of Norwalk prevented the construction of this right of way.

Parking is $3 per day.

Service

Station layout

G Street level Entrances/Exits, faregates, ticket machines, bus plaza, park and ride
Platform Westbound ←  C Line toward Redondo Beach (Lakewood Boulevard)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Westbound ←  C Line toward Redondo Beach (Lakewood Boulevard)

Hours and frequency

C Line service hours are approximately from 4:00 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. daily. Trains operate every 10 minutes throughout the day. Night and early morning weekend service is every 20 minutes.[4]

In a 2023 pilot project, Norwalk became one of three Metro stations to offer public restrooms.[5]

Connections

As of spring 2024, the following connections are available:[6]

Future plans

There have been persistent proposals for a 2.8-mile (4.5 km) eastward extension of the line from Norwalk station to reach the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs station, serviced by Metrolink.[3][7] This project carries a proposed cost of $321 million for an elevated viaduct, or $360 million for a subway. Since an initial Environmental Impact Review (EIR) in 1993, there has been no solid progress for this proposal. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) lists funding priorities to build through year 2040 – the C Line east extension is not a funded project in the Metro's 2009 LRTP and is instead in the Tier 1 Strategic Unfunded Plan.[8] In 2016, voters passed Measure M, a sales tax increase making local funds available for the extension with a projected opening of 2046.[9]

Station artwork

A freestanding bee sculpture greets visitors to the upper level of the station.

The station has a bee theme, a nod to the indigenous place names for Norwalk, Sejat, Sejatngna and Sehat, which meant “Place of the Bees.”

Artist Meg Cranston used this historical reference as her inspiration to create her artworks collectively called “Suka: Place of the Bees.” The art pieces include a large bee sculpture for the entry to the parking lot, smaller bee sculptures are beneath the station canopies, a bee motif silkscreened onto the elevator glass, honeycomb pattern (hexagonal) wall tiles and paving patterns, and bronze tiles on the platform reference ancient coins which featured the honeybee.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Secure Bike Parking on Metro" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Weikel, Dan (January 10, 2016). "Closing 2.8-mile transit gap in Norwalk could smooth regional commute". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Metro C Line schedule". December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  5. ^ "CA: Toilets at LA Metro train and bus stations are very rare, but four are being tested at busy stops". MassTransit.
  6. ^ "C Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Wattenhofer, Jeff (January 11, 2016). "Metro Green Line Could Finally Be Connected to Metrolink in Southeast Los Angeles". Curbed LA. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "2009 Long Range Transportation Plan" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). 2010. p. 31. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  9. ^ "Measure M". Los Angeles Metro.
  10. ^ "Suka: Place of the Bees". Metro Art. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.

Media related to Norwalk (Los Angeles Metro station) at Wikimedia Commons

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