Van Nuys station is an Amtrak and Metrolink train station in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, close to the nighborhood of Panorama City. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, Amtrak's Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington, and Metrolink's Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to East Ventura stop here.
Van Nuys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Van Nuys station in June 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 7724 Van Nuys Boulevard Van Nuys, California United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°12′41″N 118°26′54″W / 34.21139°N 118.44833°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | State of California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | SCRRA Ventura Subdivision[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 (1 bypass/yard track) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections |
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| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 350 spaces, 14 accessible spaces[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | 9 racks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | LPA Architects | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Staffed, station building with waiting room | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak: VNC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | October 18, 1982 (CalTrain) June 26, 1988 (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | March 1, 1983 (CalTrain) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1995, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Panorama City (CalTrain) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2023 | 63,035[3] (Amtrak only) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Van Nuys station is served by ten Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (five in each direction) every day and two Coast Starlight trains (one in each direction), with departures evenly spaced throughout the day.[4][5] Twenty Metrolink Ventura County Line trains (ten in each direction) serve the station each weekday, running during peak hours in the peak direction of travel. On weekends, four Metrolink Ventura County Line trains (two in each direction) serve the station. Metrolink passengers also have access to all Pacific Surfliner trains through a codesharing arrangement with Amtrak.[6]
The station when opened the first time in 1982 was called Panorama City and was served by the short-lived CalTrain service in 1982–83. In 1988, service was restored with the Amtrak San Diegan with the station renamed as Van Nuys, and Metrolink service began in 1992.
History
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The diagonal railway across the San Fernando Valley was built in 1904 as a cutoff for the Southern Pacific Coast Line.[7] At the time the main Van Nuys station was located further south on the Burbank branch, at the modern Van Nuys G Line station.
Panorama City station opened with the inauguration of CalTrain on October 18, 1982.[8] The short-lived service ended on March 1, 1983.[9] Amtrak service to Van Nuys (the former CalTrain station) began on June 26, 1988, when one San Diegan round trip was extended to Santa Barbara.[10] Metrolink began Ventura County Line service with a stop at Van Nuys on October 26, 1992.[11] A modern glass-and-concrete Van Nuys station building, funded by Caltrans, opened on December 18, 1995.[12]
The station originally had a single side platform serving the southern track of the two-track Ventura Subdivision.[1] A third track to the north is part of the Union Pacific Railroad Gemco Yard.[1][13] In January 2018, Metrolink began construction of an island platform — which serves both main tracks — and a pedestrian underpass.[14] Original plans called for a second side platform instead, but the island platform design had fewer impacts.[13] The project was originally to be completed in late 2019,[15] but was not officially finished until January 2020.[16]
Future
editVan Nuys is expected to be expanded in the coming years to provide more connectivity through the Valley and the rest of Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project line runs adjacent to the station and the agency is planning a stop near Keswick Street to provide an interchange between systems. A new island platform in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard is expected to open for service in 2031.[17][18][19] That line's maintenance and storage facility is additionally planned to be located nearby.
This is the northernmost station of the further planned Sepulveda Transit Corridor. As of 2020[update] new subway or aerial platforms are planned to be built at Van Nuys for the service.
References
edit- ^ a b c SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 16.
- ^ "Van Nuys Train Station". Metrolink. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Pacific Surfliner Timetable" (PDF). Pacific Surfliner. October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ "Coast Starlight Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. July 9, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ "Metrolink Timetable" (PDF). Metrolink. October 23, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Coast Line History" (PDF). The Ferroequinologist. June 1984. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ "IT'S HERE. The start of the line". The Press-Courier. October 25, 1982. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ^ "State PUC dumps commuter train". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 13, 1983 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rail Passenger Development Plan: 1990 Through 1995 Fiscal Years. California Department of Transportation – Division of Mass Transportation. 1988. p. 60 – via Google Books.
- ^ "History of Metrolink". Southern California Regional Rail Authority. 2017.
- ^ "Van Nuys, CA (VNC)". Great American Stations. Amtrak.
- ^ a b "Van Nuys Station Project" (PDF). Southern California Regional Rail Authority.
- ^ "Van Nuys Station Project Update". Metrolink Matters. Southern California Regional Rail Authority. March 29, 2018.
- ^ "Van Nuys Station". Southern California Regional Rail Authority.
- ^ "$32 million upgrade to Van Nuys Metrolink Station touted as 'lynchpin' of future Valley transit". Los Angeles Daily News. January 16, 2020.
- ^ @numble (November 27, 2023). "October 2023 status report for LA Metro's East San Fernando Valley line. Contractor's initial schedule shows line opening at end of 2031, Metro is _targeting summer 2031" (Tweet). Retrieved November 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Public comment begins on L.A. Metro's FEIS/R for LRT project between Van Nuys and San Fernando". Mass Transit. October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "May 2023 LA Metro update to FTA on ESFV project". June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
External links
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Media related to Van Nuys station at Wikimedia Commons