Pico station

Summary

Pico station is an at-grade light rail station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system located on Flower Street at the intersection of Pico Boulevard.[3] The station also has southbound bus stops on Flower Street, across from the station and northbound bus stops on Figueroa Street, one block to the west. Pico station serves the South Park and Figueroa/Convention District neighborhoods.

Pico
A Line  E Line  J Line 
Pico station platform
General information
Other namesPico/Chick Hearn
Location1236 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34°02′25″N 118°16′00″W / 34.0402°N 118.2667°W / 34.0402; -118.2667
Owned byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsSee Connections section
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
ParkingPaid parking nearby
Bicycle facilitiesMetro Bike Share station[1]
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedJuly 14, 1990; 33 years ago (1990-07-14)
RebuiltNovember 2, 2019[2]
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
7th Street/Metro Center A Line Grand/LATTC
toward Long Beach
LATTC/Ortho Institute E Line 7th Street/Metro Center
toward Atlantic
Preceding station Metro Busway Following station
7th Street/Metro Center
toward El Monte
J Line
(street service)
Grand/LATTC
(with interim stops)
toward San Pedro
Location
Map
The station in 2012

Officially named Pico/Chick Hearn station after Chick Hearn, the longtime play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was also temporarily renamed "Kobe station" to commemorate professional basketball player Kobe Bryant's last game on April 13, 2016.[4] It was once again temporarily renamed "LeBron Station" to welcome LeBron James to the Lakers.[5]

History edit

Pico station opened along with the Blue Line (now A Line) on July 14, 1990, and was the site of opening day celebrations. Because the underground portion of the line was not yet complete, this station served as the northern terminus for the line until February 1991 when 7th St/Metro Center Station opened.[6]

During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to events at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater.[7]

Service edit

Station layout edit

Busway stops Flower/Pico
(Southbound)
  J Line toward Harbor Gateway or San Pedro (Grand/LATTC)
Figueroa/Pico
(Northbound)
  J Line toward El Monte (Olympic Bl)
Rail platform Northbound/
Westbound
  A Line toward APU/Citrus College (7th Street/Metro Center)
  E Line toward Atlantic (7th Street/Metro Center)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Southbound/
Eastbound
  A Line toward Long Beach (Grand/LATTC)
  E Line toward Santa Monica (LATTC/Ortho Institute)

Pico station has an at-grade, island platform station designed to accommodate Metro light rail vehicles. The station's entrance is on the northeast corner of Flower/Pico.

Metro added gates and flashing lights at this station during late December 2011, as part of a set of safety enhancements that were added as part of the Expo Line project.[8] Access upgrades were added in 2018 due to increased use and development of the area.[9] Metro has held discussions regarding placing the station underground or expanding the light rail capacity in time for the 2028 Olympics.[10] There has also been discussion of expanding Pico station or putting it underground by utilizing funds under a proposed congestion pricing program in Downtown Los Angeles.[11]

North of this station is the Flower Street Tunnel, which connects Pico station to 7th St/Metro Center Station via Flower Street. The tunnel's portal is just south of 11th Street on Flower Street.

Hours and frequency edit

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.[12]

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.[13]

J Line buses run 24 hours a day between El Monte Station, Downtown Los Angeles, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center as route 910, with some trips continuing to San Pedro between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and signed as Route 950. On weekdays, buses operate every four to eight minutes during peak hours, with longer headways of 10 minutes in the midday, 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight. On weekends, buses arrive every 15 minutes most of the day, with longer headways of 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight.[14]

Connections edit

As of June 16, 2023, the following connections are available:[15]

Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

Notable places nearby edit

The station is within walking distance of the following notable places:

References edit

  1. ^ "Station Map". Metro Bike Share. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Lozano, Carlos (November 2, 2019). "Metro rail service between Los Angeles and Long Beach reopens". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "7th St/Metro Center Connections" (PDF). Metro. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Matt (April 13, 2016). "Kobe Bryant to get his name on a Metro station -- for one day only". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Welcoming LeBron to the LA Lakers". April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Blue Line station information". Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  7. ^ "Games Plan". 2028 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Archived 4 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
  9. ^ Slayton, Nicholas (March 9, 2017). "Pico Station Getting an Upgrade". Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  10. ^ "Draft Details Announced for "28 by 28" Metro Projects for L.A. Olympics". December 2, 2017. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  11. ^ @numble (October 13, 2023). "September 2023 LA Metro congestion pricing study update by @markvalli, focused on Downtown LA. It may help pay for Pico station expansion/undergrounding, streetcar, WSAB, Arts District station, improved service, etc. They may consider exemptions for businesses and time-of-day" (Tweet). Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Metro A Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  13. ^ "Metro E Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  14. ^ "Metro J Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  15. ^ "E Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 16, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved June 26, 2023.