Rendering of Metro Rail incorporated into Union Station, 1983.
Los Angeles Union Station, long considered the last of the great American railway stations as it was built on the precipice of the private passenger railroad industry’s decline, turns 72 years old today.
Metro Primary Resources has a piece today detailing the battle to build what is now one of the most connected passenger terminals on the West Coast. It started long before the building’s 1939 opening – the idea of consolidating some facilities of the three major railroads that operated in the Los Angeles area first arose in 1915. The railroad companies resisted because they feared having “united” facilities would allow competitors to enter the market by making common stations and tracks available for use by newcomers.
In place of the union terminal, the railroads proposed creating an elevated rail network throughout the city connecting their existing assets. To gain favor with the public, they even promised to let the local streetcar systems use the tracks which would’ve drastically sped up service. Elected officials including the mayor came out in favor of this plan, but after a contentious battle voters rejected it in favor of a plan to build the Union Passenger Terminal.
Big crowds turned out to celebrate the opening of the $11 million dollar station on May 3, 1939, but it soon became under-utilized as the private passenger railroad industry began a rapid decline. With the post-war boom, suburban freeways ripped through Southern California and rail travel started to feel like a thing of the past.
Union has seen continuous rail service since the first day, however. Usage stands to increase drastically in the coming decade with the arrival of enhanced Metro Rail service and high speed trains going to the Bay Area. With any luck, Union – “the last great railway station” – will continue to serve as the West Coast’s transit hub well into the future.
