Little Tokyo/Arts District station

Little Tokyo/Arts District
Location	200 N Alameda St, Los Angeles
Coordinates	34°02′59″N 118°14′17″W / 34.0498°N 118.2380°W
Owned by	Metro
Line(s)	Gold Line
Platforms	1 center platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	none
Bicycle facilities	12 bike rack spaces 4 lockers
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Open
History
Opened	15 November 2009
Services
Preceding station   Metro Rail   Following station Pico / Aliso toward Atlantic Gold Line Union Station toward APU/Citrus College

Little Tokyo/Arts District station is an at-grade light rail station in the Metro Rail system. It is located at the intersection of First and Alameda Streets, on the edge of Little Tokyo and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. The station is served by the Gold Line.^[1] It opened in 2009 as part of the Gold Line Eastside Extension. The station was temporarily closed due to the relocation of tracks for the Regional Connector project.^[2] It reopened March 20, 2016.

Metro Rail service

Gold Line service hours are approximately from 5:00 AM until 12:15 AM daily.^[3]

Location

Little Tokyo/Arts District station is located on the border of two neighborhoods, Little Tokyo to the west and the Arts District to the east. A number of educational attractions are near the station, with the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Japanese American National Museum, and the Geffen Contemporary branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art.^[4]

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 First and Alameda streets with brick buildings shaped to fit the long-gone rail lines.^[5] 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.^[6]

Station layout

Southbound	■ Gold Line	toward Atlantic (Pico/Aliso)
Northbound	■ Gold Line	toward APU/Citrus College (Union Station)

There is one island platform and two tracks at Little Tokyo/Arts District station located on the east side of Alameda Street between East 1st Street and East Temple Street. South of the station, the tracks curve to the east and line the middle of East 1st Street all the way to Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.

Future station

When the Blue and Expo Lines connect to the Gold Line via the Regional Connector, the Little Tokyo/Arts District station will be moved underground and across the street, due to traffic concerns on Alameda and 1st Street caused by at-grade trains.^[7] It will be renamed 1st St/Central Av Station.^[8] Preliminary work required the demolition of two modest, one-story brick buildings stores with one of the structures dating back at least to 1898.^[6]

Bus connections

The following bus routes stop at Little Tokyo/Arts District:

Class	Route	Western/southern terminus	Eastern/northern terminus
Local	30/330	Mid-City Pico-Rimpau Transit Center (shortline) via Pico Boulevard West Hollywood Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard via San Vicente Boulevard	Little Tokyo/Arts District eastern terminus (Line 330 and Line 30 shortline) East Los Angeles Indiana Gold Line Station via 1st Street (Line 30 only)
Local	40	Redondo Beach South Bay Galleria via Hawthorne Boulevard, Crenshaw Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard	Union Station

The station is also served by several LADOT DASH Buses

Landmarks

• Japanese American National Museum
• Little Tokyo
• The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

References

1. "Gold Line station information".
2. https://www.metro.net/projects/notices/regional_notice_120105/. Retrieved 2015-01-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. "Gold Line timetable" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-05-10.
4. Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension destination map LACMTA Retrieved 2009-10-12
5. Fischer, Greg (August 26, 2014). "Tracking Some Early Train History: Upcoming Regional Connector Station Site Played a Key Role in L.A.’s Early Transportation Scene". Los Angeles Downtown News (Civic Center News, Inc.).
6. Zahniser, David (March 15, 2014). "Buildings slated for tear-down were rich part of Little Tokyo history". Los Angeles Times.
7. "Regional Connector Update". The Source (Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority).
8. "1st St/Central Av Station". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). May 9, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-17.

External links

Media related to Little Tokyo / Arts District (Los Angeles Metro station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Eastside Extension page LACMTA