Metro, which has owned Union Station for a few years now, is planning on building a Regional-Connector-ish system at the station—a $350-million track rearrangement that will cut down on transfers and allow shorter travel times for Metrolink and Amtrak riders, according to the LA Times. The idea has been cooking since the 1950s, but is now finally getting funded with grants and Measure R transpo tax money. By installing four sections of track, the project will allow trains to zoom straight through the terminal area, instead of dead-ending as they do now and being forced to turn around. Express service connecting places like San Diego and San Luis Obispo would no longer need to even stop at Union Station, saving 15 minutes of travel time. Trains that do stop would have much shorter times idling at the station. With the new arrangement, trains could add express service and play around with their schedules, while the savings in fuel would bring operating costs down for the rail systems. The project should start work in 2017 and finish two or three years after that.
· Union Station to get $350 million in track upgrades [LA Times]
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