Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station

Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station (formerly Imperial/Wilmington/Rosa Parks station) is a major transport hub and Los Angeles Metro Rail station that serves the A Line and C Line. The station, located at the intersection of Imperial Highway and Wilmington Avenue in the Willowbrook community of Los Angeles County, is a major transfer point for commuters.[4][5]

Willowbrook/Rosa Parks
A Line  C Line 
Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station upper platform for the C Line
General information
Location11611 Willowbrook Avenue (A Line)
11651 Wilmington Avenue (C Line)
Willowbrook, California
Coordinates33°55′42″N 118°14′17″W / 33.9282°N 118.2380°W / 33.9282; -118.2380
Owned byLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms1 island platform (A Line)
1 island platform (C Line)
Tracks2 surface (A Line)
2 freeway median, elevated (C Line)
ConnectionsSee connections section
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade (A Line)
Freeway median, elevated (C Line)
Parking234 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilitiesMetro Bike Hub, racks and lockers[2]
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedJuly 14, 1990 (1990-07-14) (A Line)
August 12, 1995 (1995-08-12) (C Line)
RebuiltAugust 9, 2021[3]
Previous namesImperial (1990–1995)
Imperial/Wilmington Ave (1995–2011)
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
103rd Street/Watts Towers A Line Compton
toward Long Beach
Avalon C Line Long Beach Boulevard
toward Norwalk
Future services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station
Avalon C Line
(2024)
Long Beach Boulevard
toward Norwalk
Former services (as Abila)
Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station
Springdale Long Beach Watts
Springdale
towards Balboa
Balboa
Springdale
towards San Pedro
San Pedro via Dominguez
Location
Map

As a major transfer station, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station also acts as a major bus hub, serving many bus routes operated by Metro and other regional/municipal transit agencies. The station also has park and ride facilities, including 975 parking spaces and 4 bike lockers. To the east of the station is the Metro Rail Operations Center, which is the dispatch hub for all Metro Rail train operators.

The station is located in unincorporated Willowbrook, near the Los Angeles community of Watts in the South Los Angeles region. It is directly across the street from the Imperial Courts Housing Project, which is located within the City of Los Angeles. The C Line platform for this station is located in the middle of the I-105 Freeway.

The station's official name memorializes Rosa Parks, an African-American civil rights activist. From the Blue (A) Line's opening on July 14, 1990 until the Green (C) Line opened on August 12, 1995 the Blue Line station platform was known as Imperial station while the Green Line station platform was planned to be called Wilmington station and then the station was called Imperial/Wilmington station from the Green Line's opening in 1995 until it was changed to its current name in 2011.

History edit

A $10.25 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation in 2014 was used to partially fund $53 million in major upgrades to the station, including improved lighting, new paintings, new central plaza and extended platforms.[6]

The Blue Line portion of the station was closed from January 26 to November 2, 2019 for a major renovation project as part of the New Blue Improvements Project.[7]

Service edit

Station layout edit

 
A Line platform as seen from mezzanine prior to renovation

The A Line platform is on the street level, and the C Line platform is on the upper (freeway) level. The two levels are connected by stairs/escalators/elevators via a mezzanine. Ticket machines are located on street level and on the mezzanine.

Upper level Westbound   C Line toward Redondo Beach (Avalon)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Eastbound   C Line toward Norwalk (Long Beach Boulevard)
Mezzanine To Entrance/Exit, C Line faregates, ticket machines
Street level Entrance/Exit, C Line faregates, ticket machines, bus plaza, park and ride
Northbound   A Line toward APU/Citrus College (103rd Street/Watts Towers)
Island platform, doors will open on the left
Southbound   A Line toward Downtown Long Beach (Compton)

A spur track connects the northbound A Line just south of the station to a pocket track on the C Line, allowing trains to transfer between the two lines when necessary, usually to allow C Line trains to access the A Line maintenance yard. This track is not used for revenue service.

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.[8]

C Line service hours are approximately from 4:00 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. daily. Trains operate every 10 minutes throughout the day. Night and early morning weekend service is every 20 minutes.[9]

Connections edit

As of spring 2024, the following connections are available:[10][11]

Notable places nearby edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Secure Bike Parking on Metro" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Ubaldo, Jose (2021-08-09). "Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station improvement project is now officially completed!". Metro The Source. Archived from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  4. ^ "Blue Line station information" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  5. ^ "Green Line station information" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
  6. ^ Nelson, Laura J. (September 13, 2014). "Federal grant will fund improvements to Willowbrook Metro station". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Blue Line Improvements Project Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metro. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  8. ^ "Metro A Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "Metro C Line schedule". December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "A Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 9, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "C Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved December 26, 2023.