Metro will permanently close its Little Tokyo/Arts District Station beginning Saturday, and a free shuttle will temporarily replace a portion of the former Gold Line route while a new station is built.
The station will provide its last service Friday night and the next day Metro will start a 22-month construction project that will allow the agency to complete a 1.9-mile rail extension that will connect three lines in downtown Los Angeles.
The current Little Tokyo/Arts District Station will be demolished and replaced with a new underground station that will open when this project concludes in 2022.
The Regional Connector Transit Project will connect the A ( former Blue), E (Expo), and L (Gold) lines through downtown Los Angeles. The merged lines are also scheduled to debut in late 2022.
During this construction phase, a free bus shuttle service will be offered for individuals seeking to travel between Union Station and the Pico/ Aliso Station. The L line service will remain the same between Union Station and Azusa and between Pico/Aliso to Atlantic Station.
The shuttle will run in both directions on the same schedule as trains — approximately every 12 minutes during midday and every 20 minutes in the early morning and late evening.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Rick Jager told the Los Angeles Times he’s aware that the project will be an inconvenience to people adding, “and we’re asking people to plan ahead.”
