Pico station explained

Style:Los Angeles Metro Rail
Pico
Symbol Location:losangeles
Symbol:A
Symbol2:E
Symbol3:J
Other Name:Pico/Chick Hearn
Address:1236 South Flower Street
Borough:Los Angeles, California
Coordinates:34.0402°N -118.2667°W
Owned:Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platform:1 island platform
Tracks:2
Connections:See Connections section
Structure:At-grade
Parking:Paid parking nearby
Bicycle:Metro Bike Share station[1]
Accessible:Yes
Rebuilt:November 2, 2019[2]
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:14

Pico station is an at-grade light rail station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system located on Flower Street at the intersection of Pico Boulevard.[3] The station also has southbound bus stops on Flower Street, across from the station and northbound bus stops on Figueroa Street, one block to the west. Pico station serves the South Park and Figueroa/Convention District neighborhoods.

Officially named Pico/Chick Hearn station after Chick Hearn, the longtime play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was also temporarily renamed "Kobe station" to commemorate professional basketball player Kobe Bryant's last game on April 13, 2016.[4] It was once again temporarily renamed "LeBron Station" to welcome LeBron James to the Lakers.[5]

History

Pico station opened along with the Blue Line (now A Line) on July 14, 1990, and was the site of opening day celebrations. Because the underground portion of the line was not yet complete, this station served as the northern terminus for the line until February 1991 when 7th St/Metro Center Station opened.[6]

During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to events at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater.[7]

Service

Station layout

Busway stopsFlower/Pico
(Southbound)
toward or San Pedro →
Figueroa/Pico
(Northbound)
← toward
Rail platform
Southbound/
Eastbound
toward →
toward →

Pico station has an at-grade, island platform station designed to accommodate Metro light rail vehicles. The station's entrance is on the northeast corner of Flower/Pico.

Metro added gates and flashing lights at this station during late December 2011, as part of a set of safety enhancements that were added as part of the Expo Line project. Access upgrades were added in 2018 due to increased use and development of the area.[8] Metro has held discussions regarding placing the station underground or expanding the light rail capacity in time for the 2028 Olympics.[9] There has also been discussion of expanding Pico station or putting it underground by utilizing funds under a proposed congestion pricing program in Downtown Los Angeles.[10]

North of this station is the Flower Street Tunnel, which connects Pico station to 7th St/Metro Center Station via Flower Street. The tunnel's portal is just south of 11th Street on Flower Street.

Connections

, the following connections are available:[11]

Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

Notable places nearby

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Station Map . November 13, 2021 . . en-US . January 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220102233640/https://bikeshare.metro.net/stations/ . live .
  2. News: Lozano . Carlos . November 2, 2019 . Metro rail service between Los Angeles and Long Beach reopens . en-US . . March 4, 2022 . March 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220319142530/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-02/metro-rail-los-angeles-long-beach-blue-a-line . live .
  3. Web site: 7th St/Metro Center Connections . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120225095240/http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/images/red_7th_metro.pdf . February 25, 2012 . November 18, 2021 . Metro.
  4. Web site: Kobe Bryant to get his name on a Metro station -- for one day only. Hamilton. Matt. April 13, 2016. Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2016. June 18, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160618025546/http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-metro-staples-center-kobe-bryant-20160412-story.html. live.
  5. Web site: Welcoming LeBron to the LA Lakers. 30 April 2020 . February 10, 2023. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230210112646/https://www.intersection.com/success-story/nike-lebron-station/. live.
  6. Web site: Blue Line station information. June 20, 2009. May 22, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090522222031/http://www.metro.net/riding%5Fmetro/blue_line.htm. dead.
  7. Web site: Games Plan . January 9, 2022 . . en . November 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211107215303/https://la28.org/en/games-plan.html . live .
  8. Web site: Pico Station Getting an Upgrade. Nicholas. Slayton. 9 March 2017 . August 12, 2018. April 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180427205204/http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/pico-station-getting-an-upgrade/article_23a033d0-0063-11e7-87a9-bfe155653510.html. live.
  9. Web site: Draft Details Announced for "28 by 28" Metro Projects for L.A. Olympics. December 2, 2017. August 12, 2018. June 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180617034311/https://la.streetsblog.org/2017/12/01/draft-details-announced-for-28-by-28-metro-projects-for-l-a-olympics/. live.
  10. numble . 1712889580134060244 . September 2023 LA Metro congestion pricing study update by @markvalli, focused on Downtown LA. It may help pay for Pico station expansion/undergrounding, streetcar, WSAB, Arts District station, improved service, etc. They may consider exemptions for businesses and time-of-day. . October 13, 2023 . October 13, 2023.
  11. Web site: June 16, 2023 . E Line Timetable – Connections section . June 26, 2023 . Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority . 2.