Metrolink completes $32M train station modernization project

Calif.’s Metrolink inaugurated service at the newly rebuilt Van Nuys Train Station following a two-year construction period.

The $32 million project moved and rebuilt the train platform to the center of the double-tracked station to improve operational efficiency, maintain on-time performance, and enable more future train service for Metrolink and Amtrak.

“The newly reconstructed Van Nuys Station allows both tracks to be used simultaneously, increasing capacity, and provides safe access to the platform from a pedestrian underpass, keeping trains and passengers separated,” said Metrolink Board Chair Brian Humphrey.

Train service continued at the station throughout the reconstruction with the use of a temporary platform.

The State of California provided funding for the reconstruction project from a Proposition 1B grant of $31.1 million administered by Caltrans. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority contributed $1 million, with $800,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $200,000 in Measure R funds.  

The theme of the Van Nuys Station honors the long-closed General Motors assembly plant, which from 1947 to 1992 produced cars — including the Chevrolet Chevelle — on a nearby property. The color scheme of the canopies and Terraza stained glass is like a dark green tone known to car enthusiasts as “Chevelle Green.”

Metrolink CEO Stephanie Wiggins also announced plans for beautification of the Van Nuys Station.