community

Historic Union Station Opens 1939 Downtown LA Rail Hub

Los Angeles Union Station opened in 1939 as a major downtown rail hub blending Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles.

By Los Angeles Things-to-do Desk · Published July 24, 2026

How we reported this

This article was written by AI from the linked sources and was not reviewed by a journalist before publishing. The Daily Los Angeles is part of The Daily Network and follows our reasonable editorial care.

Los Angeles County, California, United States (CAPELLA C09 SS GEO HH 20250109024430 20250109024443). Photo: Capella Space / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Los Angeles Union Station opened in 1939 in downtown Los Angeles and remains the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States.

Historic Opening and Design

The station opened on May 3, 1939, and is widely called the last of the great American railway stations. It was designed by the architect team John and Donald Parkinson in a blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco styles known as Mission Moderne. The grand waiting hall features high wooden-beamed ceilings, tiled floors and enclosed garden patios. The building is a designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

Transit Connections

The station serves Metro rail and bus lines, Amtrak intercity trains and Metrolink commuter rail. Travelers use it to connect toward the airport corridor, Orange County and San Diego. It is owned by LA Metro since 2011 and functions as the main gateway for Metro Rail lines including the Red Line and Purple Line, along with Metrolink, Amtrak, Greyhound and FlixBus.

Visiting the Station

The station sits across from the historic El Pueblo district and Olvera Street. During World War II it operated as a critical 24-hour hub for troop trains. Today visitors can explore the architecture and use the terminal as a starting point for trips across Southern California. The site appears frequently in film and television productions.

Practical access begins at the main terminal building in downtown Los Angeles, where passengers can check schedules for Amtrak and Metrolink services or board Metro rail lines directly. The enclosed garden patios and waiting hall remain open for public viewing alongside active transit operations.

References Sourced but Not Limited to:

Your newsroom. Shaped by you.

The Daily Los Angeles is in beta. AI may assist with research, summarising and drafting. Automated checks assess sourcing, accuracy and editorial risk before publication, and sensitive material is held for human review. Spotted something off, or want us covering a topic? Tell us. Your feedback is entirely optional and helps shape what we publish next.