In an effort to improve regional rail service, Metro will study the possibility of adding new stations and increasing train frequency between the City of Burbank and Downtown Los Angeles.

The study, which was approved yesterday by Metro's Planning and Programming Committee, proposes the construction of two new stations in the City of Glendale and two stations within Los Angeles city limits.  Although locations for the proposed stations are undetermined, the language approved by the committee specifies that they should be "spaced appropriately" to avoid interfering with the operations of Metrolink's Ventura and Antelope Valley commuter rail lines.

Some hints may be provided by a 1992 report which explored a light rail line along the same corridor, which stretches between Los Angeles Union Station and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.  In that study, potential station sites in Glendale and Northeast Los Angeles included:

  • Northwest Glendale (Sonora Avenue)
  • Ventura Freeway (Doran Street)
  • Broadway
  • Glendale Metrolink Station
  • Fletcher Drive - Glendale Freeway
  • Taylor Yard (San Fernando Road)
  • South Taylor Yard - Avenue 19
  • Los Angeles Union Station

Although the mode of service would be determined through the study, Streetsblog LA relayed via Twitter that it could be run by Metrolink or a "smaller nimble" rail operation.  This opens up the possibility of light rail or diesel multiple units.

The study, which is backed by $900,000 in Measure R funds, also sets out take take "inventory" of options for increasing Glendale's access to the regional transportation system, building upon existing Metrolink service and a future link to California High Speed Rail.  Downtown Glendale may serve as a major destination along a proposed bus rapid transit line between North Hollywood and Pasadena.

The area under study falls under the purview of Eco-Rapid Transit, a joint powers authority pursuing a transit line that could eventually run from the Antelope Valley in the north to the City of Artesia in the south, incorporating the future West Santa Ana Branch.