Metro's Board of Directors has voted to certify the final environmental impact report for the Link Union Station project, cementing plans to construct an expanded passenger concourse and run-through tracks crossing the US-101 Freeway.

The revised project, as revealed earlier this month at an open house at Union Station, eliminates a proposed above-grade passenger concourse in favor of an expansion of the existing pedestrian passageway which passes beneath the rail yard.  The currently 30-foot-wide corridor would be widened to 140 feet, creating additional space for passenger circulation, amenities, and retail.

The estimated cost of the expanded passageway is $2.3 billion, representing a substantial discount relative to the approximately $2.8-billion price tag of the scuttled above-grade alternative.  However, Metro has not identified funding for this component of the Link Union Station project at this point in time.

Link Union Station's signature element, the proposed run-through tracks which would span across the US-101 Freeway, has $950 million in funding commitments.  A presentation filed with the final environmental impact report details several design options for the bridge structure.

Completion of the run-through tracks and expanded passenger concourse will allow for Union Station to provide through-routing for Metrolink and Amtrak trains, and potential future high-speed rail service.  Metro has previously estimated that the facility will see up to 200,000 daily passengers by 2040, double from the 100,000 transit riders that it sees today.

The news was first reported by Streetsblog.