A planned overhaul of the 7th Street/Metro Center transit hub in Downtown Los Angeles is inching forward, according to an environmental notice issued by Metro.

The project, which has been in the works for several years, aims to modernize Metro's busiest rail station with updated signage, lighting, security features, and accessibility improvements. Renderings presented to Downtown business groups in 2023 show the station's ubiquitous red brick discarded in favor of what appears to be terrazzo flooring, as well as new ceiling lamps to brighten the station platforms and main entrance at 7th and Figueroa Streets.

View from B/D Line platform, afterGensler

The planned improvements to 7th Street/Metro Center are part of a larger effort to improve upon existing several transit stations which are expected to serve key roles during the 2028 Summer Olympics - the others being Union Station and Pico Station. A recent report to a Metro Board committee shows planned investments at Union Station, including the addition of a second elevator to the A Line's platform, improved pedestrian access across the station complex, and upgrades to the historic ticketing hall. While plans for Pico Station are not detailed in the presentation, past reports have indicated that Metro would add a second platform to the at-grade stop to handle increased passenger traffic toward events at the Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena.

Outside of the three key stops, Metro is also planning upgrades to five additional stops on the B and D Line subways, including Civic Center/Grand Park, Hollywood/Highland, Universal City/Studio City, Wilshire/Vermont, and North Hollywood. Improvements to the Pomona Fairplex Station on Metrolink's San Bernardino Line are also proposed.

7th Street/Metro Center entrance at Figueroa Street, afterGensler

Other Metro projects tied to the Olympics effort include improvements to speed up trains on the A and E Lines (particularly those traversing street-level tracks along Washington Boulevard and Flower Street) and mobility hubs at Norwalk, Memorial Park, and Harbor Gateway Stations.

Per a Metro report, the full suite of Olympic readiness projects would cost $444 million. Upgrades 7th Street/Metro Center and Union Station are the biggest individual items on that list, and are expected to cost $50 million each. The expansion of Pico Station would cost $20 million, upgrades to the older B and D Line stops would cost a combined $135 million.

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