Westwood/Rancho Park station

Westwood/Rancho Park
 Expo Line 
Location 2594 Westwood Boulevard
Coordinates 34°02′12″N 118°25′33″W / 34.0368°N 118.4258°W / 34.0368; -118.4258
Owned by Metro
Platforms 1 center platform
Tracks 2
Construction
Parking None
Bicycle facilities TBD
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Status Near Completion
History
Opened October 17, 1875
Closed September 30, 1953
Rebuilt 2015 (anticipated)
Previous names Talamantes
Services
Preceding station   Metro Rail   Following station
Expo Line
Phase 2
(future)
  Former services  
Pacific Electric
Air Line
The Palms

Westwood/Rancho Park (formerly Talamantes) is a nearly completed at-grade light rail station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system located at the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Exposition Boulevard in the Rancho Park neighborhood of West Los Angeles. This station will be served by the Expo Line.[1]

As part of Expo Phase 2, this station is currently under construction and is expected to open in 2015.[2] Although opponents filed a lawsuit to halt construction, they were ultimately unsuccessful in their efforts (see Opposition section, below).

Location and design

Westwood/Rancho Park Station will be located at Exposition Boulevard just east of Westwood Boulevard, between Westwood Boulevard and Overland Avenue.[3] This station is located in Rancho Park, an affluent single-family neighborhood south of Westwood and southwest of Century City. The station location is a short walk from the Westside Pavilion shopping mall.

The Final EIR included 170 surface parking spaces with this station. However, the FEIR included a design option to remove all parking for transit users (20 parking spaces would be provided for local residents only). In March 2011, the Expo Board approved the no-parking option. Sepulveda station, less than one mile away, will have parking.

Opposition

In the Final EIR, Metro staff recommended routing the Expo Line along the Exposition Right-Of-Way (ROW) through Rancho Park (which includes Westwood Station), at-grade. During the EIR process, a group of neighbors known as Neighbors For Smart Rail (NFSR) organized to oppose at-grade light rail through this ROW.[4] The group claims that this design will be dangerous if built as specified, and that Metro failed to comply with environmental law. Metro publicly disputed these claims,[5] as did several groups supporting the current design.[6][7][8]

On 5 March 2010, NFSR filed a lawsuit to halt construction of Expo Phase 2.[9] This lawsuit was dismissed by the Superior Court of the State of California on February 22, 2011.[10]

References

External links

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