Pico station

Not to be confused with Pico/Aliso station in East Los Angeles.

Pico station is an at-grade light rail station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system located on Flower Street at the intersection of Pico Boulevard.^[4] The station also has southbound bus stops on Flower Street, across from the station and northbound bus stops on Figueroa Street, one block to the west. Pico station serves the South Park and Figueroa/Convention District neighborhoods.

Pico
Pico station platform, January 2024
General information
Other names	Pico/Chick Hearn
Location	1236 South Flower Street Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34.0402°N 118.2667°W / 34.0402; -118.2667
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	See Connections section
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Parking	Paid parking nearby
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Share station[1]
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	July 14, 1990 (1990-07-14)
Rebuilt	November 2, 2019[2]
Passengers
FY 2024	4,935 (avg. wkdy boardings, A & E lines only)[3]
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Grand/LATTC toward Long Beach A Line 7th Street/Metro Center toward Azusa LATTC/Ortho Institute toward Santa Monica E Line 7th Street/Metro Center toward East Los Angeles Preceding station Metro Busway Following station Grand/LATTC toward Harbor Gateway or San Pedro J Line (street service) 7th Street/Metro Center (with interim stop) toward El Monte
Location

The station in 2012

Officially named Pico/Chick Hearn station after Chick Hearn, the longtime play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, it was also temporarily renamed "Kobe station" to commemorate professional basketball player Kobe Bryant's last game on April 13, 2016.^[5] It was once again temporarily renamed "LeBron Station" to welcome LeBron James to the Lakers.^[6]

History

Pico station opened along with the Blue Line (now A Line) on July 14, 1990, and was the site of opening day celebrations. Because the underground portion of the line was not yet complete, this station served as the northern terminus for the line until February 1991 when 7th St/Metro Center Station opened.^[7]

During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the station will serve spectators traveling to events at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater.^[8]

Service

Station layout

Pico station has an at-grade, island platform station designed to accommodate Metro light rail vehicles. The station's entrance is on the northeast corner of Flower/Pico.

Metro added gates and flashing lights at this station during late December 2011, as part of a set of safety enhancements that were added as part of the Expo Line project.^[9] Access upgrades were added in 2018 due to increased use and development of the area.^[10] Metro has held discussions regarding placing the station underground or expanding the light rail capacity in time for the 2028 Olympics.^[11] There has also been discussion of expanding Pico station or putting it underground by utilizing funds under a proposed congestion pricing program in Downtown Los Angeles.^[12]

North of this station is the Flower Street Tunnel, which connects Pico station to 7th St/Metro Center Station via Flower Street. The tunnel's portal is just south of 11th Street on Flower Street.

Hours and frequency

A Line service hours are from approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m daily. Trains operate every 8 minutes during peak hours, Monday to Friday. Trains run every 10 minutes, during midday on weekdays and weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.^[13]

E Line service hours are from approximately 4:30 a.m. and 11:45 p.m daily. Trains operate every 8 minutes during peak hours, Monday to Friday. Trains run every 10 minutes, during midday on weekdays and weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.^[14]

J Line buses run 24 hours a day between El Monte Station, Downtown Los Angeles, and the Harbor Gateway Transit Center, as route 910. Some trips continue to San Pedro between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. and are signed as Route 950. On weekdays, buses operate every four to eight minutes during peak hours. They operate every 10 minutes in the midday, 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight. On weekends, buses arrive every 15 minutes most of the day. They operate every 20 minutes during evenings, 40 minutes during nights, and every hour overnight.^[15]

Connections

As of December 15, 2024^[update], the following connections are available:^[16][17]

• LADOT Commuter Express: 419*, 422*, 423*, 438*, 448*
• LADOT DASH: F
• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 30, 81, Express 460
• Torrance Transit: 4X*

Note: * indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

Notable places nearby

The station is within walking distance of the following notable places:

• California Hospital Medical Center
• Circa Complex
• Crypto.com Arena
• Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles Campus
• L.A. Live
• Los Angeles Convention Center
• Oceanwide Plaza
• Peacock Theater

References

1. "Station Map". Metro Bike Share. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
2. Lozano, Carlos (November 2, 2019). "Metro rail service between Los Angeles and Long Beach reopens". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
3. "FY2024 Ridership by Station". misken67 via Los Angeles Metro Public Records. August 2024.
4. "7th St/Metro Center Connections" (PDF). Metro. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
5. Hamilton, Matt (April 13, 2016). "Kobe Bryant to get his name on a Metro station -- for one day only". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
6. "Welcoming LeBron to the LA Lakers". April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
7. "Blue Line station information". Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
8. "Games Plan". 2028 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
9. Archived 4 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine
10. Slayton, Nicholas (March 9, 2017). "Pico Station Getting an Upgrade". Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
11. "Draft Details Announced for "28 by 28" Metro Projects for L.A. Olympics". December 2, 2017. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
12. @numble (October 13, 2023). "September 2023 LA Metro congestion pricing study update by @markvalli, focused on Downtown LA. It may help pay for Pico station expansion/undergrounding, streetcar, WSAB, Arts District station, improved service, etc. They may consider exemptions for businesses and time-of-day" (Tweet). Retrieved October 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
13. "A Line Timetable" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
14. >"E Line Timetable" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
15. "J Line Timetable" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
16. "A Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024. p. 2. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
17. "E Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 15, 2024. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2025.