Palms station
| Company type | Light rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Palms, Los Angeles |
| Products | Rail transit services |
Palms station is a light rail stop on the E Line within the Los Angeles Metro Rail network. Positioned on an elevated embankment above National Boulevard and Palms Boulevard, it caters to the Palms district of Los Angeles.
History
Originally known as Bay View, this location was a station on the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad before being renamed The Palms in 1886.[1]
The Eastlake style Palms-Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, situated approximately west of today’s station on the track’s southern side, served passengers until the closure of the Santa Monica Air Line in 1953.
Following extensive appearances in motion pictures, the depot fell into disrepair but earned designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1963. In February 1976, the community organization S.O.S. (Save Our Station) successfully moved the structure to Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights, where it currently operates as both the museum’s gift shop and visitor center.[2]
Station name
Although there were initial plans to rename the station "National/Palms" when it reopened, it ultimately retained the name "Palms" after advocacy from the Palms Neighborhood Council.
The council highlighted that:
The Pacific Line Palms station has long stood as a significant landmark on Los Angeles’ west side, with a surrounding community that ranks among the oldest in that region. Our constituents believe preserving this name not only enhances Palms’ identity but also reconnects Los Angeles with its historical roots in one of its most longstanding and diverse neighborhoods.[3]
On April 25, 2013, the Metro board formally confirmed "Palms" as the official station name.[4]
Station layout
Positioned next to I-10, just westward of where National, Palms, and Exposition boulevards converge, the station is elevated above National Boulevard. Entry is provided through stairs and elevators situated at the eastern end of the platform.
The construction incorporated a pre-existing steel bridge from the Air Line period and introduced a new concrete bridge located east of the station that spans the National/Palms intersection. Additionally, there is an existing rail tunnel positioned to the west of the station.
Hours and frequency
The E Line operates at this station daily from approximately 4:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. During weekday peak hours, trains arrive every 8 minutes. Outside of peak times, including weekends and holidays, service intervals extend to 10 minutes. Early morning and late-night trains run at 20-minute intervals.
Connections
As of December 2024, passengers can connect to:
- Big Blue Bus (Santa Monica): routes 5 and 17
Points of interest
A notable nearby landmark is the Moreton Bay Fig Tree (Los Angeles, California).
External links
- Metro Expo Line official site
- Metro: "More to Explore, 7 New Expo Line Stations" — inaugurated May 20, 2016
- Metro Rail Expo Corridor Phase 2 Project Website — opened May 20, 2016
- Youtube.com: Old Palms Station location — time lapse footage depicting the pre-renovation stretch near Robertson Boulevard through Palms and Cheviot Hills
- ↑ " "The local of this paper the other day had a look at the 'Palms,' an incipient town on the line of the S. P. road, some five miles from Santa Monica. It is no longer a misnomer as the proprietors have planted two large palms near the depot and some 160 plants on the various driveways." — [1] Archived 2023-03-23 at the Wayback Machine Newspaper account quoted in Ingersoll's Century History, Santa Monica Bay Cities, page 353"
- ↑ George Garrigues, Los Angeles's The Palms Neighborhood, Charleston:Arcadia Press (2009), page 26 Archived February 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine ISBN 978-0-7385-6993-2
- ↑ "Palms station letter" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
- ↑ "Steve Hymon, "Board approves station names for Expo Line Phase 2," The Source, April 25, 2013". April 25, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.