Contents

Van Nuys station

Van Nuys, CA
Van Nuys station in June 2023
General information
Location	7724 Van Nuys Boulevard Van Nuys, California United States
Coordinates	34°12′41″N 118°26′54″W / 34.21139°N 118.44833°W / 34.21139; -118.44833
Owned by	State of California
Line(s)	SCRRA Ventura Subdivision[1]
Platforms	1island platform
Tracks	3 (1 bypass/yard track)
Connections	Amtrak Thruway: 1C LADOT DASH: Panorama City/Van Nuys Los Angeles Metro Bus: 169, 233, Rapid 761
Construction
Parking	350 spaces, 14 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilities	9racks
Accessible	Yes
Architect	LPA Architects
Other information
Status	Staffed, station building with waiting room
Station code	Amtrak: VNC
History
Opened	October 18, 1982 (1982-10-18) (CalTrain) June 26, 1988 (1988-06-26) (Amtrak)
Closed	March 1, 1983 (1983-03-01) (CalTrain)
Rebuilt	December 16, 1995 (1995-12-16) 2018–2019
Previous names	Panorama City (CalTrain)
Passengers
FY 2022	44,026[2] (Amtrak only)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Simi Valley toward Seattle Coast Starlight Hollywood Burbank Airport toward Los Angeles Chatsworth toward San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner Hollywood Burbank Airport toward San Diego Northridge (limited service) toward San Luis Obispo Preceding station Metrolink Following station Northridge toward Ventura–East Ventura County Line Burbank Airport–South toward L.A. Union Station
Former services Preceding station CalTrain Following station Chatsworth towards Oxnard Los Angeles–Oxnard Burbank Airport towards Los Angeles Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station Whitsert towards San Fernando San Fernando Amherst towards Subway Terminal Whitsert towards Canoga Park Owensmouth Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Raymer toward San Francisco Coast Line Burbank toward Los Angeles
Location

Van Nuys station is an Amtrak and Metrolink train station in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, close to the nighborhood of Panorama City. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis ObispotoSan Diego, Amtrak's Coast Starlight from Los AngelestoSeattle, Washington, and Metrolink's Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to East Ventura stop here.

Van Nuys station is served by ten Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (five in each direction) every day and two Coast Starlight trains (one in each direction), with departures evenly spaced throughout the day.^[3][4] Twenty Metrolink Ventura County Line trains (ten in each direction) serve the station each weekday, running during peak hours in the peak direction of travel. On weekends, four Metrolink Ventura County Line trains (two in each direction) serve the station. Metrolink passengers also have access to all Pacific Surfliner trains through a codesharing arrangement with Amtrak.^[5]

The station when opened the first time in 1982 was called Panorama City and was served by the short-lived CalTrain service in 1982–83. In 1988, service was restored with the Amtrak San Diegan with the station renamed as Van Nuys, and Metrolink service began in 1992.

History[edit]

The diagonal railway across the San Fernando Valley was built in 1904 as a cutoff for the Southern Pacific Coast Line.^[6] At the time the main Van Nuys station was located further south on the Burbank branch, at the modern Van Nuys G Line station.

Panorama City station opened with the inauguration of CalTrain on October 18, 1982.^[7] The short-lived service ended on March 1, 1983.^[8] Amtrak service to Van Nuys (the former CalTrain station) began on June 26, 1988, when one San Diegan round trip was extended to Santa Barbara.^[9] Metrolink began Ventura County Line service with a stop at Van Nuys on October 26, 1992.^[10] A modern glass-and-concrete Van Nuys station building, funded by Caltrans, opened on December 18, 1995.^[11]

The station originally had a single side platform serving the southern track of the two-track Ventura Subdivision.^[1] A third track to the north is part of the Union Pacific Railroad Gemco Yard.^[1][12] In January 2018, Metrolink began construction of an island platform — which serves both main tracks — and a pedestrian underpass.^[13] Original plans called for a second side platform instead, but the island platform design had fewer impacts.^[12] The project was originally to be completed in late 2019,^[14] but was not officially finished until January 2020.^[15]

Future[edit]

Van Nuys is expected to be expanded in the coming years to provide more connectivity through the Valley and the rest of Los Angeles County.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project line runs adjacent to the station and the agency is planning a stop near Keswick Street to provide an interchange between systems. A new island platform in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard is expected to open for service in 2031.^[16][17][18] That line's maintenance and storage facility is additionally planned to be located nearby.

This is the northernmost station of the further planned Sepulveda Transit Corridor. As of 2020^[update] new subway or aerial platforms are planned to be built at Van Nuys for the service.

References[edit]

^ "State PUC dumps commuter train". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 13, 1983 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

Media related to Van Nuys station at Wikimedia Commons

• Van Nuys, CA – Amtrak
• Van Nuys, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Van Nuys – Metrolink
• Van Nuys, CA – USA Rail Guide (TrainWeb)