Universal City/Studio City station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Lankershim Boulevard at its intersection of Campo de Cahuenga and Universal Hollywood Drive in the neighborhoods of Universal City and Studio City, after which the station is named.
Universal City/Studio City  | |||||||||||
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 Universal City/Studio City station platform | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | 3901 Lankershim Boulevard Studio City, California | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°08′21″N 118°21′45″W / 34.1391°N 118.3625°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Connections |
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| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Underground | ||||||||||
| Parking | 584 spaces,[1] kiss and ride facility | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Metro Bike Share station,[2] racks and lockers[3] | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | June 24, 2000 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Universal City (2000–2013) | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| FY 2024 | 3,293 (avg. wkdy boardings)[4] | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The station is located near the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex, and the NBCUniversal studio complex. The station was built around the historic Campo de Cahuenga, an adobe ranch house where the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed in 1847, ending hostilities in California between Mexico and the United States.
Location
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Universal City/Studio City station lies within the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, specifically at the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard, Campo de Cahuenga and Universal Terrace Parkway. Universal City/Studio City station straddles the hills between the Los Angeles Basin to the south and the San Fernando Valley to the north. Just southeast of the station, across the Hollywood Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is the Cahuenga Pass, consisting of a strip of shops, restaurants and offices that follow US 101, but along Cahuenga Boulevard, which parallels the freeway through the pass.
Universal Studios
editUniversal City/Studio City station serves the nearby Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex, along with the Hilton Universal and Sheraton Universal hotels. Beyond the tourist attractions, the station also serves the working Universal Studios Lot, the Brokaw News Center (KNBC, KVEA, Telemundo and NBC news bureaus) and the 10 Universal City Plaza office building.
To access the tourist attractions, riders cross the street using a pedestrian bridge and board a tram to go to CityWalk and the theme park. A pedestrian tunnel was originally proposed by Metro but was ultimately scrapped because of NBCUniversal's reluctance to pay the growing costs of the project.
History
editIn the early planning stages in the 1980s, Universal City/ Studio City station was originally going to be an elevated station; but due to local opposition and safety concerns, the station was put underground as a subway station. Part of MOS-3 of the Red Line, Universal City/Studio City opened on June 24, 2000, as part of an extension from Hollywood/Vine to North Hollywood, the latter of which remains the line's northwestern terminus.
Universal, in conjunction with Metro, constructed a pedestrian bridge over Lankershim Boulevard and Universal Hollywood Drive that opened in April 2016. NBCUniversal agreed to fund a portion of the $19.5 million project, while the remainder was funded through Proposition A.[5][6]
Service
editStation layout
editThe Universal City/Studio City station lies underground, in this case beneath Bluffside Drive at its intersection with Campo de Cahuenga. Access is provided by two entrances, one on the northwest and the other on the southwest corner of the intersection between Lankershim Boulevard and Campo de Cahuenga.[7]
The station features a park and ride lot. There are a few public bus lines that stop or terminate at the bus plaza on the west side of Lankershim Boulevard, adjacent to the station while others are found by crossing to the east side of Lankershim Boulevard.[7]
Hours and frequency
editB Line trains run every day between approximately 4:30 a.m. and midnight. Trains operate every 12 minutes during peak hours. Early morning and night service is approximately every 20 minutes.[8]
Connections
editAs of December 11, 2022[update], the following connections are available:[9]
- Los Angeles Metro Bus: 155, 222, 224, 240
- Burbank Bus: Pink Route
- Universal City Shuttle (free tram to Universal Studios Hollywood & Universal CityWalk Hollywood)
References
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- ^ "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "Station Map". Metro Bike Share. January 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Secure Bike Parking on Metro" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ "FY2024 Ridership by Station". misken67 via Los Angeles Metro Public Records. August 2024.
- ^ Fu, Jon. "Universal City Station Pedestrian Bridge Construction Begins". Inside Universal. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
- ^ Chen, Anna (March 31, 2016). "No Floo powder? No problem, you can take Muggle transit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter". The Source. Metro. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Universal City Connections" (PDF). December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Metro B Line schedule". Metro. September 12, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "B & D Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2022. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
External links
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Media related to Universal City/Studio City (Los Angeles Metro station) at Wikimedia Commons