Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station

Not to be confused with Willow Street station.

Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station (formerly Imperial/Wilmington/Rosa Parks station) is a major transport hub and Los Angeles Metro Rail station that serves the A Line and C Line. The station, located at the intersection of Imperial Highway and Wilmington Avenue in the Willowbrook community of Los Angeles County, is a major transfer point for commuters.^[4][5]

Willowbrook/Rosa Parks
Willowbrook/Rosa Parks station upper platform for the C Line
General information
Location	11611 Willowbrook Avenue (A Line) 11651 Wilmington Avenue (C Line) Willowbrook, California
Coordinates	33°55′42″N 118°14′17″W / 33.9282°N 118.2380°W / 33.9282; -118.2380
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	1 island platform (A Line) 1 island platform (C Line)
Tracks	2 surface (A Line) 2 freeway median, elevated (C Line)
Connections	See connections section
Construction
Structure type	At-grade (A Line) Freeway median, elevated (C Line)
Parking	234 spaces^[1]
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Hub, racks and lockers^[2]
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	July 14, 1990 (1990-07-14) (A Line) August 12, 1995 (1995-08-12) (C Line)
Rebuilt	August 9, 2021^[3]
Previous names	Imperial (1990–1995) Imperial/Wilmington Ave (1995–2011)
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station 103rd Street/Watts Towers toward Azusa A Line Compton toward Long Beach Avalon toward Redondo Beach C Line Long Beach Boulevard toward Norwalk
Former services (as Abila) Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station Springdale towards Morgan Avenue Long Beach Watts towards Pacific Electric Building Springdale towards Balboa Balboa Springdale towards San Pedro San Pedro via Dominguez
Location

As a major transfer station, Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station also acts as a major bus hub, serving many bus routes operated by Metro and other regional/municipal transit agencies. The station also has park and ride facilities, including 975 parking spaces and 4 bike lockers. To the east of the station is the Metro Rail Operations Center, which is the dispatch hub for all Metro Rail train operators.

The station is located in unincorporated Willowbrook, near the Los Angeles community of Watts in the South Los Angeles region. It is directly across the street from the Imperial Courts Housing Project, which is located within the City of Los Angeles. The C Line platform for this station is located in the middle of the I-105 Freeway.

The station's official name memorializes Rosa Parks, an African-American civil rights activist. From the Blue (A) Line's opening on July 14, 1990 until the Green (C) Line opened on August 12, 1995 the Blue Line station platform was known as Imperial station while the Green Line station platform was planned to be called Wilmington station and then the station was called Imperial/Wilmington station from the Green Line's opening in 1995 until it was changed to its current name in 2011.

History

A $10.25 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation in 2014 was used to partially fund $53 million in major upgrades to the station, including improved lighting, new paintings, new central plaza and extended platforms.^[6]

The Blue Line portion of the station was closed from January 26 to November 2, 2019 for a major renovation project as part of the New Blue Improvements Project.^[7]

Service

Station layout

 

A Line platform as seen from mezzanine prior to renovation

The A Line platform is on the street level, and the C Line platform is on the upper (freeway) level. The two levels are connected by stairs/escalators/elevators via a mezzanine. Ticket machines are located on street level and on the mezzanine.

Upper level	Westbound	←   C Line toward Redondo Beach (Avalon)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Eastbound	→   C Line toward Norwalk (Long Beach Boulevard) →
Mezzanine	To Entrance/Exit, C Line faregates, ticket machines
Street level	Entrance/Exit, C Line faregates, ticket machines, bus plaza, park and ride
	Northbound	←   A Line toward Azusa (103rd Street/Watts Towers)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Southbound	→   A Line toward Long Beach (Compton) →

A spur track connects the northbound A Line just south of the station to a pocket track on the C Line, allowing trains to transfer between the two lines when necessary, usually to allow C Line trains to access the A Line maintenance yard. This track is not used for revenue service.

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 through Friday. During weekday midday and weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., trains run every 10 minutes. Night and early morning service is approximately every 20 minutes every day.^[8]

C Line service hours are approximately from 4:00 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. daily. Trains operate every 10 minutes throughout the day. Night and early morning weekend service is every 20 minutes.^[9]

Connections

As of spring 2024, the following connections are available:^[10][11]

• GTrans (Gardena): 5
• LADOT DASH: Watts
• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 53, 55, 120, 202, 205
• The Link: King Medical Center, Willowbrook Route A, Willowbrook Route B
• Lynwood Breeze: D
• Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Shuttle

Notable places nearby

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

• King-Drew Medical Center
• King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science
• Kenneth Hahn Plaza
• Verbum Dei High School

References

1. "Metro Parking Lots by Line". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
2. (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
3. Ubaldo, Jose (2021-08-09). "Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station improvement project is now officially completed!". Metro The Source. from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
4. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
5. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
6. Nelson, Laura J. (September 13, 2014). "Federal grant will fund improvements to Willowbrook Metro station". Los Angeles Times. from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
7. "Blue Line Improvements Project Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metro. (PDF) from the original on January 1, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
8. "Metro A Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
9. "Metro C Line schedule". December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
10. "A Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 9, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
11. "C Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 10, 2023. p. 2. Retrieved December 26, 2023.