Wilshire/Vermont station

Wilshire/Vermont station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line and D Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station is located near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, after which the station is named, in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Koreatown. Unlike the other stations on Wilshire or Vermont which were built directly under the street, this station is offset on a diagonal between the two streets,^[2] allowing the lines to diverge without trains on one line having to slow for a tight turn. The station has a unique layout with two side platforms on two levels, necessitated by the flying junction between the lines just west of the station. It is the last station going from Union Station that serves both the B Line and D Line.

Wilshire/Vermont
Top: Upper floor platform bound for Union Station (top) Bottom: Lower floor platform bound for North Hollywood (B Line) or Wilshire/Western (D Line)
General information
Location	3191 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°03′45″N 118°17′27″W / 34.0625°N 118.2908°W / 34.0625; -118.2908
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Los Angeles Metro Bus LADOT DASH
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	Paid parking nearby
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Share station^[1] and racks
History
Opened	July 13, 1996; 27 years ago (1996-07-13)
Previous names	Wilshire/Vermont/Wilshire Center
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station Vermont/Beverly toward North Hollywood B Line Westlake/​MacArthur Park toward Union Station Wilshire/Normandie toward Wilshire/Western D Line
Location

Service

Station layout

 

Wilshire/Vermont station escalator, one of the longest in the world

The station is located where the B Line and D Line converge on their way to Downtown Los Angeles. The station is designed with two platform levels: eastbound D and B Line trains (to Union Station) use the upper level, and westbound D (to Wilshire/Western) and northbound B (to North Hollywood) trains use the lower level.

Wilshire/Vermont station has one of the longest escalators in the world at 152 feet (46 m) in length stretching from the ground level to the lower platform. At the time of its construction, it was the longest escalator in the United States west of the Mississippi River.^[3][4]

G	Street Level	Entrance/Exit, faregates, ticket machines
B1	Eastbound	→   B Line and   D Line toward Union Station (Westlake/​MacArthur Park) →
	Split platform, doors will open on the right
B2	Northbound Westbound	←   B Line toward North Hollywood (Vermont/Beverly) ←   D Line toward Wilshire/Western (Wilshire/Normandie)
	Split platform, doors will open on the left

Hours and frequency

B Line trains run every day between approximately 4:30 a.m. and midnight, while D Line trains run every day between approximately 5 a.m. and midnight. Towards North Hollywood or Wilshire/Western, trains operate every 12 minutes throughout the day. Early morning and night service is approximately every 20 minutes. Towards Union Station, trains run every six minutes throughout the day. Early morning and night service is approximately every 10 minutes.^[5]

Connections

As of December 11, 2022^[update], the following connections are available:^[6]

• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 18, 20, 204, Rapid 720, Rapid 754
• LADOT DASH: Wilshire Center/Koreatown

Station artwork

The artwork at the station depicts typographic letters and symbols designed by Bob Zoell. The letters on the pillars of the lower platform spell out "going by-by", what the B line and its patrons do when they zoom in and out of the station. Additional artwork at the station is the creation of Peter Shire.

•  
  The upper platform's pillar art.
•  
  The lower platform's pillar art.

Transit-oriented development

 

The main entrance to the station

Above the station is the Wilshire Vermont Station mixed-use transit village development, a $136-million apartment and retail complex designed by the architecture firm Arquitectonica and developed by Urban Partners and MacFarlane Partners on land owned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The development opened in 2007 and includes apartments, retail, and (as of 2009) an adjacent middle school.^[7][8] The property is managed by Greystar Real Estate Partners.

References

1. "Station Map". Metro Bike Share. 27 January 2015. from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
2. (PDF). Metro. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
3. "Working list – World's longest 'urban' escalators". Panethos. April 20, 2020. from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
4. Hymon, Steve (August 11, 2014). "Transportation headlines, Monday, August 11". The Source. Metro. from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
5. "Metro B Line/D Line schedule". Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 10, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
6. "B & D Line Timetable – Connections section" (PDF). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2022. p. 2. (PDF) from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
7. "People and Places: Los Angeles 2007.1016" 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine, Architecture Week, October 16, 2007 (accessed February 23, 2010).
8. Christopher Hawthorne, " Just keep your distance: The Wilshire Vermont Station is dramatic from far away. A walk in its courtyard exposes its flaws." 2010-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2007.