Train Station Now a Permanent Stop

Transportation officials formally opened the Northridge Metrolink station Monday as a permanent stop on the commuter line between Los Angeles and Ventura.

Opened as a temporary station Feb. 14, 1994, as an alternative for commuters unable to drive area freeways damaged in the earthquake a month earlier, the Northridge station at Wilbur Avenue and Parthenia Street becomes one of 47 permanent stations in the 417-mile commuter rail system.

The $3.7-million station--with its concrete boarding platform, passenger shelters, electronic message boards, 320 parking spaces, security lighting and landscaping--replaces an outdoor platform and an automated ticket booth.

“It has taken an earthquake, six years of time, millions of dollars, tons of concrete and a great deal of patience on the part of commuters, but today we finally see the light at the end of the Metrolink tunnel,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, who spearheaded the effort to quickly open the station following the temblor.

The project was designed by Tony Gonzales of ACG Environments in Santa Monica, built for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation by the city Department of Water and Power and paid for through county and state transportation funds, officials said.

“The old station was kind of primitive,” said Barbara De Maria, 48, of Northridge, a passenger headed for downtown Los Angeles. “Now it’s well lit, the security is good. It’s a pleasant place.”

Ernest McNair, 26, of Winnetka, said he was glad for the shelter from the sun’s rays. “It used to be so hot and sticky,” said McNair, who was going to work in Rialto. “By the time you got to where you were going, you were exhausted from the heat.”

Transportation officials also used Monday’s grand opening to formally announce the start-up of its new DASH Northridge bus route, which began operating July 1.

The service runs in a loop from the Northridge Metrolink station, west on Parthenia to Tampa Avenue and north to Northridge Fashion Center. From there, the bus turns east onto Nordhoff Street to Reseda Boulevard and south to Parthenia Street before returning to the station.

The bus operates every 10 minutes between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and every 20 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays, officials said. There is no Sunday or holiday service.

The fare is 25 cents or free for riders with a Metrolink pass or ticket, LADOT monthly pass, MTA senior/disabled pass or children 4 years old or younger, officials said.