Metrolink Parking Moves to Nearby Lot

Responding to a letter from concerned commuters, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation said last week that construction of a new Metrolink station in Van Nuys will reduce the number of adjacent parking spaces.

But 178 extra spaces will be available a few blocks away in a Department of Water and Power parking structure.

“There’s a lot of mixed information out there,” said Helene Jacobs, a supervising transportation planner. “We are not leaving people in the lurch. We are working to provide a more attractive facility for commuters to utilize.”

A new terminal is being built at the Van Nuys Boulevard site to replace the open-air platform that currently serves as the station for Metrolink and Amtrak trains.

Jacobs said the new building will reduce the number of spaces at the station’s lot from 109 to 43, sparking commuters’ fears that there would be nowhere to park.

But, she said, with the addition of the DWP spaces, more parking will actually be made available.

At the city’s expense, Jacobs said, commuter buses will stop at the DWP structure to transfer train riders to the station when it reopens this summer.

“People will not like the fact that these spaces are not located right in front of the station,” Jacobs said. “But, until we can expand the station, they will only be a few minutes bus ride away.”