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Metrolink station to open next week near Hollywood Burbank Airport

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Numerous county, city and transportation officials say the new Metrolink station near Hollywood Burbank Airport will help link more of Southern California when it opens Monday.

Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian, a board member for both Metrolink and Metro, emceed an event Thursday celebrating the completion of the $15-million station at 3600 N. San Fernando Blvd.

“This new Metrolink station will increase mobility and provide a faster and more seamless transit option for many residents in Southern California,” Najarian said.

The Burbank Airport-North station, which is about a mile from the airfield, is the newest stop on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line. When the station opens, Burbank will have two stations servicing the line; the other is downtown at 201 N. Front St.

The station is six years in the making. Metro and Metrolink wanted an airport stop accessible to commuters who live in the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

Though the airport is about a mile away, Hollywood Burbank officials are working on a replacement terminal near the B-6 parcel of the airfield, which is closer to the Metrolink stop.

Hollywood Burbank has a Metrolink station just south of the airport that serves the Ventura County Line.

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich looks over a plaque placed in his name at the newly constructed Burbank Airport North Metrolink Station, during dedication ceremony on Thursday, May 10, 2018.
(Raul Roa / Burbank Leader )

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the station will not only help boost economic development for the cities adjacent to the Antelope Valley Line but will give commuters more free time.

“This isn’t about how many miles of track. This isn’t about how many millions of dollars of investment,” he said. “This is about getting to spend that 10 extra minutes with our kids because we know there’s a quicker way to the place that we need to be.”

In addition to announcing the completion of the facility, Metro and Metrolink officials dedicated the station to former Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who was its main proponent.

“You need to be persistent for your programs to be successful,” Antonovich said. “Today we’re making progress.”

Burbank and airport officials anticipated the opening of the station and made changes to their respective transportation services to help riders get to and from the Metrolink stop.

In April, the Burbank City Council approved a BurbankBus service route change to provide a way for airport- and Empire Center-area residents to get to the new station.

Additionally, Hollywood Burbank will offer travelers free shuttle rides to and from the station.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio

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