Glendale Transportation Center

Glendale, CA
The Glendale Transportation Center building, 2007
General information
Other names	Larry Zarian Transportation Center
Location	400 West Cerritos Avenue Glendale, California United States
Coordinates	34°07′25″N118°15′28″W / 34.123565°N 118.257844°W / 34.123565; -118.257844
Owned by	City of Glendale
Line	SCRRA Valley Subdivision [1]
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	Amtrak Thruway: 1 Glendale Beeline: 1, 4, 8, 11, 12 Greyhound Lines Los Angeles Metro Bus: 93
Construction
Parking	426 spaces, 17 accessible spaces [2]
Bicycle facilities	Racks and lockers [2]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Status	Unstaffed, platform with shelters
Station code	Amtrak: GDL
History
Opened	1924
Rebuilt	1999
Original company	Southern Pacific
Passengers
FY 2025	53,489 [3] (Amtrak only)
Services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Hollywood Burbank Airport toward San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner Los Angeles toward San Diego Downtown Burbank (limited service) toward San Luis Obispo       Coast Starlight does not stop here Preceding station Metrolink Following station Downtown Burbank toward Lancaster Antelope Valley Line L.A. Union Station Terminus Downtown Burbank toward Ventura–East Ventura County Line
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Hollywood Burbank Airport toward Seattle Coast Starlight 1971–2005 Los Angeles Terminus Oxnard toward Sacramento Spirit of California 1981–1983 Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Burbank toward San Francisco Coast Line River toward Los Angeles Burbank toward San Jose Los Angeles  – San Jose Los Angeles Terminus Oxnard toward San Francisco Coast Daylight Saugus toward Oakland Pier San Joaquin Daylight Saugus toward Sacramento Sacramento Daylight Ventura toward San Francisco Lark Preceding station CalTrain Following station Burbank Airport toward Oxnard Los Angeles–Oxnard Los Angeles Terminus
Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architect	Maurice Couchot & Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr.
Architectural style	California Churrigueresque (Spanish Colonial Revival)
NRHP reference No.	97000376
Added to NRHP	May 2, 1997
Location

The Glendale Transportation Center (officially the Larry Zarian Transportation Center) is an intermodal passenger transport center in the city of Glendale, California.

The train station structure combines the Spanish Colonial Revival and California Churrigueresque architectural styles. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner runs frequently to San Diego to the south and to San Luis Obispo to the north. Metrolink's Antelope Valley and Ventura County commuter rail lines also service the center. The center also serves as a bus station, with direct service from Glendale Beeline local busses and Amtrak Thruway and Greyhound Lines inter-city busses

History

Southern Pacific Railroad

Early years

Train service came to Glendale in 1883, with the Atwater Tract Office serving as the city's station. Beginning in 1904, Pacific Electric's Glendale–Burbank Line streetcars served the station, stopping at the intersection of Glendale Boulevard and Gardena Avenue. By the 1920s, the city's rapid growth led to the station's demolition and replacement. Originally known as the Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, the new station was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The station was designed by architects Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr. and Maurice Couchot in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. ^[4]

The San Joaquin Daylight , between Los Angeles and San Francisco, began to serve Glendale in 1941.

Post-war decline

Southern Pacific Railroad Lark at Glendale in 1965

Following the Second World War, as automobile and airplane use increased, passenger train use fell significantly. ^{[5] [6]}

In October 1953, the Glendale–Burbank Line came under the purview of Metropolitan Coach Lines, which initiated a series of service reductions. Interurban service, including the streetcar stop adjacent to the station, ended in 1955. ^{[7] [8]}

Southern Pacific's overnight Lark trains served Glendale until 1968, but the Coast Daylight trains continued until 1971, when Amtrak acquired the route. Positive response led to Amtrak to retain this service, but the Coast Daylight name was dropped in 1974 in favor of Coast Starlight . ^{[9] [10]}

Amtrak's Spirit of California , between Los Angeles and Sacramento, began to serve Glendale in 1981. It was the first overnight service between the two cities since the discontinuation of Southern Pacific's Lark in 1968. ^{[11] [12]} Beginning in 1982, Glendale was also served by the CalTrain commuter rail system. Governor George Deukmejian's opposition to passenger rail led to both lines being cancelled in 1983. ^{[13] [14]}

When Amtrak's San Diegan was extended north to Santa Barbara in 1988, service was added for Glendale. ^[15]

City of Glendale

Revival and expansion

The city bought the depot from Southern Pacific in 1989 to ensure its preservation ^[6] and acquired adjacent properties to create an intermodal passenger transport center, ^[16] which included a bus station and parking for 750 cars. ^[17]

Metrolink brought commuter rail service back to Glendale in 1992, with the Santa Clarita Line and Ventura County Line . A Glendale Beeline route was added to connect the train station and downtown Glendale. ^{[18] [19]} Following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, Metrolink rapidly accelerated its expansion of its Santa Clarita line to the Antelope Valley. ^[20]

By 2005, Amtrak's Coast Starlight had decreased to only one daily northbound and southbound stop in Glendale. Coast Starlight service in Glendale was discontinued, leaving the Pacific Surfliner as the only Amtrak service in the city. ^{[21] [22]}

Modern history

The dedication plaque found on the front of the building

In November 2011, shortly following his death, the station was dedicated to former Glendale mayor Larry Zarian. ^{[23] [24]} He had served on Metro's board of directors, where he was a forceful advocate for Metro Rail service for Glendale. ^[25]

In 2021, in coordination with Los Angeles Metro's NextGen service changes, the Metro Micro on-demand microtransit service began to serve the facility. ^[26]

The proposed Tropico Transit Oriented District, which encompasses the area surrounding the transportation center, includes improved wayfinding, enhanced bus stops, bicycle lanes, and improved connectivity with Atwater Village. ^{[27] [28] [29] [30]}

Architecture

The station was designed by architects Kenneth A. MacDonald Jr. and Maurice Couchot, who had previously collaborated in the design of the Broadway-Spring Arcade in Downtown Los Angeles. ^[31] The structure combines Spanish Colonial Revival and California Churrigueresque styles. The depot's appearance reflects the boosterism of the era, which used Spanish-style architecture to promote Anglo-American settlement of the American west. ^{[4] [6]}

Architectural highlights include the twin portals which face the trains on one side and the city on the other, topped with Spanish mission-style bell towers. ^[6]

The station underwent three principal alterations, none of which are considered to have damaged the historic integrity of the building. In 1943, one of the station's pergolas was enclosed for use as an employee break room, and the ticket counter was moved. Around 1953, the district office was built. A 1979 restoration removed the 1943 ticket counter and re-sited it in the original location. The break room was converted back to an open space at the same time. ^[6]

Following damage from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the station was restored in 1999. ^{[6] [32] [33]}

Services

Train services

Amtrak

• Pacific Surfliner , from San Diego to San Luis Obispo (service began in 1939 as San Diegan, renamed Pacific Surfliner in 2000)

Metrolink

The station serves two Metrolink lines:

• Antelope Valley Line , to Lancaster (service began 1992)
• Ventura County Line , to Ventura (service began 1992)

Bus and coach services

Local busses

• Glendale Beeline: 1, 4, 8, 11*, 12*
• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 93**

* Indicates commuter service that operates only during weekday rush hours.

** Stops at the nearby intersection of San Fernando Road and Cerritos Avenue.

Long-distance motorcoach

• Amtrak Thruway ^[34]
• Greyhound Lines ^[34]

On-demand transportation

• Metro Micro*

* Limited to the "Highland Park/Eagle Rock/Glendale Service Zone," which includes the Northeast Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park and Highland Park, and nearby Silver Lake. ^{[35] [36]}

In popular culture

The station has been used in numerous films as a filming location, sometimes as a stand in for other locations. ^{[37] [38]} Films include:

• College (1927)
• Horse Shoes (1927)
• Wings (1927)
• Big Business Girl (1931)
• One More Chance (1931)
• Girl Missing (1933)
• Here Comes the Groom (1934)
• Act of Violence (1949)
• Bulletproof (1996)

Future streetcar service

A feasibility study for a streetcar connecting with downtown is underway. ^[39]

See also

• Glendale Register of Historic Resources and Historic Districts

References

1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 17.
2. "Glendale Train Station". Metrolink . Retrieved June 26, 2024.
3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2025: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. January 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
4. "Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot". National Park Service . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
5. "The Southern Pacific Glendale Depot:A Portal Through Time". Glendale Model Railroad Society. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
6. "NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM". National Park Service . March 1, 1997. Retrieved March 2, 2026. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
7. "L.A. Subway Closes After Special Trolley Car Trip" (PDF). Los Angeles Times. June 20, 1955. p. 8. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
8. Laurence R. Veysey (1958). A History Of The Rail Passenger Service Operated By The Pacific Electric Railway Company Since 1911 And By Its Successors Since 1953 (PDF).
9. Goldberg, Bruce (1981). Amtrak: The First Decade. p. 16-17.
10. Amtrak Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. November 14, 1971. p. 68 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
11. "New LA-Northern California train service set". Lodi News-Sentinel . October 22, 1981. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
12. Amtrak (October 31, 1982). National Train Timetables . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
13. Gabe Fuentes (September 24, 1987). "Robbins Sees Link to Amtrak as Way Out of Freeway Jam". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 9, 2026.
14. Roger Rudick (October 14, 2015). "Dreaming of the Night Train: Sleeping from LA to the Bay Area". Streetsblog Los Angeles . Retrieved March 9, 2026.
15. Greg Braxton (June 26, 1988). "San Diegan Off and Chugging Through Valley". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
16. Willman, Martha L. (December 12, 1991). "Council Eyes Scaled-Down Transit Center : Transportation: Officials lean toward cutting the cost of railroad depot project by $1 million. The new proposal would reduce parking space for cars and buses". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
17. "Glendale, CA (GDL)". Great American Stations. Amtrak. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
18. Willman, Martha L. (February 14, 1991). "Glendale Bids for Role as a Key Mass Transit Link". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
19. Josh Kleinbaum (June 26, 2004). "Twenty years later, Beeline stronger than ever". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved February 25, 2026.
20. "Metrolink's 20th Anniversary" (PDF). Retrieved February 25, 2026.
21. "Amtrak System Timetable". The Museum of Railway Timetables. Amtrak. November 1, 2004. p. 95. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
22. Josh Kleinbaum; Jackson Bell (April 11, 2005). "Amtrak moves its stop from Glendale". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
23. "Public Transportation | City of Glendale, CA". www.glendaleca.gov. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
24. Brittany Levine (November 30, 2011). "Transportation center gets Zarian stamp". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved March 3, 2026.
25. "New MTA Board Chief Faces Tough Challenges : Transit: Glendale Councilman Larry Zarian brings high energy to the leadership post. But he has been accused of mismanagement in business dealings". Los Angeles Times . July 5, 1995. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
26. "New L.A. Metro Micro service zones in Pasadena and Highland Park launch June 27". Mass Transit. June 23, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
27. Anahit Kardzhyan (March 30, 2016). "Glendale Council Members Tour City With Bus Riders". El Vaquero. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
28. Steven Sharp (November 15, 2022). "Glendale looks to set development standards around its train station". Urbanize LA. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
29. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde (June 26, 2018). "Planning Commission recommends approval of Tropico development plan". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved March 3, 2026.
30. "Tropico Center Plan". July 31, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
31. "Broadway-Spring Arcade Building". Los Angeles Conservancy . Retrieved March 10, 2026.
32. Elizabeth Toy (July 26, 2016). "Historical Society leads guests on tour through 'the best-kept secret in Glendale'". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
33. "Glendale Transportation Center". Architectural Resources Group. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
34. "Glendale Transportation Center" . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
35. "Highland Park/Eagle Rock/Glendale Service Zone" . Retrieved March 10, 2026.
36. Barry Lank (July 20, 2021). "Metro Micro on-demand bus service expands to Silver Lake". The Eastsider. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
37. Lindsay Blake. "The Glendale Amtrak Station from "Bulletproof"" . Retrieved March 2, 2026.
38. John Bengtson. "Keaton – Wings – Noir – and the SP Depot" . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
39. Seidman, Lila (August 9, 2019). "Proposed Glendale streetcar rolls into focus". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 9, 2019.

External links

Media related to Glendale Transportation Center at Wikimedia Commons

• Glendale, CA – Amtrak
• Glendale, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Glendale – Metrolink