On a recent trip to LA union sta I noticed most of the trains were Metrolink and light rail. Before Metrolink in the early 90s started, was the station pretty much dead with just Amtrak there? Were only a few of the station tracks used? I can't imagine it was that busy without Metrolink.
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Los Angeles Union Station BEFORE Metrolink
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Moderator: lensovet
Yes--before Metrolink "pretty much dead" hardly describes it. There were only the three long-distance trains (or four, if the Desert Wind was still running) plus whatever was running to San Diego at that time. I don't know exactly which station tracks were used, but the original six terminal leads from Mission Tower were reduced to either one or two tracks. Since Metrolink took off they now have five terminal leads plus a lot of puzzle switches that were put back. Actually, the station wasn't really very busy in the years immediately preceding Amtrak.