Universal City/Studio City station is an underground rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the B Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located under Lankershim Boulevard at its intersection of Campo de Cahuenga and Universal Hollywood Drive in the neighborhoods of Universal City and Studio City, after which the station is named.

Universal City/Studio City
Universal City/Studio City station platform
General information
Location	3901 Lankershim Boulevard Studio City, California
Coordinates	34.1391°N 118.3625°W / 34.1391; -118.3625
Owned by	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Los Angeles Metro Bus Burbank Bus Universal City Shuttle
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	584 spaces,[1] kiss and ride facility
Bicycle facilities	Metro Bike Share station,[2] racks and lockers[3]
History
Opened	June 24, 2000; 22 years ago (2000-06-24)
Previous names	Universal City (2000–2013)
Services
Preceding station Metro Rail Following station North Hollywood Terminus B Line Hollywood/Highland toward Union Station
Location

The station is located near the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex, and the NBCUniversal studio complex. The station was built around the historic Campo de Cahuenga, an adobe ranch house where the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed in 1847, ending hostilities in California between Mexico and the United States.

Location

Universal City/Studio City station lies within the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, specifically at the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard, Campo de Cahuenga and Universal Terrace Parkway. Universal City/Studio City station straddles the hills between the Los Angeles Basin to the south and the San Fernando Valley to the north. Just southeast of the station, across the Hollywood Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is the Cahuenga Pass, consisting of a strip of shops, restaurants and offices that follow US 101, but along Cahuenga Boulevard, which parallels the freeway through the pass.

Universal Studios

Universal City/Studio City station serves the nearby Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, the Universal CityWalk entertainment complex, along with the Hilton Universal and Sheraton Universal hotels. Beyond the tourist attractions, the station also serves the working Universal Studios Lot, the Brokaw News Center (KNBC, KVEA, Telemundo and NBC news bureaus) and the 10 Universal City Plaza office building.

To access the tourist attractions, riders cross the street using a pedestrian bridge and board a tram to go to CityWalk and the theme park. A pedestrian tunnel was originally proposed by Metro but was ultimately scrapped because of NBCUniversal's reluctance to pay the growing costs of the project.

History

In the early planning stages in the 1980s, Universal City/ Studio City station was originally going to be an elevated station; but due to local opposition and safety concerns, the station was put underground as a subway station. Part of MOS-3 of the Red Line, Universal City/Studio City opened on June 24, 2000, as part of an extension from Hollywood/Vine to North Hollywood, the latter of which remains the line's northwestern terminus.

Universal, in conjunction with Metro, constructed a pedestrian bridge over Lankershim Boulevard and Universal Hollywood Drive that opened in April 2016. NBCUniversal agreed to fund a portion of the $19.5 million project, while the remainder was funded through Proposition A.[4][5]

Service

Station layout

The Universal City/Studio City station lies underground, in this case beneath Bluffside Drive at its intersection with Campo de Cahuenga. Access is provided by two entrances, one on the northwest and the other on the southwest corner of the intersection between Lankershim Boulevard and Campo de Cahuenga.[6]

The station features a park and ride lot. There are a few public bus lines that stop or terminate at the bus plaza on the west side of Lankershim Boulevard, adjacent to the station while others are found by crossing to the east side of Lankershim Boulevard.[6]

L2	Bridge	to Universal City Shuttle
G	Street level	Entrances/Exits, bus plaza, Universal City Shuttle, park and ride lot, Campo de Cahuenga
B1	Mezzanine	Faregates, ticket machines, to Entrances/Exits
B2	Northbound	←  B Line toward North Hollywood (Terminus)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Southbound	→  B Line toward Union Station (Hollywood/Highland) →

Hours and frequency

B Line trains run every day between approximately 4:30 a.m. and midnight. Trains operate every ten minutes during peak hours Monday through Friday, and every twelve minutes during the daytime on weekdays and all day on the weekends after approximately 10 a.m. (with a 15-minute headway early Saturday and Sunday mornings). Night service is every 20 minutes.[7]

Connections

As of February 20, 2022^[update], the following connections are available:[8]

• Los Angeles Metro Bus: 155, 222, 224, 240
• Burbank Bus: Pink Route
• Universal City Shuttle (free tram to Universal Studios Hollywood & Universal CityWalk Hollywood)

References

Media related to Universal City/Studio City (Los Angeles Metro station) at Wikimedia Commons