The Irvine Transportation Center (shortened to Irvine Transit Center and also known as Irvine station) is a

transit center A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports, and ferry slips. ...

in the Irvine Spectrum district of southeastern

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

, United States. Located on the southwest end of the decommissioned

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro and was then adjacent to the city of Irvine. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Av ...

, it is served by

Amtrak California Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak regional rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...

's ''

Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is Amtrak's third-busiest service (exceeded in ridership only ...

'' route, two Metrolink commuter rail lines, and multiple

Orange County Transportation Authority The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...

(OC Bus) bus routes. The $13 million Irvine Transportation Center opened on June 1, 1990, when Irvine was officially added to the Amtrak timetable as a stop on the route of the '' San Diegan'' (later renamed the ''

''). On August 25, 2008, a new four-story parking structure was opened to expand available parking at the station by 1,500 spots.

History

Rail history in the vicinity of modern-day Irvine predates the city's incorporation. In 1889, James Irvine II permitted the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

to build tracks through

Irvine Ranch The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...

towards

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and establish a station at Myford to serve the local farms. Myford was later renamed Irvine in 1914, and it remained an unincorporated community. When Santa Fe introduced the '' San Diegan'' passenger service in 1938, Irvine was included as a stop on the route. The passenger depot closed in 1947, leaving the town without rail service. In 1988, the city of Irvine announced plans for a new Amtrak station in the Irvine Spectrum neighborhood, accompanying rapid commercial development in the area at the time. The facility cost to build, $4 million of which

Caltrans The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...

provided. Following an official dedication on May 16, 1990, the Irvine Transportation Center opened on June 1, bringing passenger rail to the area for the first time in 43 years and for the first time since the city's incorporation in 1971. Amtrak began serving the station on June 6, 1990, five days after its opening. Its inaugural services were the ''San Diegan'', a continuation of the original Santa Fe line that originally served Irvine, and the ''

Orange County Commuter The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passeng ...

'', a once-daily roundtrip from

San Juan Capistrano station San Juan Capistrano station is a train station in San Juan Capistrano, California, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system, and Metrolink, a commuter railroad. The station has a single side platform serving the s ...

Los Angeles Union Station Los Angeles Union Station is the main railroad station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest passenger rail terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande Sta ...

. In 1994, Amtrak turned over control of the ''Orange County Commuter'' service to Los Angeles-based commuter rail Metrolink, and it became the

Orange County Line The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passe ...

. The Irvine Transportation Center effectively became an inaugural station of the new line, and service was increased from the original once-a-day ''Commuter'' schedule.

Rail ridership

In FY2009, Irvine served about 3,000 total passengers daily for Metrolink and Amtrak. Irvine served a total of Amtrak passengers in .

Service

Rail

Buses

Former bus services

FlyAway (bus) FlyAway is an airport shuttle service which transports passengers non-stop to and from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Currently, service is offered between LAX and a bus terminal near Van Nuys Airport or Los Angeles Union Station. Th ...

coach service to

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

was formerly provided from the station, but was discontinued due to low ridership.

References

External links

* *
Irvine Amtrak-Metrolink Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
{{Irvine, California Buildings and structures in Irvine, California Amtrak stations in Orange County, California Bus stations in Orange County, California Metrolink stations in Orange County, California Railway stations in the United States opened in 1990