Pico Rivera staff, Metro present preferred site for regional rail station; feasibility study to wrap up this spring

City staff and Metro consultants told the Pico Rivera City Council on March 4 that a feasibility study for a proposed regional heavy-rail station in the city is nearing completion and that a preferred site has been identified west of Paramount Boulevard.

Javier Hernandez, presenting on behalf of city staff, described the study as primarily focused on heavy-rail services such as Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, with potential long-term interfaces to other systems. He said staff's outreach included more than 500 face-to-face contacts, over 1,000 survey responses and distribution of roughly 3,000 informational pieces; survey results indicated about 51% of respondents said they would likely or very likely use a new station in Pico Rivera.

"We're at the tail end of that feasibility study," Hernandez told the council. He said staff and Metro evaluated multiple sites and recommended Site 1 as the preferred alternative because it has limited or no residential impacts, sits near planned Metro stations in Montebello and a Pico Rivera connection, and offers proximity to regional bikeways and an existing TOD (transit-oriented development) plan along Washington and Rosemead Boulevard.

Jay Furman, Metro project manager on the study, emphasized the conceptual nature of the current work. "We will be reporting to our board this spring to give them an update on the study and then we're going to wrap it up in June," he said. Furman described Site 1 as an industrial area just west of Paramount Boulevard and east of the Rio Hondo with potential access from the south side of the railroad right-of-way. He added the preferred concept would include parking, bus bays, kiss-and-ride pick-up/drop-off and standard station amenities pending more advanced engineering.

Council members asked about timeline and access. Hernandez and Furman told the council that, assuming favorable decisions and funding, a station could be on a five-to-seven-year timeline to completion. Furman cautioned that the estimate is a "ballpark figure" and that more detailed engineering, cost estimates and schedules would be developed in subsequent phases.

Hernandez said next steps include closing out the feasibility study, submitting a final report to the Metro board, coordinating a station tour (staff cited Anaheim as an inspiration site), and engaging corridor stakeholders such as BNSF (the right-of-way owner), California High-Speed Rail, Los Angeles County and local businesses.

Council members and the city manager praised staff for outreach and advocacy; Council member comments emphasized the station's potential to expand mobility, reduce parking demand and support future economic development near a potential stadium or entertainment uses. No formal action was required at the meeting; Metro and city staff will return with the final study and next-stage planning materials.