Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
SEPTEMER 17, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: RAIL STATION NAMES - WESTSIDE PURPLE (D LINE) EXTENSION, SECTION 3
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the staff recommendation for the following official and operational station names for the two stations that comprise Metro Rail’s D Line Extension, Section 3:
Official Station Name: Wilshire/UCLA
Operational Station Name: Wilshire/UCLA
Official Station Name: Wilshire/VA Medical Ctr
Operational Station Name: Wilshire/VA Medical Ctr
Issue
ISSUE
Metro is procuring signage and other permanent station identification materials for the Westside Purple (D Line) Extension Project, Section 3 stations. As construction is fully underway an official and operational station name, consistent with ’Metros Property Naming Policy <https://boardagendas.metro.net/board-report/2017-0080/> approved in February 2017, needs to be adopted by the Board to enable Metro’s contractor to produce wayfinding and station signage for the new stations.
Background
BACKGROUND
The revenue service date for the Westside Purple (D Line) Extension Project, Section 3, is expected to be in fall 2027. The project is currently making significant headway at 85% completion overall as running rail installation was completed and systems testing has started for the Section 3 project. Both stations also have permanent electrical power. In accordance with Metro’s Property Naming Policy, Community Relations began soliciting suggestions for permanent station names from community stakeholders, which included residents, commercial stakeholders, the Business Improvement Districts, adjacent cities to the alignment, elected officials, and institutional stakeholders in late 2025.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The 2003 Board-approved Property Naming Policy states that rail stations will be named in a simple and straightforward way to assist customers in navigating the system and the region. The policy states that names must be brief enough for quick recognition and retention, and must be based primarily on geographic location, referring to a nearby street or freeway, a well-known destination or landmark, a community or district name, or a city name. The policy also states that single names for stations are preferable, and that if multiple names are used, they are to be separated by a slash.
Properties may have a Board-adopted official name and a shorter operational name; the official name is used in Board documents and legal notices while the operational name may be used more commonly in signage and customer materials.
Community Input
From September through November 2025, Metro Community Relations conducted a comprehensive outreach and engagement program to gather public input on the permanent names of the two Section 3 D Line stations, Westwood/UCLA and Westwood/VA Hospital stations, located at Wilshire Boulevard and Gayley Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard and Bonsall Avenue, respectively.
Metro Community Relations conducted targeted outreach throughout the project area to explain Metro’s station naming process and solicit public input. Engagement activities included approximately 15 community events and organizational meetings in Westwood and Century City, as well as presentations to the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works, the Westwood Village Improvement Association, the Westside Cities Council of Governments’ Transportation Committee, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) students, UCLA Government & Community Relations, Westwood residents, and attendees of D Line Extension construction update meetings.
Veteran-focused outreach included a four-day information booth at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Campus and email solicitations to 87 veteran-affiliated contacts and community leaders, resulting in 386 responses related to the Westwood/VA Hospital Station.
Metro also promoted participation through social media, the Section 3 project website, weekly construction notices, targeted project emails, monthly newsletters, and the digital platforms of community and institutional partners. Collectively, these in-person and online efforts generated more than 1,285 submissions for the two stations.
Following the public submission period, Metro Research reviewed proposed names for consistency with Metro’s Property Naming Policy and conducted a rider survey to evaluate eligible alternatives. The recommended station names reflect the community input, rider survey findings, and staff policy review.
Survey Results
More than 1,200 station names submitted by the community were reviewed and screened by Metro staff based on the property naming guidelines. The most common and highly suggested community submitted names were then included as part of a research survey. The survey was fielded in January 2026 with 200 Metro riders and 200 Infrequent/Non-Metro riders, in which the ease of navigation of each potential station name was evaluated. The demographic composition of survey respondents mirrors Metro On-Board Survey and Census demographics, respectively. The top names from community input were included.
For the Westwood/UCLA station, “Wilshire/UCLA” is perceived as the easiest name option among both Metro Riders and Infrequent & Non-Riders. The ease of all potential name options for the Westwood/VA Hospital Station are similar among both Monthly Riders and Infrequent & Non-Riders.
% Who Perceive Name will be Easy for Navigation - Westwood/UCLA Station
% Who Perceive Name will be Easy for Navigation - Westwood/VA Hospital Station
Significance Results (McNemar’s test with continuity correction): A, B, C, D indicates statistical significance at 95% confidence vs. the column indicated by letter.
Staff Recommendation
The table below shows the Original Placeholder names and the Recommendation for Official and Operational Station Name. The recommended official and operational station names are the result of community outreach and engagement, a rider survey, and staff review to ensure consistency with Metro’s Property Naming Policy.
A map of these stations showing the proposed official and operational names is included as Attachment A.
Wilshire/UCLA
The new station is located in the neighborhood of Westwood at the intersection of Wilshire Bl and Gayley Av. Consistent with Metro’s Property Naming Policy, Wilshire/UCLA is recommended as the new station name because it provides a clear geographic reference, identifies a major regional destination, and remains concise for wayfinding and customer use. The station is located less than a mile from the UCLA campus and will serve as one of the primary transit gateways to the university.
Metro’s Property Naming Policy states:
Properties will be named with the maximum benefit and convenience of the transit system user in mind. Naming will provide customers with travel information in a simple, straightforward, and unified way to assist patrons in successfully navigating the transit system and correspondingly the region. Property names will reflect the following principles:
Transit system context - Names will provide information as to where a property is located within the context of the entire transit system; property names will be clearly distinguishable with no duplication.
Property area context - Names will provide specific information as to the
location of the property within the context of the surrounding street system, so that users can find their way around after their arrival and to support system access via automobile drop-off and parking.
The staff recommendation meets these guidelines and principles by providing clarity and maximum benefit for the transit user. Consistent with Metro’s Property Naming Policy, the staff recommendation is “Wilshire/UCLA” for the official name and for the operational name.
Wilshire/VA Medical Ctr
Consistent with Metro’s Property Naming policy, the Recommended Official Station Name, Wilshire/VA Medical Ctr, provides a clear geographic reference, identifying a major regional destination, and remaining concise for wayfinding and custom use. The name also accurately reflects the station's location adjacent to the current VA Medical Center campus while maintaining consistency with Metro's established naming conventions along the Wilshire corridor, helping riders quickly identify the station's location and destination served.
The staff recommendation meets these guidelines and principles by providing clarity and maximum benefit for the transit user. Consistent with Metro’s Property Naming Policy, the staff recommendation is “Wilshire/VA Medical Ctr” for the official name and for the operational name. The VA was notified of the proposed station name recommendation in July 2026 and, to date, has informally not objected. Metro is currently awaiting their formal concurrence.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Adoption of these names does not affect the incidence of injuries or healthful conditions for patrons or employees. Therefore, approval will have no impact on safety.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Station identification signage in the right-of-way has been fabricated for train testing. Costs are expected to be incurred to fabricate station name signs and will be borne by the LOP budget of Purple (D Line) Extension Project Section 3 - 865523. The costs are estimated to range from $500,000 to $680,000
Impact to Budget
The funding sources for the Purple (D Line) Extension Section 3 project are the combination of federal grant, Measure R 35%, and Measure M 35%. These funds are not eligible for bus & rail operating and capital expenses.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This staff recommendation will benefit all Metro riders utilizing the new stations and navigating the Metro system by improving customer experience. The recommended station names were voted on by the public and are consistent with Metro’s Property Naming Policy. The outreach performed by Metro Community Relations to solicit suggestions for permanent station names was open to all members of the community, regardless of race, residency, or other social and demographic factors.
Should the Board adopt the recommended station names, new and existing transit users will find the new stations easy to locate and use, thereby increasing transit equity in Los Angeles County.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through investment activities that will improve Metro’s customer experience, safety, and community engagement strategies and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s board adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
This recommendation supports Metro’s goal of providing high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling. The recommendation also supports Metro’s goal of enhancing communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Both goals are supported because, when completed, the Purple (D Line) Extension subway will make travel between downtown Los Angeles and the Westside easier and more convenient for riders, especially riders in underserved communities, who do not have access to a vehicle or cannot carpool or afford rideshare services.
Adding seven new stations to Metro’s ever-expanding transit network, the Westside Purple (D Line) Extension subway will provide all Metro transit riders a reliable connection between downtown LA and Westside communities, including West LA and Westwood.
Adoption of the permanent station names will make navigating the stations of the Purple (D Line) Extension simpler by using names that are easily recognizable and that reflect the stations’ locations relative to known communities and familiar neighborhoods.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could choose to select alternate names for the stations. This alternative is not recommended because the community input received during the station naming process overwhelmingly supported maintaining the original geographically based station names.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will work with the Westside Purple (D Line) Extension, Section 3 to implement the station names as adopted by the Board.
Attachments
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Map of Purple (D Line) Extension Project Section 3 Stations
Prepared_by
Prepared by:
Mindy Lake, Principal Community Relations Officer, (323) 900-2146
Juan Solorio, Community Relations Manager, (213) 503-6113
Olga Arroyo, Director, Community Relations, (213) 893-7115
Anthony Crump, Executive Officer, Community Relations, (213) 418-3292
Marisa Perez, Deputy Chief, Community Relations, (213) 922-3808
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
