Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: STATION ACTIVATION QUARTERLY UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE ORAL REPORT
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE oral report that provides an update on Metro’s efforts to launch a comprehensive Station Activation Program.
Issue
ISSUE
Station activation plays a critical role in creating stations that feel safe, welcoming, and connected to the communities Metro serves, particularly as Metro continues to expand ridership. When stations appear inactive or disconnected from surrounding activity, customers may perceive them as unsafe. As a result, station activation is a core element of Metro’s customer experience, safety, and community engagement strategies.
At its February 2025 meeting, the Board approved Motion 29 by Directors Yaroslavsky, Bass, Dupont-Walker, Sandoval, and Mitchell (Attachment A). In response to the Motion, staff have provided a status update on the development of a comprehensive, systemwide approach to station activation that will inform planning for upcoming rail openings and guide future station improvements.
This report summarizes several key initiatives currently underway, including a program framework to define station activations, establish vision and goals, and identify gaps in Metro’s current station activation efforts. This report also presents several new test cases for station activation efforts, next steps for the D (Purple) Line Extension, and World Cup Station Activations. Collectively, these efforts build on lessons learned from existing activation initiatives and establish a clear path forward for making Metro stations vibrant, welcoming, and safe spaces for all riders.
Public safety research consistently demonstrates that open, active environments with high visibility improve perceptions of safety and support natural surveillance. Activities such as cafés, kiosks, and markets help ensure public spaces remain vibrant and well-used throughout the day. Metro’s care-based approach to station activation responds directly to the needs of transit riders and nearby communities, reinforcing safety, enhancing the customer experience, and supporting increased ridership.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Station activation advances Metro’s equity goals by promoting inclusive access, visibility, and a sense of belonging across the diverse communities Metro serves. By intentionally activating stations, particularly in historically underserved neighborhoods, Metro helps create public spaces that reflect local culture, respond to community needs, and foster feelings of safety, dignity, and connection. These efforts strengthen trust and deepen relationships between Metro and the communities it serves, ensuring stations function as welcoming and supportive spaces for all riders. Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are central to this approach.
Through open-air markets, educational programming, community events, and small business and workforce development initiatives, station activation supports a people-centered transit experience while strengthening the local creative economy. These partnerships also help build CBO capacity and address the long-term impacts of historical disinvestment by expanding opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses to participate in and benefit from Metro’s station environments.
At this stage, specific locations for future activations have not yet been finalized. As part of the program’s next steps, Metro will establish an equity evaluation framework grounded in Metro’s Equity Platform (2018) and informed by lessons learned from pilot activations. This framework will help prioritize activations in communities with higher concentrations of transit-dependent riders, including lower-income households, communities of color, and areas with higher rates of car-free or car-limited households. Progress on the equity evaluation framework will be shared in a future quarterly report.
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.
Attachment
ATTACHMENT
Attachment A - Board Motion 29
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Lilly O’Brien, Deputy Executive Officer, Chief of Staff, (213) 259-7480
Dominica Smith, Senior Director of Special Projects, (213) 514-4978
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
