El Monte Station is large regional bus station in the city of El Monte, California, United States, adjacent to Interstate 10, serving the Metro Silver Line, Foothill Transit, Greyhound and also El Monte Transit. It is the Metro Silver Line's eastern terminus. According to Metro, the station is the largest bus-only transit station west of Chicago.HistoryThe old transit center was opened in 1973 at the eastern end of the El Monte Busway. Due to increasing bus congestion, a separate lower level station for local buses was constructed in 2006. Both stations were demolished in 2010 to create a new terminal, with a temporary terminal on a portion of the old parking lot as an interim improvement. The new terminal was designed by RNL Design and opened on October 14, 2012, and at that time the temporary terminal was closed and returned into a parking lot. This 11 mile busway connects the San Gabriel Valley, through the El Monte Transit Center to Downtown Los Angeles. The transit center also provides timed transfer connections for patrons of local bus services.ServicesWith 22,000 passengers and 1,200 bus departures daily the station was doubled in size in a renovation which was completed in October 2012. Of all the 9 Metro Silver Line stations, the El Monte Station is the busiest and most served station by the Metro Silver Line. With the "Silver 2 Silver" program, Cal State LA students who have Metro passes can use the Foothill Transit's Silver Streak bus between Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte Station at no additional charge. Similarly, Foothill Transit Silver Streak riders may use their passes on the Metro Silver Line between El Monte Station and Downtown Los Angeles.
