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Metro is closing its Little Tokyo/Arts District Station beginning Saturday to complete work on a 1.9-mile rail extension project that will tie three lines together in downtown Los Angeles.

Service at the station will end Friday night. The next day, Metro will launch a 22-month construction phase of its Regional Connector transit project, which includes the demolition of the current Little Tokyo Station, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Rick Jager. A new underground station will be built in its place at nearby 1st Street and Central Avenue, he said.

During construction, service will be affected along the L Line — formerly the Gold Line — which runs from Azusa to East Los Angeles and includes the Little Tokyo stop.

Transit riders seeking to travel between Union Station and the Pico/Aliso Station in Boyle Heights will be offered free shuttle bus service during the closure. Riders can then get back on the train and continue their destination in either direction, Jager said.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.