Metrolink (Southern California)

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Metrolink (Southern California Regional Rail Authority)
Locale	Greater Los Angeles Area
Transit type	Regional rail
Began operation	October 26, 1992
System length	388 mi (624 km)
Number of lines	7
Number of stations	55
Daily ridership	42,363 boardings as of December 2006
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Reporting marks	SCAX
Operator(s)	Veolia Transportation (under contract to the SCRRA)

Metrolink (AAR reporting marks SCAX) is a regional rail system that serves Southern California.

In 1991, it was established as the "Southern California Regional Rail Authority" (SCRRA) and service began the following year. From 1990-1993, the SCRRA member agencies purchased track and other property in fee title, easement or through operating rights from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (now Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway), Southern Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific Railroad) and Union Pacific Railroad. SCRRA member agencies acquired about 200 route miles from Santa Fe for $236 million, over 200 route miles from Southern Pacific for $257 million, and 59 route miles from Union Pacific for $17 million. In 2006, it had an operating budget of $134.8 million. Since July 2005, Metrolink has been operated under contract by Veolia Transport. The contract extends for a period of five years and includes the provision of locomotive engineers and conductors. Prior to July 2005, Metrolink was operated under contract by Amtrak.

[edit] Overview

Metrolink trains approaching and leaving Union Station at evening rush hour.

Metrolink's area of service includes lines to Ventura County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County. It connects to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro Rail lines at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, and to the San Diego Coaster at Oceanside. It also connects at various points to Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, Coast Starlight, and Southwest Chief services. As of early 2007, it served a total of 54 stations on 388 route miles (excluding shared miles) throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area.

The average weekday ridership for the period from October through December 2006 was 42,363 boardings.^[1] Ridership has grown at 3-4% per year since opening; Orange County ridership grew 30% from 2002 to 2005.

[edit] Rail lines

Map of the Metrolink system.

Metrolink runs seven lines through Southern California.

• 91 Line (61.6 mile route between Union Station and Riverside-Downtown)
• Antelope Valley Line (76.6 mile route between Union Station and Lancaster)
• Inland Empire-Orange County (IEOC) Line (100.1 mile route between San Bernardino and Oceanside)
• Orange County Line (87.2 mile route between Union Station and Oceanside)
• Riverside Line (59.1 mile route between Union Station and Riverside-Downtown)
• San Bernardino Line (56.5 mile route between Union Station and San Bernardino/Riverside-Downtown)
• Ventura County Line (70.9 mile route between Union Station and Montalvo, Ventura)

Metrolink owns some other track on which it does not run passenger service; some of this track is planned for use in future passenger service, while some is used for freight service.

[edit] Central Maintenance Facility

A picture taken on the upper level of a Metrolink passenger car.

Metrolink's Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) is located on the east bank of the Los Angeles River near the intersection of the 5 and 110 Freeways, just south of the former location of Southern Pacific's Taylor Yard. The facility was constructed in 1992 on 25 acres at a cost of $38 million. It provides a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m²) shop area and 14,000 square feet (1,300 m²) of administrative offices and employee facilities and is operated by Metrolink's equipment maintenance contractor, Bombardier Transportation. The CMF has four functional areas:

• Service & Inspection: Trains receive daily cleaning, inspection for minor repairs, and fueling on these tracks at the north end of the facility.
• Storage Tracks: Holding area for trains already serviced.
• Shops: Heavy repairs to locomotives and passenger cars and required Federal inspections performed in this area.
• Progressive Maintenance: Scheduled light repairs, extensive cleaning, and servicing to maintain optimum performance levels

[edit] Fares and service

Metrolink's Burbank station.

The fare structure on Metrolink is based on a formula taking into account driving distance between stations, added to a flat fee charged for boarding the train. Fares are calculated in 25 cent increments between stations. Prior to July 2004, Metrolink fares were based on fare zones radiating outward from Union Station, but a controversial fare restructuring converted fares into the current system.^[2] Fare increases are generally done on an annual basis in July to coincide with increased fuel and labor expenses (essentially a fuel surcharge). Fare increases have generally averaged between 3.5 and 5% per year, with some pairs increasing by up to 10% due to the driving distance restructuring. The oil price increases since 2003 are partly to blame for this because Metrolink trains are powered by diesel fuel.

Metrolink's fares are high compared to its peers and to competing bus service. For instance, a round-trip ticket between Montclair and Downtown Los Angeles is $13.25, compared with $4.00 for competing Foothill Transit - Silver Streak express bus service (via carpool lanes and the El Monte Busway) between the two destinations. Similarly, monthly passes are higher than competing bus systems. A monthly pass for the bus between the Palmdale Transportation Center and Los Angeles Union Station costs $210, compared to $277.75 on Metrolink. (The high fares, however, give Metrolink one of the highest farebox recovery rates of any commuter rail service.) The Antelope Valley Transit Authority justified this competition by noting that, while Metrolink trains are more consistent in their schedule and have more midday and evening service than commuter buses, commuter buses are cheaper to riders, drop riders off at their destination without transfers, can be faster if transfer time is considered, and are more frequent than train service. ^[3]

Metrolink riders can ride most buses in Los Angeles and Orange County, as well as the Metro Rail, for free with their valid ticket or pass, and monthly pass holders in Orange and Ventura Counties can use Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Thruway Coach services through the Rail 2 Rail program.

Like many US commuter rail systems, Metrolink lacks substantial off-peak service—a characteristic which may also hurt ridership numbers. Between approximately 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. there are few trains on most lines, even those (such as the San Bernardino line) that have very high peak-hour ridership. However, Metrolink has added more trains on some lines, especially in Orange County, when Orange County decided to subsidize more service into the county.

Some of these attributes can be ascribed to the structure of Metrolink's governance board, a Joint Powers Authority of the five transportation commissions of the counties in its service area: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Orange County Transportation Authority, Riverside County Transportation Commission, Ventura County Transportation Commission and San Bernardino Associated Governments (with representatives of the San Diego Association of Governments, the Southern California Association of Governments and the California Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency as non-voting ex-officio members of the board). Each of the five member agencies funds the portion of service that operates in their county, mostly with local sales tax money, although there are exceptions. Metrolink also occasionally gets some direct funding from the state and federal governments, although this often calls for a delicate act of political balancing as local agencies are concerned that money for Metrolink could instead be used to funds roads and buses in their counties. The inherent conflict of interest of the Board partially explains the high fares.

[edit] Future expansion

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has announced plans to increase frequencies to 76 trains daily on the Orange County and IEOC Lines ^[4], and funding for increased Metrolink service was included in the renewal of the Measure M sales tax for transportation approved by the voters in November 2006 ^[5].

Future plans also call for line expansions extending the service area. The proposed 91 Line Extension, known officially as the Perris Valley Line, will link Riverside and Perris by 2010 ^[6], with eventual plans for a Phase II extension further east to Hemet and San Jacinto.^[7]

In the coming decade, a 9-mile (14 km) eastward extension is planned to link San Bernardino with Redlands/Mentone.^[8] The San Bernardino Associated Governments is considering diesel multiple-unit service on this route.

A proposed station in Yorba Linda was canceled in 2005 due to local opposition.

In addition, Los Angeles County-area transit advocates have proposed adding Metrolink service along the Harbor Subdivision corridor, so as to provide Metrolink service to Inglewood, Los Angeles International Airport, and the South Bay. Proponents argue that this could provide direct service between the South Bay, LAX, and Union Station, and possibly continue into the San Fernando Valley, though they also envision that a Metro Rail line could run in the corridor as well. Opponents argue that frequently running fast moving trains along busy Slauson Avenue, through a residential area, is potentially dangerous.

[edit] Major accidents

[edit] Placentia, April 2002

On April 23, 2002, a BNSF Railway freight train collided head-on with a Metrolink train in Placentia, near the Atwood Junction, at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Van Buren Street. Both trains were on the same east-west track moving toward one another. The Metrolink had the right-of-way; it was supposed to switch to a southbound track. The BNSF train was supposed to slow and stop just before the switch while the Metrolink passed, but the crew missed a signal one and a half miles back warning them to slow down. By the time the crew saw the red "stop" signal at the switch and the Metrolink train, they were going too fast to avoid a collision. Although there was speculation that the signals alerting the Burlington to slow and stop had malfunctioned, an investigation later concluded that it was human error by the crew that caused the accident. Two people died in the crash and twenty-two were seriously injured.^[9]

[edit] Glendale, January 2005

For more details on this topic, see Glendale train crash.

On January 26, 2005, two Metrolink passenger trains were derailed in the worst train accident in Metrolink's history. A southbound Metrolink train derailed when it hit a vehicle parked on the tracks near an at-grade crossing at Chevy Chase Drive. The train struck a stationary freight locomotive (overturning it) and jackknifed, colliding with an oncoming northbound Metrolink train which also derailed. Eleven people were killed (including an off-duty sheriff's deputy and a train conductor) and over 100 people were injured, about 40 seriously. The man who parked the vehicle on the tracks, Juan Manuel Alvarez, was apprehended and charged with 11 counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, including murder by train wrecking. At the time of this writing, he is awaiting trial in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

[edit] Rolling Stock

Metrolink fleet consists of 40 locomotives (1 leased from Sound Transit in Seattle) and 158 Bombardier BiLevel Coaches.^[10][11] As of November 2007, the cab car portion of the fleet consists of 33 Metrolink owned cab cars, 4 leased from Sound Transit, 2 leased from Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) and 1 leased from COASTER. The trailer portion of the fleet includes 106 Metrolink owned trailers, 8 leased from Sound Transit, 2 leased from ACE, and 2 leased from COASTER.

Metrolink owned units are painted in the Metrolink livery, white with periwinkle blue streaks. The leased units can be recognized by their retention of their owner's livery, with Metrolink logos pasted on top of the owner's logos, instead of the standard Metrolink colors.

Fleet notes

[edit] See also

• Amtrak
• San Diego Public Transportation

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Metrolink Web site
• Metrolink map (Note: the map shown on the web site is from 1999)
• Photos of Metrolink trains and stations
• Independently-run Website for Riders