Grand jury chides OCTA for lag in rail crossing work

A grand jury criticized the Orange County Transportation Authority on Tuesday for falling behind on its schedule to improve railroad crossings before a major Metrolink expansion by 2009.

The county grand jury also said the agency still lacked a policy to establish quiet zones for the county’s 55 rail crossings and recommended a rail safety program to educate the public before the train expansion is completed.

Quiet zones are areas where rail crossings have been improved so that passing trains needn’t sound their piercing horns.

By 2009, Metrolink is expected to run every 30 minutes, from 5 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, from Fullerton to the station serving Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo.

Plans call for seven more locomotives and 150 passenger cars during the next two years.

But improvements to rail crossings, 16 in the city of Orange alone, are lagging, the grand jury said in its report.

“Evidence indicates that slippage in completion dates has already occurred,” the grand jury said.

Darrell Johnson, OCTA’s director of rail programs, acknowledged that work was behind schedule but said the program had been expanded since the grand jury’s examination last year.

Subsequently, the cities with railroad crossings have sought safety improvements and quiet zones, he said.

“We’ve reassessed and listened to what the communities want, and we’ve broadened our program to include the quiet zones as well,” Johnson said.

OCTA intends to establish a policy on quiet zones, which with rail crossing improvements could cost at least $50 million for all crossings.

Johnson said the agency has contacted city managers and public works officials for a meeting this week to discuss the policy, Johnson said.

He added that OCTA had approved $20 million in funding for rail crossings and expected other increases in June.

david.reyes@latimes.com