Countywide : New Train Service Delayed for 4 Weeks

New commuter train service between Orange County and Los Angeles won’t begin until April 30, according to county transportation officials.

Just last week, officials had said the new train would be available Monday.

“We ran into a problem with Santa Fe Railway, so we could not meet our target date,” said Tom Fortune, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Commission. There was a last-minute dispute involving Santa Fe’s freight trains, which use the same tracks as the commuter train, he said.

The new commuter train will leave San Juan Capistrano for Los Angeles at 6:22 a.m., with stops in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton, and will arrive in downtown Los Angeles at 7:25 a.m.

A southbound return train, at 5:30 p.m., will not start serving customers for another two months due to lack of equipment.

Both new trains will be operated by Amtrak under contract to the Orange County Transportation Commission, which will pay $1.8 million for the service. OCTC will offer 20% discounts off Amtrak’s best rates for riders who buy monthly passes. Still, the fare from San Juan Capistrano to Los Angeles will be $7.02. A ticket to go from Santa Ana to Fullerton will cost $2.13.

The purpose of the new train service is to relieve congestion on the Santa Ana Freeway during the current widening project, which will double the size of the freeway from the current six lanes to 12 lanes.