Ridership Up for 6-Month-Old Train

Six months old today, Orange County’s commuter train is carrying 61% more passengers per day than when service started and reached a one-day, record high of 302 riders last Wednesday, officials said.

Using double-decked passenger coaches obtained from Caltrans, the County Transportation Commission’s commuter service has one train operating daily in each direction between stops in Orange County and downtown Los Angeles.

OCTC officials on Monday called the six-month start-up period a success.

“The first commuter train has been a strong performer,” said OCTC Chairman Dana W. Reed, a Corona del Mar lawyer and political consultant.

OCTC is funding the rail service and contracts with Amtrak, which operates the train. The cost is about $1.5 million per year, with ticket sales covering about 40% of the cost.

Critics of rail service argue that the subsidies needed to pay for it would be better spent on new freeway construction. But rail supporters contend that it is too difficult environmentally and politically to build enough freeways to satisfy rush-hour demand.