SIMI VALLEY : Plans Unveiled for New Train Station

Simi Valley officials hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the city’s soon-to-be-built commuter train station.

But instead of shoveling piles of dirt, officials simply gathered at City Hall to unveil an artist’s rendering of the new station and the adjoining 600-car parking lot that will be built on Los Angeles Avenue just west of Stearns Street. Some project details still need to be ironed out, so work on the $1.5-million station will begin in a few weeks, Assistant City Manager Mike Sedell said.

Commuter train service linking Moorpark and Simi Valley to downtown Los Angeles is scheduled to begin in October. The Amtrak-operated service will include four eastbound trains running from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and four westbound trains operating from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., officials said Friday.

Travel time on the 47-mile Metrolink line from Moorpark to downtown Los Angeles is estimated at 55 minutes and will include stops in Chatsworth, Van Nuys, Burbank and Glendale. Ticket prices have not yet been determined.

Although there are no projected ridership figures available, city officials said they are confident that ridership won’t be a problem.

“Our City Council and the citizens of Simi Valley have always expressed a desire for this rail service,” Councilman Bill Davis said during Friday’s ceremony. “Today, we are recommitting ourselves to the revival of the commuter rail system throughout Southern California.”

Others who attended the ceremony included Mayor Greg Stratton, Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard and county Transportation Commissioner Ginger Gherardi. Transportation officials from Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties who sit on the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, the organization responsible for running the train service, also attended.