Countywide : Commuter Train Fares Proposed

Ventura County commuters who would prefer to leave the driving to others and hop a train to their jobs in downtown Los Angeles may have to pay between $144 and $160 a month for the privilege.

Consultants presented the county Transportation Commission with proposed passenger fares for new commuter train service during a public hearing Friday in Camarillo. Only one county resident attended the hearing.

Commuter train service running from Moorpark and Simi Valley to downtown Los Angeles is scheduled to begin October 26.

Proposed fares for a one-way ticket to Los Angeles range from $5.25 to $6, with round-trip tickets running from $9.75 to $11, officials said. Suggested rates for monthly adult passes would range from $144 to $160.

All rates will be dependent on distance traveled, and discounts will be available for seniors and students, said Cynthia J. Pollan, a consultant for the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. The authority, which will operate the trains, is a partnership of Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties.

Transit officials have estimated that about 800 one-way passengers will ride the commuter train from eastern Ventura County to Los Angeles on a daily basis. Ventura County’s share of annual operating costs for the commuter service is a projected $750,000.

Ginger Gherardi, executive director of the Ventura County transportation commission, said the range of proposed ticket prices is reasonable and will be especially attractive to commuters tired of sitting in bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic.

Simi Valley Councilman Bill Davis said the tickets may seem exorbitant at first. But in addition to gas money and time, he said train passengers will also save on parking as well as wear and tear on their cars. Plus, he said, many businesses are expected to subsidize train fares for employees in order to meet new air pollution guidelines that require them to reduce the number of people riding alone in their cars to work.

“The fares are reasonable,” Davis said. “I think you would be saving money to ride the train.”

Exact fares and schedules for the train service are expected to be finalized by the rail authority in June, officials said.