3 of 4 Valley Rail Stations May Miss the Train : Transportation: The Van Nuys, Chatsworth and Sylmar depots probably will not be ready in time for the Oct. 26 debut of Metrolink service.

Land purchase disputes, bureaucratic delays and other problems threaten to keep three of the four Metrolink stations in the San Fernando Valley from opening by the time the commuter rail service begins Oct. 26, Los Angeles city officials said Tuesday.

Construction of Metrolink stations in Van Nuys, Sylmar and Chatsworth is behind schedule and some Los Angeles city transportation officials fear they may not even be able to provide such basic amenities as train platforms and parking spaces at those sites by October.

“I don’t know if any one of the stations along the entire route will be completely done,” said James Okazaki, chief of transit programs for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

Santa Clarita city officials who broke ground on a Metrolink station Tuesday said that, barring any delays, their station will be completed by the time the first commuter trains roll out of that city.

Burbank officials said the Metrolink station in that city is expected to include a platform, a canopy and parking for more than 300 cars by the start of the service. But the proposed Burbank transportation center, which would include a bus transfer station, a train depot and additional parking at the site, will not be completed until about 1994, Burbank officials said.

Construction of the Metrolink stations in Moorpark, Simi Valley and Glendale are on schedule.

Metrolink, a regional rail network, will ultimately have more than 400 miles of routes and about 60 stations, linking downtown Los Angeles with five surrounding counties. The trains will travel downtown during the morning rush hours and return during the evening rush.

Although the service will be operated by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which includes transportation officials from five counties, construction of Metrolink stations is the responsibility of the cities where the stations are located.

A successful debut in October is important to regional transportation officials because voters will be asked in November to approve a second series of state bonds to expand commuter and intercity rail service throughout the state.

But regional transportation officials say they are not worried that construction delays will reduce passenger turnout in October.

“There is not much concern because the potential riders, I think, are not going to go away,” said Cynthia Pansing, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission.

Los Angeles city and county transportation officials say their biggest concern is a stalemate in real estate negotiations that is hampering construction of the Sylmar station. The city of Los Angeles recently began condemnation proceedings on a 5.8-acre parcel between Hubbard and Sayre streets because city officials could not agree on the property’s price with the parcel’s owners, the Friedman Bros. Investment Co., Okazaki said.

Although the rail authority has purchased the railroad rights of way, the dispute has kept city officials from building a proposed 500-space parking lot next to the train platform, he said.

Complicating matters is a dispute over whether the rail station would enhance adjacent land, where Friedman Bros. plans to build 280 condominiums. The city argues that Friedman Bros. should accept less money for the land because the station will increase the value of the residential property, city officials said. The property owners disagree.

Okazaki said it is unclear when the dispute will be settled. But he warned that the commuter trains will not stop in Sylmar if the city cannot build a train platform with a canopy and at least 300 parking spaces there. “I’ll be happy if we can break ground and provide dirt parking by October,” he said.

Problems also plague the proposed Van Nuys Metrolink station, Okazaki said. Metrolink is expecting to use the existing Amtrak station in Van Nuys. But that depot only has parking spaces for about 80 cars and the rail authority wants each station to have at least 300 parking spots.

Okazaki said city transportation officials have discussed purchasing adjacent land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. But the DWP currently occupies or has plans to occupy most of the land next to the station, he said.

If no agreement is reached by October, Okazaki said the city is considering having passengers park about five blocks away in an old maintenance yard owned by the Southern California Rapid Transit District near Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way. Passengers would ride a shuttle bus from the parking yard to the trains, he said.

In Chatsworth, where city officials have promised to build a “super-transit hub,” including a rail station, a Western museum and child-care facility, bulldozers and trucks began only this week to prepare the site for construction.

Francine Oschin, an aide to Councilman Hal Bernson, a key supporter of the site, said she fears the station may not even have a train platform and parking by Oct. 26. “Realistically, I don’t think it will happen,” she said.

She attributes the delay to a lengthy city building process. She said the county Transportation Commission and the regional rail authority probably do not realize the amount of time it takes for the city to build a train station.

“I think they are doing a good job, but I don’t think they realize how time-consuming it can be,” she said.

Commuter Trains on Track Long-distance commuter train service, similar to Amtrak service between Los Angeles and San Diego, is under budget and on schedule for an October start. However, nine of the 13 planned stations will be under construction when the first trains roll. Status of Stations Done by October El Monte Covina Pomona Moorpark Expected to be Open Glendale Burbank Santa Clarita Simi Valley May Not Be Open Cal State LA Baldwin Park Van Nuys Chatsworth Sylmar Source: Southern California Regional Rail Authority