Metrolink’s Start Puts 3 Future Transit Hubs in Its Path : Commuting: Transportation officials hope centers will eventually provide all the possible connections.

The start of Metrolink commuter service Monday is the first step toward creating transit centers in Burbank, Chatsworth and Santa Clarita that Los Angeles city and county transportation officials say will dramatically improve transportation in northern Los Angeles County.

When the trains roll Monday, they will be met at the three passenger platforms by buses, shuttles and taxis--and in Chatsworth, free taxis.

But ultimately, transportation officials hope the centers will provide connections for car pools, bicycles, commuter vans and even a trolley-style light-rail line.

Officials also hope that in the future the transit centers will spur development of commuter-related commercial projects on the sites, such as child-care centers, restaurants and mini-marts.

Indeed, Metrolink is based on the premise that the trains will carry commuters to and from stations and platforms where riders can transfer to other forms of transportation that will take them to their ultimate destinations.

“The connections are just as important as getting you to the station,” said Ruth Davidson-Guerra, Metrolink project coordinator for the city of Burbank. “What good is it if we get you to the station and you can’t get to work?”

Nikolas Patsaouras, a member of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission and San Fernando Valley resident, agreed. “We are entering an era of renaissance in transportation,” he said. The transit centers will “improve the quality of our lives.”

Metrolink will operate three lines connecting Moorpark, Santa Clarita and Pomona to downtown Los Angeles. Beginning Monday, four trains will travel from Moorpark to downtown Los Angeles each morning, and four will return in the evening. The line from Santa Clarita will operate three trains each morning and evening. Five trains will operate each morning and evening from Pomona.

Much has already been done to link the train stops with other transit systems.

Beginning Monday, the Southern California Rapid Transit District will realign three bus routes in the San Fernando Valley to serve the Metrolink stops in Burbank and Chatsworth.

In Burbank, the RTD will also operate a shuttle bus every 20 minutes from the train platform to downtown Burbank from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. A second shuttle bus will run mornings and evenings from the Burbank Airport to the Burbank Metrolink station.

Plans are being drafted to operate a shuttle bus from the Metrolink stop to the Burbank Media District. In the meantime, taxis will offer a base fare of $3.50 to the Media District or $2 per person for more than one rider.

In Chatsworth, a nonprofit business association has arranged for taxi shuttles that will take Metrolink passengers free of charge from the station to any location in Warner Center, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, Granada Hills and Northridge.

Marian Maxfield, executive director of the 12th District Transportation Management Assn., said the cab service will be paid for with a $75,000 grant from the county transportation commission and an additional $40,000 provided by the association and another business group, the Warner Center Transportation Organization.

Commuters can ride cabs for free back to the station from the same areas in the afternoon by calling the San Fernando Checker Cab Co., which won a bid to operate the shuttle, she said.

The shuttle program is expected to last two years, Maxfield said. Afterward, city officials will consider adding a permanent shuttle service or a trolley line to Warner Center, she said.

In Santa Clarita, the city has designated the Metrolink stop the city’s transportation center by operating its fleet of city buses from the station.

The city’s bus service will also begin 90 minutes earlier in the morning and run an hour later in the afternoon to accommodate Metrolink passengers.

Beginning Monday, Orange Belt buses will also run twice in the morning from Lancaster to the Santa Clarita Metrolink station, with two buses returning in the evening.

“The city of Santa Clarita really wants people to use city transportation and the Metrolink,” said city spokeswoman Gail Foy.

In the future, transfers to and from the stations should be easier.

The county transportation commission is taking bids from consultants to realign all bus and shuttle routes in the San Fernando Valley to better serve riders. The new plan, which is expected to be implemented within a year, will incorporate Metrolink train stops into the realigned routes.

Los Angeles city officials are also considering realigning the route of a fleet of natural gas-powered shuttle buses between Van Nuys and Studio City so they will stop at the Metrolink platform in Van Nuys.

County transportation officials are considering building a $445-million light-rail line that would begin near Burbank Airport and run through Glendale to downtown Los Angeles. Burbank officials say they are considering running regular shuttles that would connect the airport, the light rail and the commuter train stops.

In addition to improving transportation, the transit centers are expected to spur transit-related development around the stops.

The Burbank stop is just over a half-acre in size, located on Front Street between Olive Avenue and Magnolia Boulevard. It is surrounded by industrial development on three sides and the Golden State Freeway on the other.

Davidson-Guerra said there has been discussion by city officials about possible future commercial development. But she said nothing is certain.

“Depending on who you talk to, it would be great to have a small retail center or child-care center or other services for rail passengers,” she said. “But I haven’t seen any firm proposals.”

The Chatsworth station is located on 11 acres at Devonshire Street between Canoga and Owensmouth avenues, surrounded mostly by commercial development. The county transportation commission was awarded as much as $679,000 from the federal government in June to build a child-care center in a new station, which is to be completed within the next year.

In the next two years, city officials hope to work with private developers to build a retail complex on the site that will include a community room for public meetings and a western history museum. The family of Roy Rogers has expressed interest in helping acquire memorabilia for the museum, said Francine Oschin, transportation aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents the area.

The Santa Clarita station site is about 10 acres in size, located off Soledad Canyon Road near the Saugus Speedway. Foy said the city is also considering plans to develop the site with commercial projects, such as a dry cleaners, a child-care center and a mini-mart.

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