Hundreds Pack Metrolink Cars : Transportation: Ceremonies in Moorpark and Simi Valley help introduce the new rail system. Most local riders praise the service.

Dawn had not arrived Monday at the balloon-studded Metrolink platforms in Moorpark and Simi Valley. The asphalt parking lots were barely dry, several passenger canopies had no roofs and much of the landscaping was still sitting in pots.

Nevertheless, hundreds of eager commuters gathered in the cool, foggy air to await the gleaming double-decked trains that promised to free them from freeway gridlock.

The two cities are Ventura County’s only stops on a $1-billion rail network created to take residents to work and get their cars off the highway.

A week of free rides kicked off the service Monday, and the reaction among local passengers was largely favorable.

“It’s clean, well-lit and on time,” said Steve Latauska, 43, a Los Angeles County civil-service advocate who lives in Simi Valley. “I got my choice of seats because I got on in Simi Valley, early on the route. It’s quiet. It’s a comfortable temperature.”

With a laugh, he added, “I sound like a commercial for Metrolink.”

But several other Ventura County passengers found flaws. At $176 for the monthly pass from Moorpark or Simi Valley to Los Angeles, some said, it’s too expensive. And at 84 minutes from Moorpark, they said, the ride takes too long.

“They have to make it more convenient,” said Moorpark resident Jeffrey Nelson. “They need to speed up the trains. They take too long to get downtown.”

Nelson, who works for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said he moved from Los Angeles to Moorpark five months ago partly because of the new train service. However, he said he was taking a practice run on the train Monday to see whether it will actually fit into his work schedule.

“This may be the first and last time I take it,” he said.

Metrolink officials have said they plan to review fares in the coming months and may add trains if the ridership warrants it. They said they hope to shorten the stops at each station so the trip doesn’t take as long.

Steve Hill, another Moorpark resident who works downtown, said the cost and scheduling were minor problems when weighed against the benefits of getting off the freeway.

“I’m happy to have an alternative,” he said. “I’m getting to the point in life where it’s nice to leave the driving to somebody else. Southern California needs this. We all have a problem with air pollution and freeway overcrowding.”

Simi Valley residents Robert and Arlene Miller, both of whom commute to work, said the train will not get them downtown more quickly but will provide a less stressful trip. In addition, it will save wear and tear on their car.

“We’ve got a new car--a four-month-old Volkswagen Passat--with 11,500 miles on it,” Robert Miller said.

Miller and his wife were among many downtown workers who said their employers will pay some or most of the cost of their train trips. Others said their savings in gasoline and parking expenses will help pay for the tickets.

Each weekday morning, Metrolink’s Ventura County line will send four trains downtown with stops in Moorpark, Simi Valley, Chatsworth, Van Nuys, Burbank and Glendale. Four trains will return along the same route each afternoon, beginning at 4:10 p.m.

Officials in Moorpark and Simi Valley saluted the new rail network Monday by decorating their unfinished platforms and serving free coffee and doughnuts. In Simi Valley, a disc jockey played lively rock and soul records to stir sleepy-eyed commuters into a festive mood.

City leaders spoke about the importance of the train system.

Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason conducted a modest opening ceremony in his city, vowing to ride the train three times a week to his job in Chatsworth. “This is something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Lawrason said. “This is a historic day for the entire Southern California region.”

Simi Valley’s more lavish Metrolink kickoff attracted a wide array of dignitaries, including Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley), Supervisor Vicky Howard, five Simi Valley City Council members and representatives of the city’s Planning Commission and the Rancho Simi Park and Recreation District.

On each of the first two trains, which left Moorpark at 5:16 a.m. and 5:51 a.m., about 200 commuters had boarded by the time the trains left Simi Valley.

The morning’s last train from Ventura County, which left Moorpark at 7:16 a.m., was standing room only with about 500 passengers by the time it departed Simi Valley at 7:31 a.m. Commuters filled all seats, and some stood in the aisles during most of the trip.

On board, many commuters read newspapers and sipped coffee. A few listened to music or radio news broadcasts over headset stereos.

Jinel Parodi, 35, of Simi Valley, who teaches at Burton Elementary School in Van Nuys, brought a bicycle so she could pedal the last few miles to work. The trains are equipped with special fasteners to hold bicycles in place. But she said the cost of tickets would steer her back to her car when Metrolink begins charging next week.

“It’s really out of my range,” she said. “I think they really have forgotten the people who want to use the intermediate runs and not go downtown.”

Most Ventura County commuters concluded their morning Metrolink ride without a hitch. The 5:51 a.m. train arrived at Union Station about five minutes early.

But for the Millers, the Simi Valley couple who commuted downtown together aboard the morning’s last Ventura County train, the ride was not so smooth. They pulled into Union Station at about 8:50 a.m., 10 minutes behind schedule and 20 minutes later than the time Arlene, an executive secretary, was due at work.

“I guess we’re going to have to take an earlier train,” she said.

The couple had not arranged for transportation from Union Station to their jobs. But upon arrival in Los Angeles, they were able to hop a free Metrolink shuttle bus to the financial district with little hassle. The shuttles are free this week to Metrolink riders. A surcharge on monthly passes will go toward paying for the shuttles in the future.

“We weren’t very organized today,” said Robert Miller, a financial consultant. “It’ll be better tomorrow.”

The first Metrolink train returning to Ventura County Monday afternoon arrived in Simi Valley just before 5:30 p.m.--about 15 minutes behind schedule--with nearly 500 people on board.

One of the passengers was Cesar Santiago of Simi Valley, who called the train ride beautiful. But he protested that the rail cars were not roomy enough and had no racks to store briefcases or knapsacks.

Another passenger, Ilsa Shelton of Simi Valley, was returning from a state PTA meeting in downtown Los Angeles. She said the only bad part of her trip was trying to find the right shuttle bus and standing for the 15-minute ride between Union Station and the PTA meeting site.

“They said, ‘This goes to the financial district,’ ” she recalled. “What did that mean to me, living in Simi Valley?”

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