Freedom From the Freeway : Splendid rail opening raises hopes for area mass transit

The first sleek new trains in this region’s emerging mass transit network rolled out Monday on schedule, linking Los Angeles with Ventura and San Bernardino counties. Metrolink’s debut is also a timely reminder of the need for a “yes” vote next Tuesday on Proposition 156, a measure that would help realize more of that visionary network.

Prop. 156 would authorize the state to issue $1 billion in bonds to complete rail, bus and subway lines now under way. It is the second in a package of three bond measures. Metrolink is the first local project to begin operation using funds from the first bond measure.

About 5,000 passengers rode the double-decked trains on opening day, taking advantage of the free rides offered in the first week. Many bubbled with enthusiasm over the cars and the speed--up to 79 m.p.h.

Transit officials, led by Neil Peterson, L.A. County Transportation Commission executive director, hope the trains will take 40,000 automobiles off the roads daily. San Bernardino Freeway commuters, bogged in traffic, watched the 7:26 a.m. train from Pomona zoom down the median. These motorists now have a good reason to leave their cars--and the stress of fighting traffic--behind them.

Metrolink is not without its critics. The fare will be higher than some comparable bus fares; some riders complained about seating space; some transit gurus believe that rail is not the most efficient way to move commuters in this far-flung region.

But Metrolink was never intended to be “the answer” to traffic congestion; rather it is one of several planned alternatives that a “yes” vote on Proposition 156 could help turn into realities.