$50,000 Cap Urged for Midday Metrolink
Ventura County should pay no more than $50,000 a year for a midday Metrolink train between Moorpark and Los Angeles, the Ventura County Transportation Commission decided Friday.
Administrators of the commuter rail system have said the county should pay about $200,000 for the midday run during the fiscal year that begins July 1. Metrolink officials said this sum includes a shared of fixed operating costs, such as maintenance and staffing.
But members of Ventura County panel disputed that figure, saying the formula used to determine the cost of the midday train, which serves about 40 passengers each weekday, is flawed.
The Transportation Commission has agreed to pay $750,000 for four early morning and late-afternoon Metrolink trains that serve Ventura County commuters, but that fee does not cover the new midday train.
The funding dispute is expected to be discussed next week by members of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority board, representing the five Southern California counties that jointly operate Metrolink.
Ventura County transportation commissioners urged Friday that an outside consultant be hired to help find a more equitable formula for dividing Metrolink costs.
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