Metrolink Wins Round of Praise From Its Riders : Transportation: Survey finds most of the system’s passengers are well-paid professionals commuting to downtown.

A majority of riders on Southern California’s newest commuter trains are well-paid professionals, most of whom previously drove alone from the outlying suburbs to jobs in downtown Los Angeles, according to a survey of Metrolink riders released Friday.

Although two out of three riders say it costs more to ride Metrolink than to drive, car-pool or ride a bus, about half said they consider Metrolink a better value, according to the first ridership survey completed since service began in October.

Based on survey results that show 65% of its riders previously commuted alone, Metrolink officials estimate that their trains are responsible for removing about 16,000 cars each week from Southern California’s freeways.

Riders gave Metrolink generally high marks for cleanliness, personal safety, on-time arrivals and departures, professionalism and courtesy by train staff.

But respondents asked for more evening trains, more space for each passenger and more signs at stations to explain how to transfer to connecting shuttle services.

John Brennan, The Times Poll director, noted that a high approval rating is expected for such a poll, considering the subjects of the survey were people already sold on Metrolink.

“Since the survey is of current riders, there is a good chance the opinions of these folks toward Metrolink are inherently more positive than the whole potential pool of train users,” he said.

David Solow, deputy executive director of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, a five-county board that oversees Metrolink, acknowledged that weakness in the survey. But he said the rail authority is in the process of completing a survey of non-riders to learn why they do not ride Metrolink and what it would take to make them riders. Results from that survey are expected in early summer, he said.

Metrolink officials said they were not surprised by who rides Metrolink because the service was designed for long-haul commuters who work 9-to-5 in downtown Los Angeles. But they said they expect the profile of the average rider to change when the service is expanded to serve commuters who work outside downtown Los Angeles and do not work regular hours.

Metrolink is a regional rail network that when completed will span five counties and include 400 miles of tracks and 60 stations. It now serves 16 stations in Ventura, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties.

The survey was conducted aboard Metrolink trains over a five-day period in late February and early March by Facts Consolidated, a Los Angeles-based research firm. The results were tabulated from questionnaires filled out by 1,689 riders on all three Metrolink lines.

The survey paints the following profile of Metrolink riders:

* 67% of riders are Anglo, 13% are Latino, 13% are Asian-American and 7% are African-American.

* Their average age is about 40.

* Their average household income is $63,300.

* 63% are professionals or managers, 14% are clerical workers and 11% are government employees.

* 65% previously drove alone, 15% rode in a car pool or van pool, 20% rode a bus.

* 72% ended their train commute at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

* Riders live an average of 7.5 miles from their nearest Metrolink station and work about eight miles from a station.

* 77% drive alone from home to the station in the morning; 71% take a Metrolink shuttle, bus or Metro Red Line subway train from the station to work.

Although about 60% said Metrolink costs more to ride than other transportation modes, about half said Metrolink is a better value and another 15% said it is an equal value, the survey said.

“There are strong indications that Metrolink is thought to be a dependable and stress-free means of commuting, and these may influence the perception of value,” according to a summary of the survey.

Financial incentives could explain why Metrolink’s daily ridership has jumped from 2,397 riders in November to 4,928 last month.

The survey found that about half the riders received a of subsidy from their employer. The average subsidy was $57.30 per month.

Nearly 60% would have to pay for parking if they would have driven to work, according to the survey. The average cost for parking is $81 per month.

Many riders said the ridership would “increase a lot” if tickets could be purchased with automated teller machine and credit cards at work, by mail or at other locations besides the Metrolink stations.

In a related development, Metrolink service will be expanded starting Monday to three new Inland Empire stations.

During the first week, commuter service will be free, officials said. The new stations are at 300 E. A St. in Upland; 260 Riverside Ave. in Rialto; and 1204 N. 3rd St. in San Bernardino.

With the addition of these three stations, the San Bernardino line will be completed, said Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo. The line is also expected to carry the most riders, said Hidalgo, who estimated that 2,500 passengers a day would travel on it.

With the opening of these stations, the commuter train network will total 152 miles.