Metrolink Service to Fair Attracts Big Crowds : Transportation: The westbound trains are a hit. But transit experts say runs can’t be expanded on a regular basis unless Ventura County voters OK a sales tax increase.

The huge turnout of residents who rode special Metrolink trains to the Ventura County Fair indicates a strong interest in expanded rail service between Simi Valley and the coast, local leaders said Monday.

Exact ridership figures were unavailable, but officials said up to 20,000 people took Metrolink to and from the fair over the weekend, surpassing their expectations by a wide margin. But transit experts said train service cannot be expanded on a regular basis unless Ventura County voters approve a sales tax increase.

Metrolink has operated commuter trains between Moorpark and downtown Los Angeles since October. But the special fair service last weekend marked the first time Metrolink trains have sped west from Moorpark, stopping in Camarillo, Oxnard and Ventura.

The larger-than-expected turnout created a few glitches for fair-going train riders, such as crowded cars and platforms and out-of-service restrooms.

But Ginger Gherardi, executive director of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, who rode Metrolink to the fair Sunday, said she heard largely favorable comments and pleas for expanded service to west Ventura County and Santa Barbara.

“I can’t tell you how many people want a beach train,” she said.

But Gherardi said the transportation commission, which subsidizes weekday Metrolink runs to downtown Los Angeles, cannot afford to run more trains.

“The only thing that’s stopping us from additional service is the lack of the extra half-cent sales tax that all of the other urban counties in the state have,” she said.

By a 2-1 margin, Ventura County voters in 1990 rejected a half-cent sales tax increase that would have generated millions of dollars for transportation projects, such as additional Metrolink service.

Transportation Commission members have said they may put the tax measure before voters again, but no election date has been set.

Another roadblock to expanded service is the fact that the county transportation agency does not own the track between Moorpark and Ventura. The agency needed permission from Southern Pacific Transportation Co. to run the fair trains.

The only regular rail service expansion likely in the near future is weekend Metrolink runs between Moorpark and downtown Los Angeles, Gherardi said.

Nevertheless, the strong support for the fair trains, which will run again Saturday and Sunday, shows that occasional cross-county service can be successful, rail advocates said.

“Obviously, if you could see enough usage, you may be able to run something from here to Santa Barbara,” said Simi Valley Councilman Bill Davis, who represents the county on Metrolink’s governing board. “It’s proven that you can have a major event, and people will ride that train.”

The service began Saturday morning in Simi Valley with a single locomotive and four passenger cars, each containing 150 seats and standing room for another 150 people. But the train was nearly filled by the time it reached Moorpark, and some passengers in Camarillo and Oxnard were unable to board.

By mid-Saturday, the rail service began running longer trains--each consisting of three locomotives and 12 passenger cars--through the rest of the weekend.

Fair officials Monday advised next weekend’s Metrolink riders to buy advance tickets at city halls in Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard, and to arrive at least 20 minutes before departure time.

The number of people who rode last weekend’s fair trains--four westbound and four eastbound runs each day--could not be determined precisely Monday.

Fair administrators estimated that about 9,000 paying passengers rode the trains over the two days, based on ticket receipts. But Metrolink, whose conductors did a head count, said ridership was nearly 20,000.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said the fair’s estimate did not count numerous young children, who rode for free, and Metrolink commuters with monthly passes, who did not have to buy tickets.

Art Amelio, the fair’s assistant manager, said he would not dispute Metrolink’s estimate, based on his own ride Sunday aboard a standing-room only train filled with families. “We greatly underestimated the demand for this service,” Amelio said.

The largest number of passengers boarded in Simi Valley and Moorpark, and fair officials said some might not otherwise have attended the event.

“It plugged us into the east county in a way nothing else could have,” Amelio said.

* FYI

For information on Metrolink train service to the county fair, call Ventura County Dial-a-Route at (800) 438-1112.