Rail Service to the Fair Earns Profit

Metrolink rail service to the Ventura County Fair last month turned a profit of more than $8,000, but transit leaders said Monday this does not justify the immediate extension of daily service to the west county.

Regular weekday or weekend Metrolink service to the west county, not tied to a special event such as the fair, would not come close to paying its expenses, transportation experts said.

“It was the first Metrolink run that’s made a profit,” Bill Davis, who represents the county on the regional board that runs Metrolink, said of the fair service.

But Davis, a Simi Valley councilman, cautioned, “You’ve got to have something there as a drawing card. How many people would use daily Metrolink service to go in that direction if there wasn’t a fair?”

Another hurdle is that the Ventura County Transportation Commission does not own the track between Moorpark and Ventura.

To run the fair trains, the commission needed permission from Southern Pacific Transportation Co., which owns the rail line.

Regular Metrolink service cannot be expanded unless Ventura County voters approve a half-cent sales tax increase for mass transit--a proposal they rejected in 1990, transportation leaders said.

“The major obstacle is that Ventura County has no sales tax for transit use, which the other counties that have Metrolink do,” said Camarillo Councilman David M. Smith, a member of the Transportation Commission.

“I believe that’s necessary before there would be regular service” to the west county, Smith said.

Last October, Metrolink began running weekday commuter trains between Moorpark and downtown Los Angeles. That line now carries about 2,000 passengers per day.

Fares on weekday Metrolink trains covered only about 14% of the system’s operating costs during its first eight months, transit officials said. The remaining expenses are subsidized by the counties served by Metrolink.

Without the extra sales tax money, Ventura County could not afford to subsidize regular Metrolink service to the west county, transportation officials said.

Still, the popularity of the fair trains bolstered the hopes of county rail boosters who believe Metrolink can be run to Oxnard and Ventura on special occasions.

During the two Ventura County Fair weekends at the end of August, the sleek commuter trains made their first runs between Simi Valley and Ventura, carrying about 35,000 fair-goers over the two weekends.

The trains--four eastbound and four westbound each day--also stopped at Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard.

According to a report released last week, passenger fares brought in $47,277. The round-trip charge was $6 from Simi Valley and Moorpark, $4 from Camarillo and Oxnard.

To run the trains, the commission spent $39,237. This was more than twice the $17,000 the agency expected the fair trains to cost.

The cost increased after the large turnout forced the commission to add eight passenger cars and two locomotives to each run.

Even so, the fair service produced a surplus of $8,040. This money will be returned to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, the five-county agency that operates Metrolink.

“It will still be used in this county for special promotions and advertisements involving Metrolink,” said Mary Travis, manager of transit programs for the Transportation Commission.

Ventura County Fair administrators say the special Metrolink trains brought more east county residents to the event and decreased freeway congestion.

Next year, the event might offer a combined ticket covering the cost of a Metrolink ride and admission to the fair.

“That way,” said Art Amelio, assistant manager of the fair, “people will only have to stand in line once.”

Metrolink’s Ventura County Fair Service

Revenues Ticket sales, first weekend: $19,896 Ticket sales, second weekend: $17,902 Pre-sales at local city halls: $9,479 Total: $47,277

Expenses Train costs, four days: $30,033 Metrolink on-board ambassadors: $1,895 Transportation Commission, miscellaneous costs: $991 Display ads, flyers: $1,050 Fair Board costs (ticket sellers, ticket takers, etc): $5,268 Total: $39,237 Surplus: $8,040 Source: Ventura County Transportation Commission