Commuters, Officials Break In Camarillo Rail Station

Shivering in the pre-dawn chill Monday, commuters and transit officials huddled in Camarillo’s freshly paved Metrolink parking lot, eager to celebrate the opening of the emergency train station.

Riders helped themselves to free coffee, doughnuts and newspapers as workers sporting purple Metrolink caps and T-shirts worked the crowd, selling tickets and handing out train schedules.

Purple and white helium-filled balloons tethered to a freshly installed railing spruced up the otherwise stark station.

Approved by the Ventura County Transportation Commission just 11 days ago and constructed in less than a week, the Camarillo station at Lewis Road and Ventura Boulevard contains only the bare essentials: a concrete platform, a pay phone, wheelchair ramp and train tracks.

Although the station was designed to operate for one year to offer relief from post-quake freeway congestion, officials said they are optimistic that ridership will prompt construction of a permanent stop.

At the early morning celebration, however, politicians, media and transit officials outnumbered riders.

Speaking from a portable podium, County Supervisor Maggie Kildee asked, “How many of you are real commuters?” About a dozen onlookers raised their hands.

“Good,” Kildee said. “You are what this is all about.”

By the time the second of two morning trains pulled away from the Camarillo station, about 90 commuters had boarded the Los Angeles-bound trains, said Mary Travis, manager of transit programs for the county Transportation Commission.

“This is a good start,” Travis said. “As the word gets around, we expect the numbers to grow.”

Since the Jan. 17 earthquake, ridership on the 47-mile Ventura Line has jumped 40%, holding steady at about 1,500 passengers each way, Travis said.

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That increase prompted transit officials to seek the $1.9 million needed to extend service to Camarillo. If the aid application is approved, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay 75%, the state Office of Emergency Services 18.75% and the county 6.25%.

Success of the station hinges on whether Metrolink’s first west county stop will attract new riders or simply offer added convenience for commuters who had been boarding the train in Moorpark.

Oxnard resident Jack Burger said he first stepped aboard a Metrolink train last week when he started a new job as a logistics analyst in Los Angeles.

“I started off on the Moorpark train, but this one is even better because it’s closer,” Burger said. “It’s about time we had the chance to take the train to work.”

Longtime Moorpark Metrolink rider Douglas Ernst said he enjoys the hourlong ride, which allows him to stretch out in a padded, high-backed chair and work on his laptop computer.

Ernst, a real estate banker who works in downtown Los Angeles, said he decided to try boarding in Camarillo because the station is closer to his Oxnard home.

But Ernst said the flexibility of the Moorpark Metrolink schedule may entice him to return to that station.

The Camarillo schedule calls for only two round-trip trains a day, while Moorpark and Simi Valley offer five round-trip trains a day and two round-trip Amtrak trains.

“Camarillo is closer, but if I leave my car there, work late and miss my train, I’m dead,” Ernst said.

For Newbury Park residents Loris and James Mitchell, the Camarillo stop means that the couple will be able to spend more time together.

Mitchell, a computer analyst who works in Los Angeles, had been spending several nights a week in the city to avoid the hassle of riding the daily commuter bus.

“It just took so long for him to get to work and get home, it was wearing him out,” Loris Mitchell said. “We tried taking him to the Moorpark station, but that was a bit too far to go twice a day to drop him off and pick him up.”

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With the first day of Camarillo Metrolink service barely under way, frazzled transit officials had already shifted their attention to their next task, extending Metrolink service to Oxnard.

FEMA on Friday agreed to include Oxnard in the earthquake disaster zone, clearing the way for the city to apply for federal funding for commuter rail service to the city.

Travis said the county has begun negotiating with Metrolink officials to come up with a cost estimate to extend service to Oxnard’s 4th Street transit center.

If the federal funding is approved, the commission must find enough money to cover that cost until FEMA comes through with reimbursement.

“The problem with federal dollars is that you have to front the money and get reimbursed,” Travis said.

Travis said the commission should have more details on Metrolink service to Oxnard by midweek, including the cost of operating the station and a proposed launch date for service.

Camarillo Metrolink Service Metrolink trains began operating out of the Camarillo station Monday.

Where: 30 Lewis Road at Ventura Boulevard, just south of the Ventura Freeway. Exit freeway at either Carmen Drive or Dawson Drive.

When: Monday through Friday.

Times: Trains depart at 5:44 a.m. and 6:34 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. and 7:03 p.m.

Parking: 240-space paved parking lot at the Metrolink station.

Access: Trains are wheelchair accessible.

Cost: A round-trip ticket to Los Angeles costs $12. A monthly pass is $176.

Information: (800) 438-1112 or (800) 371-LINK.