Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : 3rd Commuter Bus Route to Serve as Link Between Valleys : Transportation: The new line will make 32 round trips each weekday between Santa Clarita and major employment centers in Van Nuys.

In a move designed to get more motorists off the freeways, city transportation officials announced Monday that a third commuter bus route will soon link the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys.

Beginning Wednesday, Line 798 will make 32 round trips each weekday between Santa Clarita and major employment centers in Van Nuys.

Faculty, staff and students at Cal State Northridge, which began classes Monday, can also use the line, which is linked to the campus by an MTA bus route.

Last week, the city transit authority launched two additional routes serving businesses in Chatsworth and Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

All three new routes are aimed at commuters traveling to areas in the San Fernando Valley west of the San Diego Freeway, said Ron Kilcoyne, the city’s transit manager.

“Basically we’re finding that Metrolink is not really a viable option for those people,” Kilcoyne said. “So we’re trying to give them an alternative.”

Kilcoyne said although ridership was scant in the beginning days of the Chatsworth and Warner Center routes, it is steadily increasing and is expected to continue to grow as more businesses open in those areas.

He said service is expected to continue until repairs are completed on the quake-damaged Antelope Valley and Golden State freeways.

The cost of the three routes--estimated at $200,000 a month--is expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Van Nuys line, which connects with about 20 MTA bus routes traveling throughout the San Fernando Valley, runs every half an hour. The Warner Center and Chatsworth routes have three early morning departures from Santa Clarita and three afternoon return trips from the San Fernando Valley.

A one-way ticket on each of the three lines is $2. Monthly commuter passes are $65. For details on routes or schedules or other information call Santa Clarita Transit at (805) 294-1287.