SYLMAR : Event Staged to Lure More Rail Riders

In a bid to spur lagging ridership, local officials staged a second “grand opening” of the new Sylmar Metrolink commuter rail station Friday.

“Welcome to what is fast becoming a series of grand openings at this particular site,” joked San Fernando Mayor Dan Acuna as he stood at the station at 12219 1st St. on the San Fernando-Sylmar border.

The stop, a series of open-air porticos, was first dedicated Jan. 26. Friday marked the first time riders could park on the new paved lot.

Constructed at an accelerated pace following last month’s earthquake, the $2-million station is funded by the cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando. The stop is part of Metrolink’s Santa Clarita line, which connects Union Station in Los Angeles with Lancaster.

The station was jointly developed by the cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Southern California Rail Authority.

Since the initial opening ceremony in January, the site has been mainly used by southbound commuters coming to work in the San Fernando Valley and catching shuttles, said James M. Okazaki, transit chief for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

“On a daily basis, we’ve been having about 100 people getting off here on round trips and about 50 people catching the train here on round trips,” said Okazaki.

Okazaki said Metrolink officials hope to lure commuters with a $750,000 child-care center, to be built within the next year, Okazaki said.

Frank Jacobs, president of the Sylmar Chamber of Commerce, said many would ride the train if they knew of the Sylmar stop.

“We have a lot of senior citizens that would take this,” Jacobs said. “We also have a lower-income type of people that will be able to take the service. There’s just a lack of information.”

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon proposed working with the Los Angeles Unified School District to send students from one school per week to City Hall on the rail line.

“Before they purchase cars, I want to teach them how to use mass transit,” Alarcon said.