Metrolink’s Fares to Burbank Will Be Cut

Hoping to boost Metrolink ridership, transit officials are cutting fares from Ventura County to Burbank by as much as 20%. But fares to downtown Los Angeles and other stops along the Metrolink line will not be cut.

Burbank is the destination for more than a third of the riders on the commuter train’s Ventura County line.

But some passengers who travel to the four other stations between Ventura County and downtown Los Angeles criticized Metrolink officials for not including their fares in the price cut.

Starting April 1, passengers who take the train from Camarillo, Moorpark or Simi Valley to Burbank will pay less than those who travel all the way to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.

The reduced fares will also apply to the emergency Metrolink service scheduled to begin in Oxnard on April 4.

For Burbank-bound passengers boarding in Moorpark and Camarillo, the price of a monthly pass will drop from $176 to $144. Single round-trip tickets will cost $10 apiece, down from $12.

In Simi Valley, commuters will pay $112 for monthly passes and $8 for individual round-trip tickets.

The price cuts were approved by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which runs Metrolink, to try to lure potential riders by shifting Burbank into a cheaper zone.

Metrolink fares are based on a seven-zone rate structure that radiates outward from Union Station. The authority agreed to shift Burbank to a cheaper zone, thus reducing the fare.

Ridership on the Ventura County line has increased more than 25% since the earthquake, holding steady at about 3,000 passengers a day, Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said.

“What this means in a marketing sense is we will be able to attract new riders,” Hidalgo said. “We believe it will also help us retain the ridership we have gained since the earthquake.”

But Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason, who rides Metrolink each day to his job in Chatsworth, criticized the Burbank price reduction. The $112 cost of his monthly pass will not be included in the fare cut.

Fares for passengers traveling to Van Nuys, Glendale and Union Station will also remain the same.

“They’re cherry-picking the fare reduction and I can’t agree with that,” Lawrason said. “I’m disappointed with this. It’s certainly not equitable to everybody.”

Simi Valley resident Colleen Sherman was surprised to discover that the price cut would not reduce the cost of a monthly pass to Van Nuys.

“I really like taking the train to my job, but I kind of feel cheated,” said Sherman, who works as a filing clerk. “It’s pretty expensive for someone like me, and a little price break would make a big difference.”

Kim Addison, a Simi Valley resident who works as an editor in Glendale, said she thinks that the train is a good value, even at its present price.

“A cheaper fare would be nice,” Addison said. “But to me it’s worth it not to have to put up with the traffic.”

Metrolink Fare Changes

Starting April 1, Metrolink commuters who travel from Ventura County to Burbank will get discounts of as much as 20%. These are the new fares:

Monthly Ten-trip Single pass ticket Round-trip one-way Simi Valley to Burbank $112 $35 $8 $4.50 Simi Valley to Los Angeles $144 $45 $10 $5.50 Moorpark to Burbank $144 $45 $10 $5.50 Moorpark to Los Angeles $176 $55 $12 $6.50 Camarillo to Burbank $144 $45 $10 $5.50 Camarillo to Los Angeles $176 $55 $12 $6.50 Oxnard to Burbank* $176 $55 $12 $6.50 Oxnard to Los Angeles* $208 $65 $14 $7.50

* Metrolink service from Oxnard is scheduled to begin April 4.

Source: Metrolink