Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Metrolink Shortens L.A. Ride

Metrolink has cut 18 minutes off its Lancaster to Los Angeles commute with the installation of new rails, switches and signal equipment.

The faster ride began Monday and is the first of several improvements planned along the 50-mile leg of the Santa Clarita line, said Peter Hidalgo, Metrolink spokesman.

The route opened one week after the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake as transit officials tried to provide transportation around the collapsed Newhall Pass.

Metrolink trains have been running on rails previously used for freight, which are safe for passenger trains but too curvy to allow for high speeds, Hidalgo said.

Replacing rail sections with straight tracks has cut the commute time from two hours and 25 minutes to two hours and seven minutes. Additional improvements are expected to cut another 45 minutes off the ride and should be completed by June, Hidalgo said.

The construction is funded by a $40-million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Work would normally take a year, but overtime efforts have moved up the completion date by about six months, Hidalgo said.

“We think this strategy is a move that will definitely help us maintain our ridership base,” Hidalgo said.

Commuter rail ridership has increased from an initial 1,000 daily riders on the line between Santa Clarita and Los Angeles. The extended line, including Lancaster, now serves about 5,500 passengers per day.

Before the earthquake, no Metrolink line had been planned between the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys for at least 10 years, Hidalgo said.