TRAIN NUMBERS: Sure as commuters from Santa...

TRAIN NUMBERS: Sure as commuters from Santa Clarita found other alternatives to damaged freeways, Metrolink’s numbers fell sharply (above) from their post-quake peak. But Peter Hidalgo, a Metrolink spokesman, sees it another way. “The important message is that we have held on to a 500% increase since the quake,” he said. (A1)

GREAT PR: It seemed like a brilliant publicity stunt Tuesday when tractor-trailers with Viking Freight System in San Jose became the first vehicles to drive on the reopened Golden State Freeway in Santa Clarita. The Viking name made many of the papers. . . . But this was no stunt. It was a Caltrans suggestion all the way. “They are major truckers and shippers on that route,” said Rick Holland, a Caltrans spokesman.

HOLDING ON: Open enrollment means open season for high school athletes. They become free agents. But, while coaches can’t recruit students from other areas, that hasn’t stopped them from making sure athletes in their own residential boundaries stay put. . . . “I’m selling my program so they don’t go somewhere else,” said Jeff Engilman, the Sylmar football coach (C10).

LESS SEX: Teen sex may be declining, according to the Roper Starch Worldwide survey. Of 500 teen-agers interviewed, 36% said they have sex, compared to 54% who said they did in a more scientific 1990 federal study. . . . The findings make sense to Jerry Barros of the Valley Community Clinic, who says the growing number of teen-agers with HIV has scared their peers.

LOTS OF USES: Usually, at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, you’ll find Seinfeld or Roseanne making jokes. This time of year, though, the stars are on summer hiatus. But that doesn’t mean the lot is empty. It has become the home for live theater, as Michael Arabian directs “A History of Shadows.” . . . “I like the supposed impossibility of it,” he said. “My friends think I’m a little crazy that way.” (F1)

Metrolink Ridership

Number of riders on the Santa Clarita line before and after the Jan. 17 earthquake. Jan. 14: 845 Jan. 19: 6,357 Jan. 26: 20,833 Feb. 2: 10,226 Feb. 9: 7,673 Feb. 16: 7,530 March 15: 6,422 April 19: 5,953 May 17: 5,041 Source: Metrolink