Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale May Close Its Metrolink Station : Transportation: City is having trouble finding money for a required pedestrian underpass when a new track opens.

After working round-the-clock to build a Metrolink station when the Jan. 17 earthquake crippled Southland freeways and brought commuter rail service to northern Los Angeles County, the city of Palmdale may be forced to close its station.

As soon as July 1, Metrolink trains will begin running on 10 miles of newly installed track between Lancaster and Palmdale.

Between the new track and Palmdale’s hastily constructed station are some Southern Pacific Railroad freight tracks--temporarily being used by Metrolink. Commuter train riders will not be allowed to walk across the freight tracks to board commuter trains on the new tracks because of safety concerns.

Palmdale must either build a pedestrian underpass or close its station, said Ron Creagh, assistant city administrator.

“The pivotal thing is the money, where we get the money from,” he said.

The underpass would cost an estimated $300,000, Creagh said, and another $100,000 would be needed to build a platform next to the new tracks.

“That’s an expense we’re having trouble finding the money for,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.

At their annual breakfast meeting Thursday with Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, the Palmdale City Council asked if the county would contribute to the cost of the underpass. Indirectly, Antonovich said no.

“You have to begin to get more people to ride,” Antonovich said, noting he is not aware that Metrolink has any money available for such a project.

Increasing ridership may be a difficult task. The earthquake-damaged Antelope Valley Freeway is expected to reopen soon and the reduced Metrolink fares for north county residents are set to expire Aug. 1.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said that in the coming weeks a promotional mailing will be sent to about 400,000 households in the area served by the Santa Clarita line, as well as in areas of Ventura County.

The mailing will include a coupon redeemable for a free four-trip ticket “as a way to stimulate ridership on the train,” Hidalgo said, adding that the technique has been used before. In addition, track improvements are continuing to reduce the travel time between the Antelope Valley and downtown Los Angeles, he said.

When the 6.8 Northridge quake downed the southbound Antelope Valley Freeway connector ramp to the Golden State Freeway, the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to provide $50 million for the extension of Metrolink service from Santa Clarita to the Antelope Valley. That service, which had not been expected for a decade, began Jan. 24.

Both Lancaster and Palmdale built emergency train stations in a matter of days to accommodate the new service. A few weeks later another Antelope Valley station was added near Vincent Hill just south of Palmdale.

While ridership on the commuter line initially swelled to 21,000 daily, it has long since diminished. Ridership now amounts to about 5,000 daily, with 350 people boarding from the three Antelope Valley stations.

Creagh said an estimated 80 people get on and off the train at the Palmdale station. The Vincent Hill station is the most popular, with about 175 people boarding the trains there.

Although FEMA is expected to pay for the three emergency stations, Creagh said the federal agency will not cover the cost of the underpass or other modifications to them.

While Metrolink is concerned about the possibility of the station closing, Hidalgo said stations are owned by the jurisdictions in which they are operated.

“How do we get the passengers safely from the platform at Palmdale to board the train?” Hidalgo said. “Metrolink wants to work cooperatively to try to identify some solutions.”

Even if money can be found to build the underpass, Creagh said the station will have to close during the construction, which is expected to take about four months.

The council is scheduled to discuss the issue further at its meeting Wednesday.