Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Palmdale to Look for New Site for Metrolink Station : Transit: Commuter trains are being moved to a new set of rails. City Council rejects the idea of building an underpass.

The new Metrolink station built right after the earthquake here has been a huge success, but there’s one problem: it’s on the wrong side of the tracks.

Moving to replace the existing platform, the Palmdale City Council told its staff to find a new location after rejecting the idea of spending $300,000 to build an underpass to allow passengers to continue boarding at the present station.

That platform, north of Avenue P on Lockheed property near Air Force Plant 42, was built immediately after the Jan. 17 earthquake damaged freeways and cut off many Antelope Valley residents from their workplaces. The platform is on the east side of the Southern Pacific freight tracks, which are also being used by Metrolink commuter trains.

In a few weeks, however, Metrolink will move its trains to a new set of rails west of the freight tracks. Because of safety concerns, passengers will not be allowed to walk across the freight tracks to board Metrolink trains.

Still, council members said they want commuter trains to continue to serve their community. “We cannot lose the presence of Metrolink in this valley,” Councilman David Myers said.

After the Palmdale platform closes, Antelope Valley riders will have to board at Lancaster or Vincent Hill.

Palmdale officials are reluctant to invest money in an underpass at the present station because Lockheed officials have said they may not renew the lease with the city next year. According to city staff members, Lockheed is worried that the commuters are coming too close to the company’s high-security research operations.

Buying land elsewhere, then putting in a platform, lighting fixtures and a parking lot could cost more than $500,000, Assistant City Administrator Ron Creagh told the council. At the moment, he said, only about 80 people board Metrolink each day at the Palmdale platform.

Richard Stanger, executive director of Metrolink, told the council that ridership from the Antelope Valley should increase in July when crews complete track improvements that will cut the train ride between Lancaster and Los Angeles to one hour and 35 minutes. When the service began, the 78-mile trip took two hours and 25 minutes.

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But Stanger also warned that the cost of a monthly pass from the Antelope Valley to Los Angeles will soon jump from $112 to $208.

Councilman Myers told Stanger that many Antelope Valley residents cannot afford that. He said Metrolink must lower its fares to attract more riders.

Myers also said the city staff should look for a place to build a new Metrolink stop in Palmdale, possibly a combined rail and bus station. He said the project might be linked with downtown redevelopment efforts.

“I really think we have to make a commitment to rail,” he said. “We have to step up to the plate, one way or another.”