CAMARILLO : Railroad Requires Repairs for Amtrak Service
It took an earthquake to get Metrolink service to Camarillo. What will it take to get Amtrak?
Metrolink trains began picking up commuters at a temporary station near Lewis Road shortly after the Jan. 17 quake. The service is funded with state and federal relief money to help ease freeway congestion.
In May the Ventura County Transportation Commission agreed to spend $25,000 in state funds to build a second platform at the station so Amtrak and Metrolink trains could arrive and depart simultaneously.
But the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., which owns the railroad track and right-of-way, said it will not allow both train services to operate at the station unless the county installs a train signal and replaces some railroad ties.
The estimated cost of the improvements is $125,000.
“The problem is, the commission doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on a station that is considered temporary,” commission spokesman Chris Stephens said. “For our purposes right now, $125,000 is just too much money.”
Over the next few weeks, Stephens said, commission members will meet with railroad officials to discuss the matter and try to work out a compromise.
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