Metrolink’s Fair Ridership Declines : Transportation: Nearly a third fewer patrons used the trains this year. Decline in event’s overall attendance is blamed.

Ridership on special weekend Metrolink trains to the Ventura County Fair fell by nearly a third this year, disappointing transportation officials and leaving a $5,000 operating deficit.

Over two August weekends, Metrolink carried about 21,000 passengers to the fair in Ventura, down from 30,000 during last summer’s inaugural county fair service.

“The lower ridership is a disappointment,” said Simi Valley Councilman Bill Davis, who serves on the Ventura County Transportation Commission. “I think we were so high on the big turnout last year that we just expected it to happen again.”

Davis blamed the drop in ridership partly on a 10% decline in overall fair attendance.

“If you have less people going to the fair, you have less people taking the train to get there,” said Davis, who represents Ventura County on the board of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates Metrolink.

About half the Metrolink riders boarded in Simi Valley, 25% in Moorpark, 20% in Camarillo and 5% in Oxnard, said Mary Travis, transit coordinator for the commission.

Anticipating a jump in ridership, the commission earlier this summer agreed to increase the number of daily Metrolink runs to the fair from four to six and added extra train cars, nearly tripling the budget for the fair train to $49,000.

About 16,000 paying passengers and 5,000 children under age 5 and other non-paying passengers rode the trains to the fair this year.

Train ticket sales this year will cover all but the $5,000 deficit, which will be paid by the fair board, Travis said.

“The agreement is that we give our time, energy and support and the fair board pays the extra costs,” Travis said. “It’s really a promotion for the fair, so they’ve agreed to do that.”

For last year’s Metrolink service to the fair, transportation officials initially claimed that an estimated 35,000 passengers crowded onto the trains, but the actual number of riders last year was probably closer to 30,000, Travis said. About 23,000 of those riders were paying passengers.

Fair spokeswoman Teri Raley said the train service attracts fair-goers who might not otherwise attend the event.

“The train is good publicity for the fair and the fair brings good publicity for the train,” she said.

Regular weekday Metrolink service to Simi Valley and Moorpark began nearly two years ago. Service to Camarillo and Oxnard was added after the Jan. 17 earthquake to help get commuters out of their cars and ease congestion on damaged freeways.

About 3,000 Ventura County commuters take the train to the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles each day.

Despite the drop in ridership for the special weekend fair service, Davis said he expects the Transportation Commission to continue running Metrolink trains to the fair. In fact, Davis said, the commission later this year may consider starting summer weekend train service from the east county to Ventura.

“The people who do take it really do enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a good way to get to the fair and a good way to promote the train.”