Commuting by Rail on Fast Track in O.C. : It’s Encouraging to See Alternative to Autos Take Hold

The joys, or at the very least the alternatives, of commuting by train have begun to come home to Orange County residents in the 1990s. The evidence for support for rail as an alternative to freeway traffic came through loudly and clearly in a 1992 UC Irvine survey that suggested rail’s time had arrived: A full 69% of respondents favored commuter service. From 1993 to 1994, ridership increased 119% on Metrolink, Southern California’s railroad, which now serves six counties. 1995 has been a particularly important year.

In Orange County, the year saw the successful introduction of the Inland Empire/Orange County line, offering the three round-trip trains every business day. It’s an alternative to travel between Riverside and Orange counties on the Riverside and Costa Mesa freeways. This has brought the idea of suburb-to-suburb rail commuting to Southern California, making the area one of the first in the nation to have it.

In a recent newsletter, the Orange County Transportation Authority said that the new service had attracted as many as 1,000 riders a day, representing a substantial increase over the short period of time the line had been in operation. It was brought online in early October.

Also, the inauguration of a stop in San Clemente earlier in the year as the 10th on the 876-mile commuter railroad route between Oceanside and Los Angeles signaled another benchmark. The evolution of a commuter railroad system began in early 1990 with one train round-trip between San Juan Capistrano and downtown Los Angeles. That Oceanside to Los Angeles route is said to be the fastest-growing line in Southern California.

The system justly can take pride in taking cars off congested freeways and giving commuters good alternatives to being wedded to their automobiles. It is especially encouraging to learn that many riders taken off the freeways by train service are those who previously traveled alone in their cars.

The development of the rail system as an alternative and response to the sprawl of freeways and the prevalence of air pollution and congestion really is a significant milestone as the region stands at the midpoint of the decade.

Rail does have its critics--those who say that the train will never offer serious competition to the automobile, and that it is expensive while delivering only modest successes.

But for its costs, commuter rail has to be considered a success if it manages to attract a significant ridership that funnels traffic off freeways.

Efforts to increase ridership over the long term, as evidenced by OCTA’s willingness to spend $93 million in Measure M funds in 1992 to purchase rail right of way from the Santa Fe Railroad, are steps in the right direction. So also are strategies to increase ridership, and to lower costs per rider.

Efforts to improve reliability and on-time performance will always be good advertisements for commuters interested in knowing whether their commitment will be worthwhile.

This year has been one of steady progress to reinforce the conclusion that a new day of commuting in Southern California really has arrived.