Santa Clarita Trains Back on Track

Full service resumed Tuesday on Metrolink’s Santa Clarita Line, a day after part of a bridge weakened by heavy weekend rains sank into a small creek, delaying thousands of southbound commuters.

Workers will continue reinforcing the wooden bridge for the remainder of the week, said Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo.

Repairs will largely be done during “off-peak” hours, he added, causing delays of about 10 minutes for passengers between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and after 6:30 p.m. Only 10% of the line’s passengers ride the trains during those hours.

On Saturday and Sunday, Metrolink will install a $350,000 steel and concrete bridge to replace the old span across Placerita Creek, along a barren stretch of San Fernando Road.

Train service will be canceled for Saturday; Metrolink does not have Sunday service.

Tuesday’s riders experienced delays of a few minutes as work crews drove new bridge supports into the creek’s banks, where one of the bridge’s four pillars sank early Monday.

Only the first train of the day made it through Monday. The rest stopped at the Santa Clarita station, forcing 3,000 riders onto buses for a 10-mile trip to Sylmar, the next station to the south.

Delays ranged from a few minutes to several hours.

Ridership, which averaged 4,123 a day on the Santa Clarita Line during January, declined significantly Tuesday. But Metrolink officials expect it will return to normal today, Hidalgo said.

“There were some disgruntled people who were shocked to find service had been interrupted,” Hidalgo said of Monday’s mess.

“But we find the train is easier for a lot of people than driving, especially in the rain. People don’t want to hassle with the Golden State” Freeway.