Metrolink Approves Expanded Service to County

The agency that runs Metrolink voted Friday to nearly double commuter train service into Ventura County and to raise fares in all five counties it serves.

The budget approved by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority calls for extending six current routes into the east county and two into Oxnard. About 1,000 Ventura County residents take the train to work.

Ticket prices will increase by 4% on Oct. 1. A round-trip fare from Moorpark, for instance, will increase from $12 to about $12.50.

“This is nothing but good news for long-distance commuters,” said Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo. “The train is so much more attractive than bumper-to-bumper on the 101 or the 118.”

However, final approval of the routes is up to the Ventura County Transportation Commission, which could halt the two potentially budget-busting Oxnard routes before they reach the tracks.

Bill Davis, a member of the commission and the vice chairman of Metrolink’s board, said in an interview Friday that approval of the six additional east county routes is likely. However, the Oxnard trains are a different story.

Union Pacific controls the tracks from Moorpark to Oxnard and up the coast, he said. That means the transportation commission must pay the railroad to run commuter trains on those tracks. The fees could be staggering, according to Davis.

“You can spend more money on one train to Oxnard than on all six to Moorpark,” he said.

After 10 months of negotiations, the railroad ended up charging Metrolink $100,000 a year and $400,000 for capital improvements to run the four Oxnard trains that operate now, Davis said.

“You’re talking about a half-million dollars for four trains,” Davis said. Even if the railroad split that cost in half for the additional two trains, Davis was not confident the expense would sail through the transportation commission.

Unlike the other four counties in Metrolink’s domain, Ventura County does not levy a half-cent sales tax for transportation. That means the commission must fund trains with limited federal and state funds that are also hotly sought for roads.

The tracks from Moorpark through Los Angeles are controlled by Metrolink. Consequently, the cost of extending the six routes that already traverse the San Fernando Valley will only be about $118,000, the Metrolink spokesman said.

The transportation commission is scheduled to meet in July. If it approves the east county routes, they would open on Oct. 26, bringing the number of Metrolink trains in Ventura County to 16.

No exact times have been set for the routes. However, they would include:

* A midday train now running from Union Station to Chatsworth that would be extended to Simi Valley. Midday covers the period from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

* A morning train now running from Burbank to Union Station that would originate in Simi Valley.

* Two trains now running from Union Station to Chatsworth that would be extended to Moorpark. One would be a morning train, the other midday.

* A midday train now running from Burbank Airport to Union Station that would originate in Moorpark.

* A morning train now running from Chatsworth to Union Station that would originate in Moorpark.

The Oxnard trains would include a midday run from Los Angeles that now ends at Moorpark and a morning run to Los Angeles that now originates in Chatsworth.

The midday runs from downtown Los Angeles to Ventura County were suggested by responses to marketing surveys. Some drivers said they work early shifts or half days downtown and want a greater choice of trains home before the evening rush-hour, Davis said.