Metrolink Is Expanding Rail Service in Region

Metrolink officials Monday will begin new morning rush-hour service from Los Angeles to Orange County and more frequent commuter trains from Union Station to Burbank Airport.

The number of daily trains will increase to 130 from 105 in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Metrolink, which imposed a 4% fare hike less than a month ago, is increasing the frequency of service on all of its regional rail routes.

New early morning trains will leave Orange County and arrive at Union Station by 5:30 a.m., targeting financial workers who need to get to the Pacific Stock Exchange in downtown Los Angeles before the market opens at 6 a.m., said Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo.

Metrolink will also be adding more frequent service on its San Bernardino-to-Irvine route, responding to the competition created by the new Orange County-to-Riverside toll road that opened Oct. 19 and mirrors the train routes, Hidalgo said.

For the first time, those living in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley will be able to take a train into Orange County during morning rush hour. These “reverse service” trains will run against traffic along the Santa Ana Freeway.

“It’s about the increasing importance of giving commuters a choice, more options for getting to and from work,” said Sarah Catz, a member of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority and an Orange County transportation official. “This is part of (Metrolink system’s) growth and meeting the needs of our commuters.”

The 5-year-old Metrolink system, one of the fastest-growing urban rails in the nation, has about 27,000 riders per day, about 5,100 of them on the Orange County line. The most popular of the 10 stations on that line is Irvine, with 21% of the riders.

Metrolink also announced Friday that service from Union Station to Burbank Airport will be expanded from 12 to 34 trains, running continuously every hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. The trains will make it easier for people to fly in and out for same-day business meetings, said Hidalgo.

Metrolink says the increases reflect the rapidly rising level of ridership, which has created standing-room-only conditions during rush hour. On average, ridership is increasing 16% every year.