2 Metrolink Trains Ready to Roll Next Week

Two new midday Metrolink trains between the Inland Empire and Orange County are due to start rolling Monday, plugging a large gap in the train schedule and giving rail commuters more flexibility.

Transit officials said they hope the new service will bolster ridership on the line, which now serves about 1,400 people daily.

“When you add the midday train, we think you’ll find that ridership goes up on other trains, with people knowing that they have another option to get home,” said John Standiford, spokesman for the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

The new service adds a 12:15 p.m. train out of San Bernardino, arriving in Irvine at 1:40 p.m., and a 2:05 p.m. train from Irvine, arriving in downtown Riverside at 3:10 p.m. The additional trains mean commuters will no longer be stranded for as long as eight hours in midday, during which no train service is currently available.

At a cost of $175,000 a year, paid from Riverside County tax funds, the trains should help early morning workers, officials said. The decision to fund the service came after riders were polled earlier this year about ways to increase their use of Metrolink.

A round-trip ticket between Irvine and San Bernardino or Riverside costs $12.50; a monthly pass on the route is $183.