Debating the Merits of Proposed Light-Rail Line

* Why hasn’t anyone figured out that the proposed Fullerton-to-Irvine light-rail line would be a huge redundancy?

Metrolink and Amtrak both run between those cities. Metrolink, particularly, is a commuter line and has intermediate stops in Anaheim, Orange and Santa Ana between those two cities. All that is needed is to run Metrolink both directions during the middle of the day and add a couple of late-night runs and the commuting problem between those two cities is solved.

Light rail works only in densely populated areas, and even then it is questionable. In Los Angeles, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has scuttled a plan to extend the Blue Line north from downtown L.A. to Pasadena, a corridor much more densely populated than that between Fullerton and Irvine. (And this after they condemned and de-tracked a Santa Fe mainline into L.A. for the proposed right-of-way for this Blue Line extension.)

The Orange County Transportation Authority has sufficient and frequent bus service connecting Fullerton and intermediate points to their hub terminal in Santa Ana; more frequent bus service south to Irvine needs to be initiated as well as coordinating shuttle service from the Irvine station to the South County cities, something OCTA has done very little toward. But buses, even shuttles, are the answer, not a huge light-rail project.

Metrolink works and is nowhere near reaching capacity loads. This light-rail line needs to be put away with other pie-in-the-sky rail plans such as the Anaheim to Las Vegas bullet train.

Possibly in a couple of decades, Orange County will be ready for “big city” light rail, but even then, the first line should be built upon the county-owned ex-Pacific Electric right-of-way between Santa Ana and the Blue Line into Los Angeles.

Trying to get to Los Angeles from downtown Santa Ana was much more convenient in the first part of this century than it is today.

KEVIN D. FLEMING

Aliso Viejo

* Rail opponents seem to be stuck on one note: cost-effectiveness.

Did they sing that tune when the multibillion-dollar I-5 widening project was getting underway? Did they fret about all the tax money Caltrans would have to spend cleaning, maintaining, repaying and repairing I-5 for decades to come? No, most of them were probably just happy that more cars could crowd onto the freeway.

They know that we have to keep improving transportation in Orange County to keep up the population growth and a booming economy. The truth is that a new rail line in Orange County might cost about the same per mile to build as a new freeway. Tax money will support its operations too. It will be inflexible like a freeway. Buses will feed passengers to the fast, high-capacity rail line just as streets feed cars to a fast, high-capacity freeway.

Both freeways and rail are important parts of a comprehensive strategy to keep Orange County moving.

BRENT HARDWICK

Fullerton Transportation

Commissioner

* Re “Another Light Rail Barrier: Awareness,” Oct. 12:

I believe that OCTA has done a poor job in getting feedback from the residents of Orange County regarding the CenterLine rail project.

Having attended some of the public hearings, it seems that most of the people attending are residents and business owners along the proposed route who are opposed to the project.

However, poll after poll, including the one recently conducted by OCTA, shows that most Orange residents support the light-rail project.

Unfortunately, these residents are not being reached by the public outreach programs. OCTA representatives and volunteers should be out there where the people are: at beaches, shopping malls, public performances, etc., actively seeking public opinion.

This will give the OCTA board of directors a more accurate picture of the high level of support that exists for the well-thought-out CenterLine light rail project in Orange County.

SAUL BARAJAS

Irvine