A Train of Thought

At the beginning of the 1990s, commuter rail was a novelty in Orange County. Earthquakes, congestion and now the pinch of higher gas prices have created a more sophisticated commuting population. Never has the presence of commuter rail, nor the commitment of local and regional transportation officials to make it happen, been more important. This commitment needs to be kept and if need be, expanded to meet future demand with or without fluctuations at the pump.

Commuter rail is a way of life in the suburbs of the Eastern cities, where habits are formed around the arrival and departure of trains. The West appealed a different side of the American character, with its freeways expanding around the automobile to provide a sense of personal freedom. But early in the last decade, planners had the foresight to envision the need to supplement freeway travel with commuter rail to provide choices and to ease freeway overcrowding. Even as the commuter rail system through Orange County was being mapped out, the Orange County Transportation Authority had to go to voters several times before winning approval to pay for huge freeway improvements with a half-cent sales tax.

Last month, Metrolink reported ridership increased 13% during the first 20 days of the month. With gas prices approaching $2 a gallon, some riders who used the train part time decided it was getting too expensive to drive, and they opted to take the train every day. The MTA has said increases in gas prices translate into measurable boosts in ridership. OCTA says some of its heaviest train days ever occurred during the rainy season while the price increases were taking place.

This underscores the need for flexibility in a changing transportation environment.