Train Stations Set to Be Built

Builders in Tustin are preparing to break ground next month on the first of four new Orange County Metrolink stations, where local residents will be taken by rail to job sites in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

Citing an increase in ridership over the last decade and a desire to reduce automobile traffic, municipal and county transportation officials have laid plans for new Metrolink commuter rail stations in Tustin, Buena Park, Yorba Linda and the combined location of Mission Viejo and Laguna Niguel.

While most of these projects have encountered delays, the Tustin project is furthest along, and officials predicted Friday that the $4.2-million station will be completed within six months.

“I don’t think people in our city are really aware of the advantages of having a station like this, but they will be soon,” said Tustin Councilwoman Tracy Wills Worley. “It’s going to be a great convenience.”

The Tustin station, which will consist of a platform, canopy and 300-space parking lot, will be built at Jamboree Road and Edinger Avenue. Urbantec Engineers of Orange has been hired to do the work, and the Orange County Transportation Authority will contribute $2.5 million toward construction.

The station would be served by 19 daily trains connecting Orange County to Los Angeles County, as well as 12 daily trains connecting Orange County to Riverside and the Inland Empire.

Metrolink officials are particularly keen on seeing the completion of the Tustin station, as well as the one planned for Mission Viejo-Laguna Niguel. They say these stops are needed to relieve demand for commuter parking at the rail line’s Irvine station.

“The Irvine station is really overflowing,” said Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca. “It’s a tough situation. These two stations will fill in gaps to the north and south.”

Progress on the South County station, though, has been slow, due mostly to ongoing negotiations between the city and a key property owner. Hoping to speed matters up, city officials voted recently to relinquish overall control of the project to the Orange County Transportation Authority. Officials said they believed the OCTA could do the job more quickly and for less money.

Metrolink is a consortium of transportation agencies in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

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Next Stop, Tustin

Work is scheduled to begin on a $4.2-million Metrolink station in Tustin, one of four new stations planned for Orange County.