There’s Light at the End for Tunnel Repair Project

For weeks, Metrolink crews have been working around the clock to restore railroad track in a tunnel beneath the Santa Susana Mountains linking Chatsworth and Simi Valley.

The $14-million railroad construction project, scheduled to be completed today, has involved removing existing track, excavating soil and installing water pumps, new track and support bolts along the tunnel lining, transportation officials said.

The strengthened and smoothed track will be able to accommodate trains traveling from 25 mph to 40 mph, officials said. Conductors had been operating the trains at slower speeds because of the dilapidated track.

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The 1 1/2-mile, 16-foot-wide historical rail portal runs under the Santa Susana Mountains along the transit agency’s Ventura County route that travels between Chatsworth and Oxnard.

Built in 1904 by Southern Pacific Railroad, the tunnel was lined with concrete in 1921. The tracks were last rehabilitated in 1972. Since then, moisture seeping into the tunnel and normal wear have degraded the track bed, prompting transit officials to require train operators to slow down as they pass through the tunnel.

Since construction began Oct. 1, the 800 daily commuters who boarded at Oxnard, Camarillo, Moorpark and Simi Valley had the option of taking a shuttle bus to the Chatsworth station, where they could transfer to other Metrolink trains, or driving to Chatsworth, where parking was temporarily expanded.