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Southern California Transit Advocates is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and improvement of public transportation in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Comments to Metrolink Board of Directors on proposed 2010 service reductions

Southern California Transit Advocates wishes to submit the following comments for the record regarding the proposed service changes as outlined in the public hearing notice. We will address the proposals by line, in the order they appear in the notice.

Antelope Valley Line - We support the staff proposals for Saturday service reductions, conditioned on the remaining trips being spaced approximately equally from each other, or otherwise spaced based on ridership figures. We object to the proposed reduction in Sunday service as this would result in only two trips remaining in each direction.

Ventura County Line - While we are disappointed that ridership does not support keeping the midday and reverse-direction service that had been added to the line over the years, we support the staff proposal as it would result in a schedule that serves the needs of the majority of passengers. We note that there is connectivity from Chatsworth to Northridge via Metro Line 166, and in Northridge via DASH, during the midday period for those passengers who would use Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner service as a replacement for the canceled service.

San Bernardino Line - We support the staff proposals for weekdays and Sundays, and conditionally support the proposal for Saturdays if the remaining trips are proportionally spaced to each other. We suggest the last trip on Saturday run in the 10pm hour.

Orange County Line - We agree with temporarily suspending weekend service and hope that some amount of that service can be restored in the summer months. We note, however, that OCTA plans to fund frequent rail service between Fullerton and Laguna Niguel in the near future and question if permanent cancellation of weekend service undermines that effort.

Inland Empire-Orange County Line - We agree with temporarily suspending weekend service but hope that the restored service during the summer months will be more than a single train in each direction, as was the case when the summer "beach train" was in service prior to establishment of full weekend service.

We have the following additional comments:

  • We suggest reducing the weekend fare discount from 25% to somewhere in the 10-15% range.
  • We are unclear from reading the public hearing notice whether all of the proposed service reductions are necessary to close the budget gap. Will some proposals be implemented and others not, based on public comment? Or would keeping any of the trips proposed for elimination require a fare increase? Or additional funding from the county transportation commissions that fund Metrolink?
  • If any fare increase is considered, there should be no implementation until July 2010, in order for the changes for the point-to-point fares to be implemented on cycle.
  • We suggest that any weekend service suspension be considered temporary, until Metrolink staff can gather and consider passenger input on subsidizing weekend service with a smaller increase in weekday fares, and/or considers the effects of imposing a higher fare on weekend service, all of which can be done in conjunction with creating the FY 2010-11 budget.