Centerline received a "Recommended" rating from the Federal Transportation Administration's New Starts Ratings for Fiscal Year 2005. This on the heels of the "Locally Preferred Alternative" route finally being settled, and then approved 9-2 by the OCTA board. The finalized starter route will be from Depot at Santa Ana to John Wayne Airport, with a spur line to Santa Ana College. The 9.3 miles will include the 1/4-mile subway at South Coast Plaza. Once the environmental reports are finished and approved, OCTA anticipates that construction will start in 2006, and It would be completed in 2009. The Metro Gold Line East Los Angeles Extension and the San Diego Mid-Coast Extension were also on the "Recommended" list, but NOT the Metro Exposition Line (problems with capital funding?).

OCTA will likely have a public hearing for the June 04 changes, at the 3/12/04 board meeting, despite there being few additions or subtractions to service. Watch the OC Section of the online member board for further developments.

Yes, there will be a March 04 Bus Book, effective 3/14/04. The biggest changes to note might be to the individual route maps of anything that connected with MTA, as most of those connection locations have either changed or are no longer possible. As things stand now, the Foothill 285, the minimal replacement for the former MTA 471, connects with OCTA only at LaHabra/Beach and Beach/Gregory.

There is a new "OCTA Store" at OCTA HQ, at the 1st floor reception area @ 600 S. Main. They sell OCTA passes and offer 91 Tollway account applications during normal business hours. The array of OCTA passes expanded; in addition to the 30-day pass and the 10-packs of 1-day passes, one can now also buy 7-day and 15-day passes. Also, the "U-Pass" program allows Cal State Fullerton and UC-Irvine students to swipe student ID in farebox, and "Employer Pass" is available to local businesses. These programs charge 60¢ per use, up to a maximum $37.50 per month. CSF student boardings are averaging about 1,000 per school day. UCI is using money from campus parking fines to help start up their program.

OCTA kicked in $500k to help Metrolink lease train equipment not yet being used by Seattle's Sound Transit. Trains would be added to the overcrowded Inland Empire-Orange County Line. The final Environmental Impact report for Yorba Linda's proposed Metrolink station will be presented to the city council on Feb. 17 at 6:30 pm.

The Rail Advocates of Orange County will have no regularly-scheduled meetings for the time being. They will still keep watch on Centerline progress, Metrolink, and the high-speed rail proposals.

Transit Advocates of Orange County (TAOC) approved sending a letter to the City of Garden Grove's public works director, urging him to support Transit Signal Priority proposed by OCTA.