3/14/2011
Metrolink plans rush-hour express train…
Subscribe/Manage Account
Place An Ad
LAT Store
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Rentals
More Classifieds
Custom Publishing
LOCAL
LOCAL
U.S.
L.A. NOW
WORLD
POLITICS
BUSINESS
CRIME
SPORTS
EDUCATION
IN THE NEWS: JAPAN'S NUCLEAR CRISIS
NCAA
ENTERT AINMENT
O.C.
WESTSIDE
BAHRAIN
HEALTH
LIVING
NEIGHBORHOODS
STATE BUDGET CRISIS
New scientific discovery
fuels muscle building
TRAVEL
OPINION
ENVIRONMENT
LIBYA
Weekly Ad
SHOP
OBITUARIES
FINDLOCAL
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Shocking discovery
for joint relief
Search
The trick to
sleeping like a
baby again
L.A. Times on Facebook
Crime | Government | Medical marijuana | Education | Prop 8 | T raffic | Westside
« Previous | L.A. NOW Home | Next »
Metrolink plans rush-hour express trains to downtown
[Updated]
March 11, 2011 |
4:03 pm
(59)
(277)
Comments (22)
Southern California’s commuter rail service soon will launch its first rush-hour express trains to
downtown Los Angeles, cutting the longest travel times by about half an hour each way.
Like
43K
At 103, he's a three-wheeled
wonder
Jeff Jacobberger and 1,173 people
shared this.
8.9 quake kills hundreds in
Japan
Isaac Lieberman and 13,519 people
shared this.
Toxin found in dead sardines
949 people shared this.
a d v e rt i se m e n t
The pilot program, coming as gas prices soar, could make Metrolink trains a more attractive
alternative to driving to work, particularly for residents of far-flung suburbs.
"It’ll change the dynamics," said Bart Reed, executive director of the Transit Coalition, a grass-roots
public transportation advocacy group. "T here’s a whole group that don’t ride [trains] because they
can go quicker by driving."
The express trains will run mornings and evenings from the Antelope Valley and San Bernardino to
downtown’s Union Station beginning in May. In traffic, both commutes take about two hours by car,
according to Google Maps.
The San Bernardino express will take an hour, compared with the current 90 minutes for trains that
make about a dozen stops. The express will stop only in Rancho Cucamonga and Covina.
The new service from Palmdale will make stops in Santa Clarita and Burbank, rather than all of the
line’s 11 stations.
[For the record at 1:53 p.m. March 14: An earlier version of this post stated that Metrolink
commuter trains would run between Lancaster and Union Station. They will run between Palmdale
and downtown.]
The express trains will be on top of the current schedule and will continue for a six-month evaluation
period. If successful, express service could be added to other outlying areas, officials said.
Billboards promoting the service will begin appearing next month at freeway choke points in the
Antelope Valley and along the 10 Freeway, a main artery connecting Los Angeles and San Bernardino
counties.
Getting express trains to Palmdale and Lancaster has been talked about for "many, many years," said
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who represents the area.
He predicted the time savings of an hour or more a day could fundamentally change attitudes about
commuting options. Many of his constituents battle a daily bottleneck of automobiles and big rigs
near the 5 and 14 freeways, north of the San Fernando Valley.
With gas prices pushing $4 a gallon, Reed said the economic appeal of the new service could entice
people out of their cars. By his estimate, a downtown worker driving solo from the Lancaster area
could save hundreds of dollars a month at current gas prices.
…latimes.com/…/metrolink-to-launch-r…
About L.A. Now
L.A. Now is the Los Angeles T imes’ breaking news
section for Southern California. It is produced by
more than 80 reporters and editors in The T imes’
Metro section, reporting from the paper’s
downtown Los Angeles headquarters as well as
bureaus in Costa Mesa, Long Beach, San Diego,
San Francisco, Sacramento, Riverside, Ventura
and West Los Angeles.
Have a story tip for L.A. Now?
Please send to newstips@latimes.com
Can I call someone with news?
Yes. T he city desk number is (213) 237-7847.
Meet the L.A. Now team »
1/7
3/14/2011
Metrolink plans rush-hour express train…
RELAT ED:
State seeks Florida's forsaken high-speed rail money
@latimes/metro-staffers
Japan earthquake: Flights to and from Japan canceled at LAX due to disaster
Rober t Fa t u r ech i if y ou thought
y ou were hav ing a bad day ,
h t t p://t .co/A 2r gn 4s v ia
@TheAtlantic
Person struck, killed by Amtrak train near Union Station
-- Rich Connell
2 mi nutes ago · r epl y
Email: newstips@latimes.com
T witter: @latimescitydesk @lanow
Facebook: latimescitydesk
More in: Antelope Valley, Inland Empire, Los
Angeles, Los Angeles County, Metrolink, San
Bernardino County, Santa Clarita Valley,
Traffic, T ransportation
Fire Prevent ion Blankets
Replace y our fire extinguisher with a fire blanket that sm others fires
www.FireAway St ore.com
ADS BY GOOGLE
Firefight er Scheduling
Optim ize em ploy ee scheduling. Im prov e efficiency . Free Dem o.
FIREmanager.net
sh el by gr a d Despite sitting abov e a
network of quake faults, LA is
unlikely to see repeat of Japan's
quake-tsunami, ex perts say
h t t p://t .co/7QwFdy U
1 6 mi nut es ago · r epl y
sh el by gr a d Cool that
@californiawatch continues to
monitor the state's mix ed efforts to
improv e nursing regs after LAT/PP
series. h t t p://bit .l y /eBt 5V m
33 mi nut es ago · r epl y
cor in a k n ol l Risk of meltdown
Verify your Comment
Previewing your Comment
Posted by: |
This is only a preview. Y our comment has not yet been posted.
Post
In Case You Missed It...
Hawaii beats California in
race to $4-a-gallon
gasoline
Edit
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the
author. Post another comment
Opinion: See Mitt
Romney flip-flop
The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image
below. T his prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Critical Mass: 'Battle: Los
Angeles' takes a
pounding
Continue
Post a comment
Phil Jackson discusses
retirement, Kobe v s.
Michael, and whether he
will coach again
If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.
Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.
Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.
If you have a TypeKey or T ypePad account, please Sign In
Name:
S.S. Sam Taylor
E-mail Address:
sssamtaylor@yahoo.com
URL:
…latimes.com/…/metrolink-to-launch-r…
Recent Comments
On: San Onofre nuclear plant can withstand up to 7.0
quake, is protected by a 25-foot tsunami wall, Edison
says
Where is this 25 foot wall? You can not see
it from this photo. If a tsunami hit it the
water would be right up to the containment
building. Who are ...
-- Rick Noir
2/7
3/14/2011
Metrolink plans rush-hour express train…
Remember personal info?
Comments:
On: San Onofre nuclear plant can withstand up to 7.0
quake, is protected by a 25-foot tsunami wall, Edison
says
To quote Frank Zappa: It cant happen here,
It cant happen here, It can happen over
there, but it cant happen here.... (Keep chanting
that over and o ...
-- Citizen 1000
On: Should California lawmakers get special status to
carry concealed weapons?
In good behavior. ...
-- Dolly
Preview Post
Comments (22)
Categories
a m u sem en t pa r k s a n g eles for est a n im a ls a n t elope
How about they fix the tap card system while they're at it.
v a lley antonio v illaraigosa a r n old
Posted by: Mark | March 11, 2011 at 04:30 PM
a u t o a cciden t s a v ia t ion ba r a ck oba m a
Well Duuuuh.
beach/coast/ocean bea ch es bell bev er ly h ills
book s bottleneck bu r ba n k ca lifor n ia 2 0 0
sch w a r zen eg g er a r t s a n d a r ch it ect u r e a t h let es
ca lifor n ia h ig h w a y pa t r ol ca lifor n ia w ildfir e m a ps
And maybe extend the concept to the green line to nowhere connect to the blue line downtown?
Oh--why is the Bart, in its fouled up way, more efficient than LA?
B/C it has far fewer stops.
Glad every poltico with a voice got a multi-million dollar bus --err -- rail stop-- not.
Posted by: thealaskan | March 11, 2011 at 05:34 PM
Wow that's great...only took fifty years for it to happen. Local elected morons chose to waste
stimulus transportation funds by extending 405 diamond lane instead of putting it to good use with
rail. But this is good news.
Posted by: pargrad | March 11, 2011 at 05:48 PM
ca lifor n ia 's w a r dea d ca m p pen dlet on celebrity
cen su s/dem og r a ph ics central ch a r lie sh een ch r is
br ow n a n d r ih a n n a coa ch ella v a lley coa st g u a r d
coliseu m colleg es a n d u n iv er sit ies cr im e a ler t s
crime and courts
da r y l g a t es da t a
desk dea t h s dev elopm en t dr u n k dr iv in g dw p
ea r t h qu a kes ea st side education elections
en t er t a in m en t env ironment film fir es food a n d
dr in k fr ee clin ic g a r den a sch ool sh oot in g
g len da le
government
g r im sleeper g u n s
h a r bor health h ig h deser t h olly w ood h om eless
homicide report im m ig r a t ion im per ia l cou n t y
in g lew ood inland empire jer r y br ow n jose
g om ez ker n cou n t y kor ea t ow n k t la n ew s l.a .
a r ch diocese la bor la k er s v ict or y pa r a de lapd
excellent. we are getting smarter and smarter about transit in LA
Posted by: D | March 11, 2011 at 05:54 PM
la x /a ir por t s lin dsa y loh a n lin kin g l.a . local
gov ernment lon g bea ch los angeles los angeles
county los a n g eles cou n t y cor on er los a n g eles
cou n t y dist r ict a t t or n ey los a n g eles fir e
A lot more people are going to be commuting from San Barnardino if the pilot program is successful
and more express trains are added. Getting that hour and a half trip down to an hour is a game
changer.
Posted by: Spokker | March 11, 2011 at 06:15 PM
That's a good first step. A better one would be to run the trains until 2AM...
Posted by: Dan | March 11, 2011 at 06:52 PM
depa r t m en t los a n g eles m a r ch 2 0 1 1 elect ion s los
angeles sheriff's department los a n g eles u n ified
sch ool dist r ict lot t er y lu cer n e v a lley m a ppin g
m a r in e cor ps m ccou r t m edica l m a r iju a n a m el
g ibson m et r olin k m ich a el ja ckson m ilit a r y
m oja v e deser t r a cin g m or n in g scoop m ou n t a in
com m u n it ies m u dslides m u sic n or t h ea st l.a .
n or t h er n ca lifor n ia n or t h w est cou n t y oct u plet s
orange county
pa r a m ou n t pa sa den a
ph ot og r a ph y polit ics polit ics a n d elect ion s
pom on a v a lley pr ison s & ja ils r elig ion r iv er side
This is a brilliant idea. Having a solid plan to market the change will help a lot too.
Posted by: Bill D. | March 11, 2011 at 07:36 PM
cou n t y r om a n pola n ski r ose pa r a de sa ilin g sa m esex m a r r ia g e a n d pr op 8 sa n ber n a r din o cou n t y
sa n br u n o fir e san diego county san fernando
v alley sa n fr a n cisco san gabriel v alley sa n
joa qu in v a lley sa n dy ba n k s sa n t a ba r ba r a sa n t a
Hard to believe that Orange County wasn't one of the demonstration lines chosen. Irvine, Santa Ana,
Fullerton, Los Angeles would seem to make a logical sequence.
cla r it a v a lley sa n t a m on ica sa n t a m on ica
Posted by: Bob T homas | March 11, 2011 at 08:08 PM
l.a. sou t h los a n g eles sou t h ea st sou t h er n
m ou n t a in s scien ce sh oot in g s sou t h ba y south
ca lifor n ia m om en t s spor t s st a t e bu dg et st ev e
Any why do you live in San Berdoo?
Posted by: Angelino | March 11, 2011 at 08:40 PM
What about Ventura County!!!! It makes at least 15 stops between Moorpark and Union Station!!!
lopez su bw a y su r fin g sw in e flu t a lk ba ck t a x es
t elev ision t im es/u sc poll t r a ffic transportation
t r a v el t su n a m i u cla u sc u t ilit ies v en t u r a
cou n t y v er du g os w a t er weather w eb/t ech
w elfa r e
westside wildfires
w ildlife
Posted by: A Gargar | March 11, 2011 at 09:01 PM
"Hard to believe that Orange County wasn't one of the demonstration lines chosen. Irvine, Santa Ana,
…latimes.com/…/metrolink-to-launch-r…
3/7
3/14/2011
Metrolink plans rush-hour express train…
Fullerton, Los Angeles would seem to make a logical sequence."
Amtrak has begun testing express service.
"It makes at least 15 stops between Moorpark and Union Station!!!"
There are eight stops between Moorpark and Union Station.
"And maybe extend the concept to the green line to nowhere connect to the blue line downtown?
Oh--why is the Bart, in its fouled up way, more efficient than LA?
B/C it has far fewer stops."
Stop spacing on Metrolink is appropriate for commuter rail. The Green Line has nothing to do with
Metrolink.
"How about they fix the tap card system while they're at it."
TAP has nothing to do with Metrolink.
Posted by: Spokker | March 11, 2011 at 10:30 PM
How about adding more trains to serve those commuting OUT of LA to Orange County???
Posted by: Chatteress | March 11, 2011 at 11:40 PM
Although express commuter trains in New Y ork City often only save 5 or 10 minutes in each
direction, they are usually jammed. Even express subways trains are popular.
Sure, LA lacks multiple tracks (there are four tracks on the right-of-way between New Y ork City and
New Haven, Conn., for example, and no fewer than two at any point between New York and
Washington, D.C.). Still, you would think that even a cursory examination of commuting habits would
have led L.A. to express trains from the moment Metrolink service was inaugurated.
Posted by: WaltB | March 12, 2011 at 08:41 AM
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan T ransportation Authority (T AP, Green Line) is not the same
entity as the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (which markets itself as "Metrolink")
Posted by: Silver | March 12, 2011 at 08:58 AM
I live here in Oceanside, the terminus for the O.C. Metrolink, and they left us out of the picture? We
do an excellent job of attracting people here to take the train up to L.A. Union Station. Something
wrong here.
Posted by: Chuck Kopsho | March 12, 2011 at 09:13 AM
I suspect OCT A didn't want to pony up any money for Express service to LA, seeing as they are
readying their Fullerton-Irvine every 30 minute service. Have you seen the Fullerton stub platform
they are finishing up? It basically shows they have no interest in continuing additional train service
into LA. Fullerton-Irvine every 30 minute service is going to be such a waste of money seeing as there
will be virtually no time advantage for those who can use it and a lack of frequent transit connections
to major employment centers or residential developments. So if you decide to park your car at Irvine
and commute to your job in Anaheim, you likely need a car at both ends because the connecting
services are too infrequent. But that's not a problem for people who take the train to LA because
there are NUMEROUS connections from Union Station (Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line, Rapid
buses).
More L.A. Coverage
KTLA 5
USS Ron a ld Rea g a n Ca r r ier T o A id Ja pa n
V ict im s »
Na ked Ma n A r r est ed Ru n n in g T h r ou g h T r a ffic,
La t er Dies »
CA T su n a m i Da m a g e Est im a t ed a t $5 0 Million , 1
Killed »
O.C. Register
Ga n g m em ber g u ilt y of ca fe m u r der »
T su n a m i, m elt dow n : Cou ld it h a ppen h er e? »
$1 0 ,0 0 0 r a ised so fa r a t A n g el St a diu m for
Ja pa n »
Daily Breeze
I do agree that there needs to be more service between LA & Orange County. One might say that
Amtrak Pac Surfliner provides service, but the problem with them is they miss some key Metrolink
stops (Buena Park, Orange, Tustin, LN/MV). But Orange County historically has never supported the
idea of mass transit. The Centerline proposal [Fullerton-Anaheim (Disneyland, Angel Stadium, Honda
Center)-Orange (The Block)-Santa Ana (Santa Ana College, Depot)-Costa Mesa (South Coast Plz,
Performing Arts Ctr)-Irvine (JWA, UCI, Spectrum)] was rejected. I believe it would have been
completed this year had they approved it. They have cut a large chunk of their bus service along with
half their weekend train service, while at the same time embarking on major highway projects (40522-605, 5 at the LA-OC line).
A r e y ou r ea dy for T h e Big On e? »
Until Orange County gets serious about their transportation priorities, mass transit is always going to
take a back seat behind highway funding. One might think that a light rail line would never succeed in
a conservative region like Orange County. People there still think that the gas tax fully funds roads
and highways (it doesn't come close). But it only takes a quick look at Phoenix's new rail system
CBS2/KCAL 9
…latimes.com/…/metrolink-to-launch-r…
Mem or ies su r fa ce on a n n iv er sa r y of Dom in a t or
sh ipw r eck »
How y ou ca n h elp Ja pa n 's qu a k e r ecov er y »
Long Beach Press-Telegram
For m er st a ffer sa y s sh e w a s in t er v iew ed by feds
w h ile w or k in g for Rep. Rich a r dson »
How y ou ca n h elp Ja pa n 's qu a k e r ecov er y »
Y ou n g a ct iv ist s sh a r e idea s for cu t t in g pollu t ion »
LA T im es Pu blish er : W e’r e Losin g T a len t , Dea ls
Ov er Ba n kr u pt cy »
4/7
3/14/2011
Metrolink plans rush-hour express train…
which has been nothing short of a huge success, already surpassing ridership expectations and
gathering support for future extensions.
Posted by: Stephen | March 12, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Rou t es T o A v oid Du r in g 2 6 t h A n n u a l LA
Ma r a t h on »
Celebr a t e T h a i New Y ea r W it h RockSu g a r »
KABC 7
A lot of things people are complaining about here are a) legitimate, but b) actively being worked on by
Metro and/or Metrolink.
Expanding TAP throughout the region -- working on it.
LAX light rail -- Measure R's Crenshaw line is breaking ground shortly and will make the connection.
405 corridor -- Metro has money for a mass transit project in Measure R.
A r r est m a de in '1 0 sla y in g of La n ca st er t een »
Mission H ills h ou se fir e con t a in ed befor e
spr ea din g »
Oper a t ion USA t o sen d su pplies t o Ja pa n »
KNBC 4
U.S. A ir Cr ew Ex posed t o Ra dia t ion »
Connect the Blue Line to downtown -- that's the Regional Connector subway that will connect the
Blue/Expo Lines to the Gold Line via a 2-mile subway.
Robot s T a ke Ov er t h e W or ld … of Mu sic »
More details on Metro transit projects here:
FOX 11/KCOP 13
http://www.metro.net/projects/progress_tracker/bytype/expansion/
IE Lookin g For Com m u t e Relief »
W h a t Ca n SoCa l Lea r n Fr om Ja pa n Qu a k e? »
Helicopt er Cr a sh es In t o SoCa l W a r eh ou se »
Posted by: Carter R | March 12, 2011 at 06:24 PM
Oh wow... this third rate backward nightmare run by greedy civil servants has big breakthrough.
Metrolink should be farmed out to private industry instead of these dreadful useless bureaucrats!
Posted by: pasadena jag | March 12, 2011 at 09:58 PM
Ja pa n Relief: H ow Y ou Ca n Help »
L.A. Daily News
W om a n plea ds n o con t est t o t r espa ssin g a t Ellen
DeGen er es' h om e »
Sou t h la n d g a s pr ices keep g oin g u p »
Will anyone really use it? I mean Calif need a good set up.. But the way it is now. It is a Joke....
Ma n dies a t h ospit a l a ft er bein g n a ked or n ea r ly
n a k ed in t r a ffic »
Posted by: Danofive0 | March 12, 2011 at 11:51 PM
San Bernardino Sun
Great idea, but is there going to be enough parking at the selected stations and will the parking be
free.....
Liv e h er e, w or k t h er e »
Ria lt o sch ool boa r d r eject s bilin g u a l ca r ds »
On e da y for w ilder n ess »
Posted by: Roller | March 13, 2011 at 08:23 AM
O.C. Weekly
Excellent start. Now if we really ramp up the express service from Downtown LA /Union Station to
Ontario Airport by linking the Metrolink San Bernardino Line to the airport effectively, we can
seriously grow air carrier service at Ontario AP just as Measure R/30-10 projects stimulate the
Downtown LA economy. Expanded air carrier service will stimulate job production around Ontario
Airport, reduce Inland Empire commuter traffic to Orange and LA Counties, and create a multifamily housing market and the prospect of a "smart growth" revitalization strategy at the other end in
downtown San Bernardino.
Oh Rea lly ? OC Nu ke Pla n t Sa fe, Sa y Nu k e Pla n t
Officia ls »
Repeat the process on the Metrolink Riverside Line, and we begin to have synergies there as well. The
San Gabriel Valley will start to look like the Valley of Opportunity. And traffic congestion at LAX will
be reduced as well.
Nice.
A bou t T h a t Soka Un iv er sit y Cov er : A Not e Fr om
t h e Edit or »
Ja pa n Qu a k e Disa st er Ra ises Fea r s a n d Ch a r it y in
OC »
KPCC 89.3 FM
LA civ ic lea der s st u m p for st r u g g lin g t a x
ex t en sion ba llot m ea su r e »
Red Cr oss a ccept s don a t ion s for Ja pa n r elief a t
A n g el St a diu m , Rose Bow l »
Ca n Clea n En er g y Dr iv e T h e Econ om ic
Recov er y ? »
Posted by: Denny Zane | March 13, 2011 at 04:29 PM
This is an excellent idea. And, if Metrolink also ran some trains regularly to and from in the middle of
the day, say once an hour, that would also help get people around without having to use gasoline.
Posted by: Leric Goodman | March 14, 2011 at 09:45 AM
…latimes.com/…/metrolink-to-launch-r…
More from The Times
24 Frames
Afterword
All T he Rage
Awards T racker
Babylon & Beyond
Big Picture
Booster Shots
Brand X
Chatter
Company Town
Culture Monster
Daily Dish
Daily Mirror
Dodgers Blog
Fabulous Forum
Framework
Go Mobile
Greenspace
Hero Complex
Homicide Report
Jacket Copy
L.A. at Home
L.A. Now
L.A. Unleashed
La Plaza
Lakers
Ministry of Gossip
Money & Co.
5/7