Metrolink Cuts Travel Time for Commuters

Metrolink commuter train rides between Ventura County and downtown Los Angeles will be 14 minutes shorter beginning Monday, when a revised schedule takes effect, officials said Friday.

The quicker trips will be possible because of track improvements and because train operators and dispatchers have become more familiar with the service, which was launched Oct. 26, Metrolink officials said.

Simi Valley City Councilman Bill Davis, who represents the county on a regional board that oversees Metrolink, said Friday that he has mixed emotions regarding the new schedule.

“It’s a shorter ride, but I’m wondering who is running Metrolink,” he said. “This (schedule) won’t coincide with one of Simi Valley’s buses. You just don’t go changing train schedules without notifying city buses.”

Simi Valley had adjusted its public bus schedule so that passengers could easily connect with Metrolink’s original timetable. Davis said the city’s bus schedule will have to be revised again.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo acknowledged Friday that the rail line’s staff members did not consult Simi Valley’s transit system when it drew up the new timetable because they were focusing on the needs of rail passengers. “But we are certainly going to improve that in the future,” he said.

Under the new schedule, the morning’s first Metrolink train will leave Moorpark at 5:20 a.m., instead of 5:06. The afternoon trains returning to Ventura County will also depart downtown Los Angeles later, with the last one leaving at 6:30 p.m. instead of 6:20.

Between Moorpark and Union Station, Metrolink trains stop in Simi Valley, Chatsworth, Van Nuys, Burbank and Glendale. The system’s other two lines, originating in Santa Clarita and Pomona, also will follow new schedules beginning Monday.

Hidalgo said the Ventura County line’s timetable was revised partly to avoid “traffic jams” involving Metrolink and other trains that use the same track.

He said Metrolink has been alerting its passengers to the upcoming schedule change by making announcements over public address systems on the trains and by handing out copies of the new timetable.

Hidalgo said passengers who are still uncertain about the new schedule can call 1-800-371-LINK toll-free between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Metrolink’s Ventura line has been drawing the most passengers--about 1,200 per day. But some commuters have criticized its fare structure, which is based on the number of travel zones a rider crosses.

A Southern California Regional Rail Authority committee discussed the issue Friday but urged that no fare changes be considered until the system has been operating for six months, Hidalgo said.

But the panel proposed that commuters be allowed to purchase two months of travel for the price of one in January as a way to boost ridership. These recommendations will be considered by the rail authority board Friday.

Members of the Ventura County Transportation Commission were told Friday that Metrolink will also offer a free “holiday ride” on one train that will make the run between Moorpark and downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 12.

Ginger Gherardi, the commission’s executive director, said the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission is picking up the costs of the Saturday train to encourage more people to sample the service.

“We believe that once they try it, they’ll like it and hopefully will come back,” Hidalgo said.

But Simi Valley Councilman Davis, who also serves on the commission, said he was concerned that Los Angeles officials were trying to lure Ventura County residents into spending their holiday shopping dollars elsewhere. He said Ventura County communities could lose sales tax revenue because of this tactic.

“Los Angeles is paying the cost because they want to get people to go downtown to shop,” Davis said.

New Metrolink Schedule

The revised commuter train schedule will be effective Monday, Dec. 7.

MORNING EASTBOUND

Train Numbers & Times Cities 100 102 104 106 Moorpark 5:20 6:05 6:45 7:25 Simi Valley 5:33 6:18 6:58 7:38 Chatsworth 5:46 6:31 7:11 7:51 Van Nuys 5:57 6:42 7:22 8:02 Burbank 6:07 6:52 7:32 8:12 Glendale 6:14 6:59 7:39 8:19 Los Angeles 6:30 7:15 7:55 8:35 EVENING WESTBOUND Cities 101 103 105 107 Los Angeles 4:20 5:00 5:40 6:30 Glendale 4:35 5:15 5:55 6:45 Burbank 4:42 5:22 6:02 6:52 Van Nuys 4:52 5:32 6:12 7:02 Chatsworth 5:03 5:43 6:23 7:13 Simi Valley 5:15 5:55 6:35 7:25 Moorpark 5:33 6:13 6:53 7:43

Source: Southern California Regional Rail Authority