Simi Commuter Becomes Metrolink’s 35 Millionth Rider

It was a fat Tuesday for resident Geri Pavia, who was declared the 35 millionth rider of a Metrolink train and the winner of a pass for seven months of free commuter service.

To commemorate the seventh anniversary of Southern California’s commuter rail system, Metrolink officials presented the award to Pavia as she boarded a train at the Simi Valley station for the daily commute to her job in downtown Los Angeles.

The 41-year-old accountant started riding Metrolink after the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged the interchange between the Golden State and Antelope Valley freeways. At the time, she and her family lived in Palmdale.

After they moved to Simi Valley in 1996, Pavia continued to ride Metrolink to her job at the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. She estimates she saves about 30 minutes each way in travel time by not driving.

Riding the commuter rail line also gives her time for her needlework.

“It’s a lot more convenient on the train,” said Pavia. “It’s just more comfortable. It’s more fun--you meet people. I’ve got a lot of really cool friends I’ve met. We socialize once a month.”

In addition to the monthly passes, Pavia will receive sweatshirts, T-shirts, caps and mugs with the Metrolink logo.

“I’ve been riding the trains for so long, and nothing like this has ever happened,” said Pavia, who with her husband, Thomas, has three daughters, Samantha, 7, Mary Beth, 15, and Theresa, 17. “I never win anything.”

Pavia’s selection was based on predictions by Metrolink analysts that rider No. 35 million would board a morning train on Oct. 26. Agency officials chose a Ventura County line for selecting the winner after previous winners were drawn from the Inland Empire and Orange County.

Peter Hidalgo, a Metrolink spokesman, said the agency liked the sound of 35 million and chose the number to coincide with the train’s anniversary.

Metrolink began running its trains in 1992 with a daily ridership of 2,500. Today, the system’s six lines traverse six counties, 46 stations and 416 miles of track, with 130 trains a day carrying an average of almost 29,000 passengers.

Beyond Simi Valley, Metrolink also stops in Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard.