Travelers will have better train access, on-time performance
LOS ANGELES – 2012-10-18 — /travelprnews.com/ — Metrolink, Caltrans, Amtrak, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority today celebrated the opening of three new Los Angeles Union Station tracks and a platform to serve Metrolink and Amtrak passengers.
“The reconstruction of Platform 7 and the three additional tracks will allow for greater flexibility for Metrolink service at Union Station,” said Metrolink Chief Strategic Officer Gray Crary. “We appreciate the Proposition 1B funding, along with resources from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program and OCTA’s Measure M, to meet both the immediate and long-range goals of Metrolink.”
The three new tracks and platform will meet the growing demand for train travel. Other enhancements include a new electronic information system and energy efficient lighting.
Since 2010, Metrolink’s average weekday boardings have increased from 39,067 to 43,135, a 10 percent leap, while ridership on Amtrak California’s Pacific Surfliner, the second-busiest corridor in the nation, has increased 31 percent in the last 10 years.
The new track construction, managed by Metrolink, began in May 2011 and was completed in September 2012. Caltrans was the primary funding partner, allocating $21.8 million (Prop. 1B funds) to the $24.8 million project. Metrolink utilized approximately $18.4 million of the funding for the project. The remaining allotment will be transferred to other phases and projects.
Additional funding came from CMAQ ($2.656 million) and OCTA Measure M ($344,000). To date, nearly $14.5 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been distributed statewide.
“Union Station serves as a major transportation hub in Los Angeles with bus and rail connections that extend throughout Los Angeles County and beyond,” said Metro CEO Art Leahy. “The expansion of these new tracks and platform at Union Station will go a long way at meeting the increasing travel demands of our patrons.”
Los Angeles Union Station is the nation’s fifth-busiest train station, serving nearly two million Amtrak and Metrolink passengers annually. New station tracks 13 and 14 and platform 7 will augment the existing tracks 3-12 which currently serve Amtrak, Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink trains.
For details on Metrolink, please visit www.metrolinktrains.com.
ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink is Southern California’s regional commuter rail service in its 19th year of operation. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network. Metrolink is the third largest commuter rail agency in the United States based on directional route miles and the seventh largest based on annual ridership.
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