SIMI VALLEY DOUBLE TRACK PROJECT: VENTURA COUNTY LINE

The Simi Valley Double Track Project is included in Phase 1 of the Metrolink SCORE improvement project that will increase capacity at the station along the Ventura County Line. The Project will install approximately 2 miles of siding track and shift approximately 1,400 feet of existing track between East Los Angeles Avenue and the Simi Valley Station. The Project improvements will be divided in two segments that will be completed over two phases. The improvements include new track panels and warning devices at street crossings at Sequoia Avenue (option), Tapo Canyon Road, Tapo Street, East Los Angeles Avenue, and Hidden Ranch Drive. A second platform will also be constructed at the Simi Valley Station.

Quiet Zones ease noise in the community by limiting where and when trains are required to blow their horns. A city is responsible to apply for Quiet Zones, which are a Federal designation, once at-grade improvements are made. Metrolink is proposing to build the safety improvements necessary to make two crossings Quiet Zone ready.

The Simi Valley Double Track Project would generate jobs and business opportunities, improve safety for pedestrians, vehicles, and trains, provide environmental benefits, and increase the frequency and the reliability of Metrolink service. Ventura County would see reduced traffic congestion and emissions on adjacent freeways, which would result in fewer accidents, reduced air pollution and emissions, and decreased energy consumption. The addition of the second platform will offer less congested access to Simi Valley Station, which has more than 86,000 boarding’s per year. The upgrades at the crossings will allow the City to apply for Quiet Zone designation to reduce noise.

In the future, passengers will go to a train station and wait no more than 30 minutes for the next train in both directions. Commute times for passengers would be reduced with the increased speed and fluid operations. The Project improvements and updates would allow Metrolink to provide passengers more reliable and safer service.

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) was commissioned to produce a study assessing the impact of the construction investment of the SCORE program. The benefits from SCORE will make the region increasingly attractive for the millions projected to arrive in SoCal for the 2028 Summer Olympics and create regional prosperity in the decades to come. When service demand and future funding exist, Ventura County residents can expect to see 4,800 new jobs and $912 million in gross domestic product by 2028. By 2050, there would be 77,600 new jobs and a collective total of $33.7 billion in economic activity.

The environmental process is expected to complete in summer 2021 and design reviews expected to be complete in summer of 2023. Regulatory permitting is expected to begin in the spring of 2021. Construction for segment 1 improvements are scheduled to begin in the spring of 2024, with completion expected in the spring of 2025.