be improved so that riders don't
necessarily have to drive there.
Bike sharing, connecting shuttles
and more local public transit
would help.
cheaper to travel by Metrolink
than drive solo, Metrolink is still
expensive compared to other
carriers that enjoy higher tax
discounts to students and seniors,
and its weekend fare is the
best bargain in town. Metrolink
fares also are good for transfers
to many local lines and some
Amtrak service, and the agency
is implementing cheaper rates
for short trips and expanding its
corporate partner program.
a dedicated, sustainable funding
source is the biggest challenge
facing Metrolink because current
funding is limited for Metrolink
expansion.
"I think the future is very bright for
Metrolink and its customers."
strides with safety and notes on-time
performance also is up (94.4 percent
in March 2017, up 10 points from a
year earlier). Double-tracking studies
and safety enhancements at grade
crossings are taking place throughout
the system. And there is other major
Metrolink to San Bernardino's Transit
Center, bringing the first passenger
rail service to downtown San
Bernardino in at least 70 years.
opening of the 91/Perris Valley
service between Riverside and Perris.
The 24-mile extension with four new
stations cost $247 million and was
the first major expansion of Metrolink
service in more than a decade.
will have to be even more flexible and
creative moving forward. At a recent
discussion of exploring a small multi-
county sales tax as well as carving
a niche by offering new passenger
amenities such as a beverage car to
boost ridership. Likewise, Metrolink
could play a more active role in
encouraging development around
stations to build ridership and recruit
new corporate partners to subsidize
employee transit passes as a job
benefit.
deploy smaller diesel multiple units
and rail cars -- smaller trains powered
by on-board diesel engines instead of
locomotives -- or a hybrid version to
run more midday and evening trains
at less cost, however, no dates or
locations for such service have been
determined.
been known to increase health risks;
Metrolink is the antidote to driving
stress.