Dear Community Members,

Today, the Metrolink Board of Directors took action that will allow the removal of the leased BNSF freight locomotives from the system while preserving safety.

The agency will begin making repairs to the plow assembly of the Hyundai Rotem cab cars. The plow is a piece of equipment on the front of the cab cars. As repairs are made, the cab cars will be redeployed onto the system, eliminating the need for leased freight locomotives.

While the timeline is still being finalized, Metrolink will start removing the freight locomotives from the system as soon as possible, beginning with the San Bernardino Line. The complete removal of the freight locomotives will take several months.

We realize the temporary safety action to lease these locomotives has had a profound impact on your quality of life. We are sorry for the inconveniences this caused.

Additionally, we will begin deploying our new Tier 4 locomotives this Fall. They will reduce emissions by up to 85 percent, are lighter which may reduce vibration and they have fewer horns than our current locomotives. We hope you notice a major improvement as we replace the freight locomotives with cleaner, lighter and quieter cab cars and the Tier 4 locomotives.

We will provide updates when the timeline is finalized. Thank you for your patience while we worked to keep safety first in Southern California.

Sincerely,

Arthur T. Leahy

Chief Executive Officer