No Fare Increase, Service on Two Lines to be Reduced,
Chairman, Vice Chair Reelected

LOS ANGELES, CA, Jan. 8, 2010: Today, the Metrolink Board of Directors balanced the agency's 2009-2010 budget while avoiding increasing fares and reducing service on two of Metrolink's seven routes. The budget gap of nearly $3.6 million was closed using a combination of measures which included reducing weekend service on the Orange County and Inland Empire-Orange County Lines, administrative and staff cost savings and by requesting that the five member county transportation commissions allow Metrolink to use funds that have been reserved from prior year operating efficiencies.

Keith Millhouse, board chairman and City of Moorpark councilmember, was also unanimously reelected to serve another year as chairman. "I wish to thank our board members for their confidence by reelecting me to a second term," said Millhouse. "Our achievements this past year demonstrate that Metrolink is at the forefront of commuter rail innovation, such as the integration of crash energy management in our new Rotem cab and passenger rail cars set for delivery next month and with the implementation of positive train control in Metrolink locomotives by 2012."

In addition to Millhouse's reelection, Richard Katz, a member of the Metro Board of Directors was reelected to a second term as vice chairman.

Eric Haley, in his first Metrolink board meeting as CEO, said he looked forward to working with the board. "I applaud the unanimous positive action the board took today, thoroughly demonstrating the regional perspective in making the difficult decisions to balance the 2009-2010 budget," said Haley.The Jan. 22 board meeting will include a budget workshop to develop Metrolink's FY 2010-2011 operating and capital budget.

In addition to reducing service on the Orange County and Inland Empire County Lines, a number of expense reductions affecting Metrolink staff include a hiring freeze and a reduction in employee accruals of earned time-off-with-pay.

Service reductions, scheduled for February 2010, include the following:

• Orange County Line weekend service will be reduced from 8 trainsto 4 trainson both Saturdays and Sundays.
• Inland Empire-Orange County Line weekend service will be reduced from 4 trains to 2 trains on both Saturdays and Sundays between San Bernardino and Oceanside. In addition, the 2 Saturday only trains between Oceanside and Riverside will also be suspended.
• Inland Empire-Orange County Line weekday trains 852 and 853 willbe suspended.

These service reductions will save the agency approximately $529,000 between now and June 30, 2010. The remaining shortfall of approximately $3 million,funded from reserves, is expected to be approved by the five member transportation agencies.

Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 16^th year of operations. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority, 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. The agency currently contracts with Connex Railroad, LLC for the personnel that operate, supervise and manage Metrolink commuter rails service. Metrolink operates over seven routes through a six-county, 512 route-mile network.