Report indicates dramatic reduction in emissions and health risk due to operational improvements

LOS ANGELES - Metrolink has completed a health risk assessment (HRA) of the agency's Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) located at 1555 N. San Fernando Road in Los Angeles. The agency agreed to voluntarily conduct the HRA in response to community requests for additional information regarding the operations of the CMF.

"We felt completing the assessment was critical to quantify the emissions from the facility, while demonstrating the positive impact of the improvements we have already implemented, as well as improvements to be implemented over the next few years," said Metrolink Chief Executive Officer Michael P. DePallo. "We are a regional transportation agency and we are committed to remaining a good neighbor to our surrounding communities."

Operational improvements at the CMF implemented by Metrolink between the years 2010 and 2017 will reduce area emissions by 79 percent, while health risk to individuals with maximum exposure to CMF emissions declines by 83% during the same time period.

The report also found that off-site sources, primarily the I-5 and other area freeways and roads, represent a significantly larger proportion of overall area emissions. Emissions from highways and roads around CMF exceed CMF's emissions by more than double.

"Voluntarily completing this assessment was completely the right thing to do, and we appreciate the collaborative input from community members, area elected officials, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health and the South Coast Air Quality Management District in order to make this an assessment we can build upon," said Metrolink Board Chair and City of Highland Mayor Pro Tem Larry McCallon. "This is part of our ongoing efforts to make operational improvements to serve the communities and transit riders of Southern California."

Metrolink made a major commitment toward improving the quality of the environment and future rail system operations when it became the first commuter railroad in the country to purchase new low-emission Tier 4 locomotives. These locomotives produce approximately 83% fewer particulate matter emissions than current older engines. The first Tier 4 locomotive is scheduled to be delivered in 2015, with the remaining locomotives expected to go into service in 2016 and 2017. Metrolink has allocated more than $150 million for the purchase of up to 20 of these state-of-the-art locomotives.

In 2010, Metrolink initiated a fuel conservation program at the maintenance facility that significantly reduced engine idling and noise. Metrolink also implemented a plug-in program that utilizes electricity instead of diesel fuel to power trains while they are being cleaned and serviced.

Without Metrolink service, an additional 18,000 vehicles would be on the roads each weekday.

An HRA is an analytical tool used to estimate potential health risks to a particular community from current and/or future exposures to certain air pollutant emissions.

The CMF, which is located on a parcel of what once was referred to as Southern Pacific's Taylor Yard, has been a rail facility servicing locomotives and rail cars since the 1920s. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) began servicing trains at CMF in 1991.

For the entire report, click here.

To provide comments or ask questions about the report, click here.

ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)

Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 22nd 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 eighth largest based on annual ridership.

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