LOS ANGELES - As part of the Federal Railroad Administration's approval process for the upcoming launch of service on the 91/Perris Valley Line, Metrolink and Riverside County authorities held an emergency preparedness drill today at the soon-to-be opened Moreno Valley/March Field Station.

Metrolink, in partnership with the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the City of Riverside Fire Department, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside County Emergency Management Department, and the CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department, worked collaboratively on a multijurisdictional walk-through and scenario. This was the culminating event to more than a year of emergency response planning and training in preparation for the extension of Metrolink's 91/Perris Valley Line from downtown Riverside to south Perris. Passenger service to Perris is scheduled to begin early next year.

Emergency response planning for the service expansion began in late 2014 with a table top drill being conducted in February 2015. Four classes were held Oct. 28-30 at the Ben Clark Training Center in Riverside with a total of 127 fire fighters and 46 deputies from respective law enforcement and first responder agencies.

Additional training was provided to 40 fire fighters and three Riverside County Sheriff's deputies from Jurupa Valley on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Areas reviewed at all training sessions included an overview of Metrolink service, how to develop a pre-plan for respective organizations, familiarization with Metrolink passenger cars and locomotives, and how to safely address an emergency involving passenger rail.

Today's drill, volunteers were present playing various roles including victims and suspects. Law enforcement conducted a walk-through of the train's interior to identify choke points, hiding spots and danger zones for officer safety. Fire authorities completed a hands-on victim removal simulation relating to a collision resulting in multiple victims on board.

ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)

Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 23^rd 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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