Metrolink Waives Fares, Hosts Sustainable Student Fashion Show in Honor of Earth Day
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LOS ANGELES – Today, in celebration of Earth Day, Metrolink waived fares on all lines throughout its six-county service area to encourage Southern Californians to leave their cars at home and opt for public transportation. Free-ride days like Earth Day often inspire new users to explore taking the train as a convenient and sustainable option. Morning Metrolink ridership was 27% higher than last Monday, and officials anticipate total ridership for the day to surpass 25,000 boardings – the second-highest single-day ridership since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
In addition to offering free rides, Metrolink hosted a sustainable student fashion show competition at L.A. Union Station, featuring sustainable designs by 23 local high school and college students. Fashion is the second-highest-polluting industry behind fossil fuels, demonstrating the need for sustainable decision-making to include and extend beyond transportation. By strengthening connections with eco-conscious students, Metrolink is helping them establish environmentally friendly habits at a formative time in their lives.
“Younger generations are driving change, especially around sustainability,” Metrolink Board Director and former Santa Monica Mayor and City Councilmember Pam O’Connor, who was in attendance, said. “The overwhelming participation in this fun and creative event and the success of the Metrolink Student Adventure Pass pilot program shows commitment to sustainability. At Metrolink, we're fostering a culture of environmental consciousness that resonates beyond our trains. Together, we can embark on this journey towards a more sustainable future. And that’s something we are proud of.”
L.A. Union Station serves as Metrolink’s transportation hub and has welcomed multiple iterations of Los Angeles Fashion Week, creating the ideal backdrop for this unique event, which was presented by LA Metro. Participating student designers represented 12 colleges and five high schools from within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Designs were constructed from upcycled textiles and repurposed unconventional materials, including vinyl records, rice bags and unclaimed art class paintings.
A quartet of high school students swept the competition’s awards podium with La Cañada High School’s Kaylee Chun taking top honors for her unconventional materials design ‘In(e)X(ces)S,’ which was constructed from paper and reusable canvas shopping bags.
About Metrolink (metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink regional passenger rail service offers reliable, safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation throughout Southern California. Metrolink has 545.6 total service line miles and 67 stations across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties connecting people, communities, and businesses and is an essential link in the region’s mobility network. Metrolink’s Arrow service, which launched in October 2022 with nine miles of track and four new stations between San Bernardino and Redlands, provides greater local and regional rail connectivity.
About Los Angeles Union Station
Since its opening in 1939, Los Angeles Union Station has long been considered one of LA’s architectural gems and a vital portal to the promise of the California Dream. The Station was designed with an innovative blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival and Art Deco architecture now commonly referred to as Mission Moderne. The bustling 52-acre transportation hub sits in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles offering essential connections to destinations throughout Southern California. An iconic landmark, the Station serves as a vibrant symbol of Downtown connecting the historic fabric of the past to the present through arts, culture, transit and community. Conceived on a grand scale, Los Angeles Union Station is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States and is often regarded as “the last of the great train stations.” For more information, visit unionstationla.com or follow @unionstationla on social media.