LOS ANGELES - Metrolink Chief Executive Officer Michael P. DePallo announced today he has directed staff to immediately commence preparations for commission of a health risk assessment (HRA) of the agency's Central Maintenance Facility located at 1555 N. San Fernando Road in Los Angeles.
"This is a significant step to quantify the emissions emanating from the facility and to solidify a baseline," said DePallo.
Metrolink Board Chair and San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris agreed.
"As the mayor of the city that hosts the largest intermodal rail facility in Southern California, I understand the concerns of those who reside near Central Maintenance Facility," said Morris. "I, as much as anyone, want to know the results of this assessment, along with the subsequent measurement of the air quality improvements we have already made to the facility."
Metrolink has worked extensively with community groups, key stakeholders and elected officials over the past two years to implement a wide array of facility and operational improvements.
Metrolink made a major contribution toward improving the quality of the environment and future rail system operations with the purchase of up to 20 new low-emission Tier 4 locomotives. These locomotives produce more than 80 percent less particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen than current older engines and will be delivered in late 2015. Metrolink has allocated $129.4 million for the purchase of the locomotives.
The locomotive upgrades will have system-wide benefits, and as well as help reduce emissions in the surrounding communities.
At the maintenance facility, Metrolink initiated a fuel conservation program that significantly reduced the idling of engines and reduces noise. Metrolink also implemented a plug-in program that utilizes ground power to supply electricity to the trains while being cleaned and serviced in place of operating the engine that provides electricity to power the passenger cars. Currently there are nine ground power stations being used and five additional stations will be in place later this year.
Metrolink installed Automatic Engine Start Stop (AESS) technology into its locomotives that reduces unnecessary idling, reducing fuel usage and emissions. Currently 32 of our 52 locomotives are equipped with this technology. In 2010-11, these improvements reduced the amount of fuel used by 860,000 gallons & saved the agency $2 million.
In addition Metrolink recently modified the daily operation through the maintenance facility, dividing the workforce to service more trains at the same time reducing idling and allowing engines to be shut down for longer periods. This measure reduces the amount of time trains are on the service and inspection tracks by 40%.
Maintenance, servicing and testing is done during business hours to avoid disrupting sleep and weekend recreation activities. In order to reduce noise Metrolink has limited the use of the locomotive bell and horn.
Without Metrolink service, an additional 18,000 vehicles would be on the roads each weekday.
A health risk assessment (HRA) is an analytical tool used to estimate whether current and/or future exposures to certain air pollutant emissions will pose health risks to a broad population, such as a city or a community.
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.
ABOUT METROLINK (www.metrolinktrains.com)
Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service in its 20th 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 seventh largest based on annual ridership.
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