A volunteer “victim” is assisted by a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy during a recent exercise at the Arrow Maintenance Facility in San Bernardino.
I can't stress it enough: safety is at the core of everything we do here at Metrolink! That's why our safety, security and compliance team is working with the Ventura County, Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County sheriff’s departments to organize mass casualty and active shooter drills, along with Metrolink equipment familiarization sessions.
On March 18, we held the first of five scheduled trainings across the three counties spanning several departments. These trainings are opportunities for law enforcement agencies to practice responding to simulated mass casualty incidents on Metrolink and Arrow trains. In total, we anticipate that approximately 150 officers and deputies from the region will take part.
With Southern California set to host major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 2027 NFL Super Bowl, and 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, practicing preparedness is more important than ever. We expect a surge in ridership across our system during these high-profile events, and incident readiness is one way we are working to keep them safe.
As part of our broader commitment to safety and security, in January, I joined industry colleagues from across the country in signing the U.S. DOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking Pledge. In conjunction with this national initiative, so far in 2024, the safety, security and compliance department has conducted newly required training for the majority of Metrolink staff and contractors, including all frontline employees. Earlier this month, we also rolled out a comprehensive awareness campaign to engage the traveling public in the fight against human trafficking. I encourage you to visit metrolinktrains.com/human-trafficking to learn more about this important issue, common indicators and how to report any suspicious behavior on our system.
Thank you to our safety, security and compliance team members for all they do to keep our crews, passengers, communities and the public safe.