News release
Metrolink announced Tuesday it will suspend service on all lines from Dec. 26 to 29 to complete the final phase of a three-year modernization project. Trains will not run on any part of Metrolink’s six-county system during the service outage.
Metrolink will operate on a weekend schedule on Christmas Day, Monday, Dec. 25, and will resume normal service on Saturday, Dec. 30, the Metrolink announcement said.
“When we temporarily pause our service in late December, we will be taking a huge leap forward operationally with upgraded technology and infrastructure that will help us deliver better, more efficient service for current and future riders,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said in the release. “To minimize the disruption to our customers, we scheduled this work on dates of historically low ridership and are working hand-in-hand with our transit partners to identify alternate transportation options for those who will be impacted.”
The required modernization work will restrict access in and out of L.A. Union Station, the terminus for six of Metrolink’s seven service lines, as well as the agency’s Central Maintenance Facility, where passenger cars are cleaned and locomotives are serviced daily. The cascading impact of these disruptions will render Metrolink’s full-system service inoperable during the four-day work window.
Crews will leverage the break in service to expedite additional state-of-good repair and maintenance projects at Union Station and on other parts of the system that would typically be spread over longer periods with additional service disruptions. Metrolink operations staff and contractors will also take advantage of this window, using the time to conduct accelerated training, the release said.
Additional information about the upcoming service suspension is available at metrolinktrains.com/no-service. Supplemental resources, including a comprehensive list of alternate transportation options, will be added in the coming weeks.
