The Metrolink Antelope Valley Line will have its service suspended on Saturday and Sunday for maintenance, according to the commuter rail service’s website.
“Metrolink will complete a maintenance and rehabilitation project along the Antelope Valley Line,” the website reads. “This project will result in a complete service suspension of Antelope Valley Line service those two days.”
There will be no alternative transportation between Lancaster and Los Angeles provided by Metrolink during that time.
“Safety is foundational at Metrolink, and we are regularly working to ensure the long-term safety and reliability of our system in the communities we serve,” the website reads. “We apologize that these necessary infrastructure enhancements result in the closure of the rail line and the inconveniences it causes our riders. We will continue to look for ways to minimize the impact of these closures as best as possible as we continue this critical work.”
Metrolink recently shut down its entire train service for four days at the end of December “to complete infrastructure upgrades, maintenance and repairs,” according to a Metrolink news release. That service stoppage was related to a three-year modernization project at L.A. Union Station, replacing its 1930s-era signal system with a modern system, the release added.
The Antelope Valley Line was meant to have its end-of-service-life rail replaced during that time to reduce the need for slow orders, which could lead to passenger delays, the release stated.
This weekend’s stoppage was planned in coordination with the previous stoppage, according to Meredith Yeoman, public relations manager for Metrolink.
“While a significant portion of new track was installed between Dec. 26 and Dec. 29 while passenger rail service was paused,” Yeoman wrote in an email to The Signal, “due to the more than 19,000 feet of track being replaced, the project was planned to take place across a minimum of eight work days – double the duration of last month’s service outage.”
The service stoppage is not related to the crash that occurred this past Sunday evening involving a train hitting a reported abandoned SUV on the train tracks at the intersection of Newhall and Railroad avenues, according to Yeoman.
The Antelope Valley Line is scheduled to experience a partial shutdown Jan. 27-28, with trains operating between Union Station and Newhall during that time, Yeoman added.
