Metrolink officials held off on making any cuts to its regional rail service at a board meeting Friday, as transportation advocates remain hopeful that proposed cuts to the Antelope Valley Line, which runs through Santa Clarita, can still be avoided.
Last week offered a concerning deadline for rail-dependent commuters, who were told that weekend service could see a 67% reduction, and the weekday routes on the local line could go from having 30 trains to 22.
Metrolink operates trains regionally through the Southern California Rail Authority, with local operations handled by the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro, which sets arrival and departure times. Accordingly, Metrolink’s budget is dependent on its allocation from Metro.
The local operator announced Wednesday that it was going to seek a state grant, which regional rail advocates hope will stave off the cuts.
The North County Transportation Coalition, which represents Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita, sent a letter to the California State Transportation agency urging it to approve the grant and avoid the cuts.
“Without state assistance, service will be cut next month by 29% to 113 weekday trains and by 40% to 36 weekend trains compared with the original ‘Optimized Service’ schedule in place from October 2024 through March 2026,” according to a letter shared Tuesday by Arthur Sohikian, executive director of the coalition. “These reductions would have a particularly serious impact on the Antelope Valley Line and the North Los Angeles County communities we represent.”
The grant sought by Metro would provide $20 million to the agency through a Flexible State Rail Assistance fund, which supports the state and regional operator’s goals of increasing rail travel.
Ridership can’t be built through service cuts, especially in the current economy, the coalition argues in its letter.
“We cannot build ridership and take cars off the road by reducing Metrolink commuter rail service, especially at a time of high gasoline prices,” according to the NCTC letter.
Ahead of their respective budget discussions last week, both agencies acknowledged difficult economic realities facing rail operations right now.
“Metro remains committed to the people who use Metrolink as an integral part of their lives,” according to a statement on behalf of Metro, sent by Maya Pogoda of Metro’s media relations division. “Regional rail plays a vital role for passengers across Southern California. Lower-than-projected revenue, declining state and federal funding and ongoing mechanical and service reliability problems, are driving the proposed service reductions for Metrolink.”
Meredith Yeoman, director of communications for Metrolink, wrote that it had been an “unusually complex budget cycle, reflecting a combination of factors,” in a statement on behalf of Metrolink last week.
“The public hearing and Board action on Metrolink’s proposed (fiscal year) budget originally scheduled to take place last Friday were postponed until the Nov. 13 board meeting,” Yeoman wrote in an email Tuesday. “This change in the budget approval timeline means that the current schedule will remain in place through the end of the calendar year, and any future service adjustments will take effect no sooner than Jan. 4.”
Ridership and fare revenue that remain below pre-pandemic levels, rising operating costs and changes in state and federal funding were among the main factors listed.
Metrolink has now scheduled the public hearing for its proposed operating budget — which as of now still includes the cuts — for Nov. 13.
A list of the proposed service changes is available here: tinyurl.com/yykzzxrr. Metrolink’s website for the hearing on service changes is available here: tinyurl.com/5n75xff9.
