Metrolink pushes to extend into Perris, Moreno Valley

Metrolink commuter rail service keeps pushing east -- this time into Perris and Moreno Valley, according to the PE:

Local efforts to extend the Metrolink commuter rail line to Moreno Valley and Perris are moving forward after federal officials approved the next phase of development for the project. The Federal Transit Administration, however, is concerned about the project's $193 million price tag and has urged local officials to control costs. Failure to do so could affect whether the federal government allocates as much as $75 million to the project in the future, according to a letter the federal transit agency sent to the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The commission hopes to have the 23-mile extension of the rail line operating by late 2010 or early 2011. The line would connect downtown Perris to downtown Riverside, giving some residents of southwestern Riverside County more direct access to Metrolink stations in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Comments

[Commuter 951-760]

We need to connect Perris to Temecula then Temecula to the new Sprinter in Vista/San Marcos/Oceanside! Then I will LOVE California even more so!

[John M.]

Dan W. has it right, though a few polishes to his fine apple:

1) Extend the Green Line east, as he proposes, to meet the Orange County trains in Norwalk. The service is planned and will run every 30 minutes with a 20-minute trip time.

2) Extend the Green Line west to a "passenger reception facility" (previously discussed) and "cellphone-and-meet" waiting area near 96th Street. The tracks are then in service and ready to be routed to Tom Bradley International Terminal or another interterminal shuttle.

3) Extend the Gold Line just south of Union Station so that it can go directly to Long Beach. This is the biggest no-brainer in the world and it is a shame that the MTA hasn't made this happen already, funds or no funds. Allocating a chunk from the "subway to the sea" planning budget to realize a real service would give riders direct service from Pasadena to Long Beach or the Expo Line as well as to East Los Angeles.

4) Beg the Orange County Transportation Authority to extend the northern terminus of its high-speed service to Bob Hope Burbank Airport. My mayor, Bill Bogaard, should get on board with this as Pasadena is a one-third owner of the airport. This would reduce crowding or assist with load-balancing at John Wayne.

None of the four proposals listed above are money-losers or deal-breakers. They simply take what we already have or are planning and enhance them to suit our region's needs. Our end result is a hub-and-spoke transportation system with Union Station at its center and spokes reaching, at least one day, all the way to Ventura and Riverside counties as well as Culver City and the ocean.

[John M]

And would service to Palm Springs be too much competition with Amtrak and the 'hound? Of course, following that logic you could extend Metrolink all the way to the river, and who wants to go there? On a Friday night?

[John M]

And would service to Palm Springs be too much competition with Amtrak and the 'hound? Of course, following that logic you could extend Metrolink all the way to the river, and who wants to go there? On a Friday night?

[Dan W.]

Commuter rail is the underused and underappreciated part of our transit system. Let's have these trains run ever 10-12 minutes and watch ridership increase exponentially.

Once we get the Green Line linked up with Metrolink in the Valley and Norwalk/Santa Fe Spring, and the Purple Line to the sea finished, Metrolink will REALLY be attractive.

It's the most comfortable ride on offer.

[Tom A.]

If they wanted to, they could extend it all the way to Hemet and San Jacinto (the right-of-way already exists). A line to Perris would be great, but one all the way to San Jacinto would REALLY be something to crow about...

[n in studio city]

bring it on!