SYSTEM

TRANSPORTATION PASSENGER RAIL

ADOPTED | APRIL 2016

APPENDIX

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1

RAIL IN THE SCAG REGION–EXISTING CONDITIONS 1

CURRENT PLANNING EFFORTS 7

LOSSAN JPA 10

RAIL IN THE SCAG REGION–FUTURE CONDITIONS 11

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT 12

THE STATE OF THE SYSTEM 14

NEEDS ASSESSMENT 19

FUTURE RIDERSHIP DEMAND 19

ADDRESSING UNSERVED MARKETS 19

RAIL AND SUSTAINABILITY 24

RAIL AND LAND USE 25

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION 

AND RESILIENCE 26

CONSTRAINED PLAN PROJECTS 27

STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS 27

REGIONAL PASSENGER RAIL RECOMMENDATIONS 

AND STRATEGIES 31

NOTES 33

ADOPTED | APRIL 2016

APPENDIX

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL
PASSENGER RAIL

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

The SCAG region is served by an extensive rail network, including intercity, commuter 

and freight services, that is progressively expanding and improving in terms of capacity, 

efficiency and safety for its passenger rail and freight operations. Southern California and 

the nation are undeniably experiencing a rail renaissance and many capital, operational 

and safety improvements are underway and planned along this existing network and for 

corridors currently not served by rail.

There are two main passenger rail operators and two main freight operators in the SCAG 

region. The two passenger rail operators are Amtrak and the Southern California Regional 

Rail Authority (SCRRA). Amtrak operates intercity rail via its Pacific Surfliner, the second 

highest ridership line in its national network; and via its three long distance services: the 

Coast Starlight, the Southwest Chief and the Sunset Limited. SCRRA operates commuter 

rail, branded “Metrolink,” on seven lines operating in five of our region’s six counties 

along 536 miles of track and connects with San Diego County’s commuter rail service in 

Oceanside. Passenger rail and commuter rail are adressed together in this appendix as 

Amtrak, Metrolink and the freight railroads share a common rail infrastructure, expecially on 

the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) corridor.

The two main freight operators are the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and Union 

Pacific (UP) railroads that operate on extensive local and transcontinental networks and 

which serve the Long Beach and Los Angeles port complex, which is by far the nation’s 

largest port complex, and serves as a huge economic anchor of our region. (Please see the 

Goods Movement Appendix for more information on freight railroads in the port complex.)

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) will bring high-speed rail service 

to the SCAG region as early as 2029 and is constructing its first segments in the San 

Joaquin Valley. CHSRA has produced alternatives analyses and is now entering in to the 

environmental clearance phase for the several segments of their network in the SCAG region.

RAIL IN THE SCAG REGION–EXISTING 

CONDITIONS

INTERCITY RAIL

Intercity Rail typically involves Amtrak services that operate passenger trips which are 

longer than traditional commuter rail. These trips are generally interregional and interstate in 

nature, with fares higher than commuter rail over a given trip distance.

THE PACIFIC SURFLINER

The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner serves a 351-mile-long corridor connecting San Luis Obispo, 

Los Angeles and San Diego. For administrative and management purposes it is referred 

to as the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. This name was created when stakeholders formed a 

management and planning Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and at the time member agencies 

only included representatives from Los Angeles to San Diego. The Pacific Surfliner is the 

second busiest service in Amtrak’s national network, only behind the Northeast Corridor and 

moves nearly nine percent of Amtrak’s total national ridership. Currently, there are 11 daily 

round trips between Los Angeles Union Station and San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot, five round 

trips between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and Goleta and two daily round trips serving 

San Luis Obispo. Pacific Surfliner train service is augmented by Amtrak Thruway buses 

providing an important extension for the Pacific Surfliner. The Thruway service is part of 

Amtrak’s network and not available to the general public as they can only be used as part of 

a linked trip with an Amtrak train. The Pacific Surfliner Thruway routes offer service from:

z Los Angeles to Bakersfield

z Los Angeles to Santa Barbara

z Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo-San Francisco/Oakland

z Santa Barbara to San Jose

z Fullerton to Indio via Palm Springs

The Pacific Surfliner’s ridership has grown steadily over the years and now carries about 

2.7 million riders per year for FY2013-14. Train service has also steadily grown. Rail 

service between Los Angeles and San Diego has been running since 1938. It was first 

operated by the Atchinson Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and called the “San Diegan.” 

In 1971, when Amtrak was created it assumed operation of the San Diegan service. In 

2000, the San Diegan was renamed the Pacific Surfliner and service was extended 

north to San Luis Obispo.

THE COAST STARLIGHT

The Amtrak Coast Starlight operates between Los Angeles Union Station and Seattle, 

Washington via Oakland and Emeryville, CA. It provides one round trip per day. It is 

Amtrak’s second most popular long distance train. Planning is underway to bring back the 

“Coast Daylight,” which would run between Los Angeles directly in to San Francisco’s new 

Transbay Terminal (now under construction) via the San Francisco peninsula. Plans call for 

extending a current Pacific Surfliner train north to establish this service. The San Luis Obispo 

Council of Governments (SLOCOG) is leading this effort.
 2 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

z no higher station densities in more dense urban areas than suburban areas.

Commuter rail does not include heavy rail rapid transit such as subways, or light rail or 

streetcars. Commuter rail station stops tend to be much closer together than those of 

intercity passenger rail such as the Pacific Surfliner. Also, smaller portions of the total 

route alignment tend to be out of urbanized statistical areas and a much higher proportion 

of passengers are daily riders. Peak ridership occurs on weekdays, whereas intercity rail 

operators often have weekend peak ridership. Commuter rail often fuses urban transit 

business models with railroad style operations. As a result, farebox recovery ratios tend to be 

lower, though operations costs tend to be similar.

METROLINK

SCRRA is the commuter rail operator in the SCAG region, operating 165 daily trains on seven 

different lines on 536 route miles. These lines are the Antelope Valley Line, connecting 

Los Angeles to Palmdale and Lancaster in the Antelope Valley; the Inland Empire/Orange 

County Line (IEOC), connecting San Bernardino and Riverside with Oceanside via Orange 

County; the Orange County Line, operating between Los Angeles and Oceanside through 

Orange County: the Riverside Line from Los Angeles to downtown Riverside; the San 

Bernardino Line, between Los Angeles and the City of San Bernardino; the Ventura County 

Line, operating between Los Angeles and East Ventura via the San Fernando Valley; and 

the 91 Line, operating between downtown Los Angeles to South Perris via downtown 

Riverside and Fullerton along the SR 91 corridor. The Orange County Line extends south to 

Oceanside in San Diego County, where it connects with the COASTER commuter rail service 

to San Diego and the SPRINTER rail service inland to Escondido. Both of these services are 

operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD). The COASTER is a commuter railroad 

like Metrolink that also operates on the weekends and the SPRINTER is a light rail using 

diesel multiple units (DMUs) for propulsion.

The Antelope Valley, IEOC, Orange County, San Bernardino and 91 Lines also operate 

weekend service. Metrolink operates along track and right-of-way (ROW) owned by the 

county transportation commissions (CTCs), who are SCRRA member agencies, and the 

freight railroads: BNSF and UP. For example, the Ventura County Line is owned by the UP 

west of Moorpark station; The 91 Line is owned by BNSF; and the Riverside Line is owned 

by UP. SCRRA and the CTCs have cooperative agreements with the freight railroads in 

these corridors and these agreements limit service, perhaps most severely on the Riverside 

Line which is limited to just six round trips per day. The San Bernardino Line, Metrolink’s 

busiest carrying about 11,000 passenger per day, has 38 daily trips and weekend service 

with reduced volumes.

THE SAN JOAQUIN

 The Amtrak San Joaquin operates between Bakersfield and Oakland and Sacramento. 

Four round trips per day serve Oakland from Bakersfield and two round trips per day serve 

Sacramento from Bakersfield. While outside of the SCAG region, significant passenger travel 

activity occurs between Los Angeles Union Station and Bakersfield via the Amtrak Thruway 

bus connecting the San Joaquin service to the Pacific Surfliner service. The San Joaquin is 

Amtrak’s third busiet corridor, and Caltrans Division of Rail recently handed over local control 

of the service to the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority.

THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF

The Southwest Chief is an Amtrak long distance train and operates between Los Angeles 

and Chicago. It provides the only rail service in California from Los Angeles east to Victorville, 

Barstow and Needles and then spans the country with major stops in Flagstaff, Albuquerque, 

Kansas City and Chicago. Due to the grades encountered traversing the El Cajon Pass, the 

Southwest Chief takes about three and a half hours to travel between downtown L.A. and 

Victorville. It operates one round trip daily.

THE SUNSET LIMITED

The Sunset Limited is also an Amtrak long distance train but operates just three days a 

week in each direction connecting Los Angeles, Tucson, San Antonio and New Orleans. It is 

the only rail service serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley from Los Angeles albeit 

with departures and arrivals in the middle of the night. In San Antonio, part of the trainset 

continues north to Chicago as The Texas Eagle, via Little Rock and St. Louis. At one time 

the Sunset Limited operated daily all the way to Jacksonville, Florida via New Orleans and 

arrived eastbound in Palm Springs at about 6:00 p.m.

COMMUTER RAIL

DEFINITION OF COMMUTER RAIL 

Commuter rail service is defined in the National Transit Database as a transit mode that is 

an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local 

short distance travel operating between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Service must 

be operated on a regular basis by, or under contract with, a transit operator for the purpose 

of transporting passengers within urbanized areas (UZAs), or between UZAs and outlying 

areas. Such rail service, using either locomotive-hauled or self-propelled railroad passenger 

cars, is generally characterized by:

z multi-trip tickets,

z specific station-to-station or zone-to-zone fares,

z traditional railroad employment practices by the operator, and
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alha m bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew oo d

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valley

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak)

Southwest Chief (Amtrak Long Distance)

Coast Starlight (Amtrak Long Distance)

Sunset Limited (Amtrak Long Distance)

Metrolink Network (Existing and Planned)

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Exhibit 1 SCAG Region Amtrak Services
 4 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

operation of a regional passenger rail system serving the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, 

Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. The SCRRA branded the regional commuter rail 

system “Metrolink.” The SCRRA is a JPA consisting of five member agencies—Metro, OCTA, 

RCTC, SANBAG and VCTC—and three ex-officio member agencies—SCAG, the San Diego 

Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Caltrans.

Metrolink’s first three lines: the San Bernardino Line, the Santa Clarita Line (now the 

Antelope Valley Line) and the Ventura County Line, inaugurated service to downtown Los 

Angeles in October 1992. The Riverside Line was added in June 1993, the Orange County 

Line in April 1994, the IEOC in October 1995 and the 91 Line between Los Angeles and 

Riverside via Fullerton in May 2002.

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED TRAIN

The California High-Speed Train (CA HST) is a voter-approved high-speed rail service 

connecting the State’s major metropolitan areas. Voters passed Proposition 1A in 2008 

for the first phase of the project from Los Angeles and Anaheim to San Francisco. The 

bond measure calls for speeds of up to 220 mph enabling the trip from Los Angeles to San 

Francisco to be completed in two hours and forty minutes. The measure authorized the 

sale of $9.95 billion in bond funds for Phase One of the project. Phase Two will connect 

Sacramento to San Francisco and Los Angeles to San Diego via the San Gabriel Valley and 

Inland Empire. The travel time between downtown Los Angeles to San Diego will be one 

hour and twenty minutes.

The CA HST will provide an additional intrastate transportation option in California, offering 

an alternative to air and auto travel and providing new capacity for travel to California’s 

constrained highways and airport capacities, especially as its population continues to grow. 

CHSRA, in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which has provided 

$3.6 billion in High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail funding, have chosen to begin 

construction in the San Joaquin Valley.

There are five segments of the project under development in the SCAG Region: 

z Bakersfield to Palmdale

z Palmdale to Burbank

z Burbank to Los Angeles

z Los Angeles to Anaheim

z Los Angeles to San Diego (Phase Two)

SCRRA is funded by the five CTCs based on route mileage and service levels. These 

CTCs are the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), the Los Angeles County 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the Riverside County Transportation 

Commission (RCTC), the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and the 

Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC). In early 2016, RCTC opened the 

Perris Valley Line, the first extension of the Metrolink network since 2002. It runs south 

from downtown Riverside to South Perris serving four new stations on 24 miles of track, as 

an extension of the 91 Line. Metrolink also competed its system-wide implementation of 

Positive Train Control (PTC), the first commuter railroad in the nation to do so, in 2015.

Metrolink operates 165 daily trains on its seven lines carrying roughly 41,500 passengers 

on weekdays as of the 1st Qtr. of FY2014-15 and 22,750 passengers on weekends (Saturday 

and Sunday combined). Metrolink carried 11.7 million passengers in FY2013-14, a 2.7 

percent decrease from FY2012-13. Ridership has generally increased year over year 

but was negatively impacted by the Great Recession. After rebounding from the Great 

Recession, ridership again slipped two to three percentage points in FY2013-14 but has 

since stabilized in FY2014-15. Metrolink conducted a fare policy analysis in the summer of 

2015. Consensus has built among stakeholders that its fares may be a contributing factor 

to the recent ridership decline. Among the options considered was an off-peak fare, which 

it had for many years, and station-to-station discounts in the off-peak period. A six-month 

pilot project began on the Antelope Valley Line in July 2015. In addition to a 25 percent fare 

reduction (with the exception of the weekend day pass), customers could travel between 

adjacent stations for just $2.00 on the Antelope Valley Line. Due to the success of this pilot 

project, Metrolink instituted a $3.00 station-to-station fare system-wide on January 1, 

2016. (The $2.00 station-to-station program was discontinued on the Antelope Valley Line, 

however the 25 percent fare reduction was extended to June 30, 2016.) Metrolink has had 

a weekend day pass for just $10.00 with unlimited riding anywhere in its system since 2013 

that has proven very popular.

Metrolink’s FY2013-14 farebox recovery was 43.3 percent. Its farebox recovery has been 

within 43 percent to 45 percent the last five years. In addition to being the first commuter 

railroad to implement PTC, Metrolink will be operating 35-plus fuel-efficient, ultra-low 

emission Tier IV locomotives beginning in 2016—also the first commuter railroad in 

the nation to do so.

SCRRA contracts with Amtrak to operate its service, Bombardier for rail equipment 

maintenance and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for security.

Metrolink’s History

The California State Legislature enacted SB 1402 in June 1990, requiring the CTCs of 

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino to develop a plan for regional transit 

services. In August 1991, SCRRA was created to plan, design, construct and administer the 
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alha m bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew oo d

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valley

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

Metrolink System (2012) Perris Valley Line Phase 1

Perris Valley Line Phase 2

San Bernardino Extension Connection to Ontario International Airport

Source: SCAG, 2015

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Exhibit 2 Metrolink
 6 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

work continues on the planning, conceptual engineering and environmental analysis to 

refine the alternatives presented in the SAA. The environmental process is underway 

with a final environmental document and federal Record of Decision (ROD) scheduled for 

completion in 2017. 

PALMDALE TO BURBANK

This section will run from the Palmdale CA HST station to the Burbank Bob Hope Airport 

CA HST station. In July 2014 CHSRA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS/

EIR for the Palmdale to Burbank section. The third SAA, completed in May of 2014 for the 

original Palmdale to Los Angeles section, discussed the concept of evaluating Palmdale to 

Los Angeles section as two sections in light of, among other factors, the IOS concept (with 

its interim terminus in the San Fernando Valley/Burbank) introduced in the 2012 and 2014 

Business Plans. The May 2014 SAA refined the alignment alternatives and station options, 

including identifying the Palmdale Transportation Center Station option at the northern end 

and the Burbank Bob Hope Airport Station as the southern limit of this new Palmdale to 

Burbank Section. A SAA was released in June 2015 that incorporated the new East Corridor 

alternative alignment in addition to the original SR 14 corridor. The East Corridor identifies 

three tunneling alternatives through the San Gabriel Mountains east of the SR 14 corridor. A 

federal ROD on the final environmental document is expected in 2017.

BURBANK TO LOS ANGELES

This section will run from the Burbank Bob Hope Airport CA HST station to L.A. Union 

Station and as described in the previous section, was split from the original Palmdale to 

Los Angeles section. This approximately 12-mile corridor will follow the existing LOSSAN 

Corridor. In October 2014, CHSRA issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for regional 

consultant services for the Burbank to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Anaheim sections. 

The regional consultant, selected in 2015, is providing planning, preliminary engineering, 

alternatives development, financial and programming analysis, stakeholder coordination, 

environmental and ROW services. A federal ROD on the final environmental document 

is expected in 2017.

LOS ANGELES TO ANAHEIM

This section will run from L.A. Union Station to the Anaheim Regional Transportation 

Intermodal Center (ARTIC). A SAA was completed in July 2010. In October 2014, the 

Authority issued a RFQ for regional consultant services for the Burbank to Los Angeles 

and Los Angeles to Anaheim project sections. The regional consultant, selected in 2015, 

is providing planning, preliminary engineering, alternatives development, financial and 

programming analysis, stakeholder coordination, environmental and ROW services. A 

federal ROD on the final environmental document is expected in 2017.

All five segments have produced alternatives analysis documents and are proceeding 

in various stages to the environmental review process. CHSRA’s 2012 Business Plan 

introduced a new construction and implementation approach called the “Blended Approach,” 

which calls for investing in existing rail services for speed and service improvements in the 

“bookends” (the Bay Area and Southern California) for connectivity until the entire CA HST is 

built in phases over time.

CHSRA officially broke ground on January 6, 2015 in the San Joaquin Valley in the City 

of Fresno. In August 2013, CHSRA executed its first design-build contract, known as 

Construction Package 1 (CP 1). This 29-mile segment runs from Avenue 17 in Madera south 

to East American Avenue in Fresno. CHSRA awarded Construction Package 2-3 (CP 2-3), 

which covers the next 65 miles from Fresno south to one mile north of the Tulare–Kern 

County line near Bakersfield, in January 2015. CP 4 includes the next 22 miles south to just 

north of Shafter, CA. CHSRA issued a Notice of Intent to Award for CP 4 in January 2016.

CHSRA DRAFT 2016 BUSINESS PLAN

CHSRA released its Draft 2016 Business Plan in February 2016. The Draft includes a 

significant change to the Initial Operating Segment (IOS) as defined in the 2014 Business 

Plan. Whereas previously the IOS was proposed to connect Merced to the San Fernando 

Valley by 2022, it is now proposed to connect San Jose to north of Bakersfield by 2025. 

The Draft 2016 Business Plan’s schedule is to complete the Phase One system to Los 

Angeles Union Station and Anaheim by 2029. The draft plan has a significant reduction 

in the cost of construction of the northern IOS, from $31.0 billion to $20.7 billion; and a 

reduction in overall Phase One cost from $67.6 billion to $64.2 billion.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTIONS

There are five Southern California sections that would serve the SCAG region:

z Bakersfield to Palmdale

z Palmdale to Burbank

z Burbank to Los Angeles

z Los Angeles to Anaheim

z Los Angeles to San Diego (Phase Two)

BAKERSFIELD TO PALMDALE

This segment will run from Bakersfield to Palmdale via the “Bakersfield Gap” will follow the 

UP single track ROW through the Tehachapi Mountains. The Palmdale station is planned 

to be co-located with the existing Palmdale Transportation Center that serves Metrolink. A 

Supplemental Alternatives Analysis (SAA) was completed in September 2012. Currently, 
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM 

I PASSENGER RAIL 7

LOS ANGELES TO SAN DIEGO

This section will run from L.A. Union Station to the San Diego Airport Intermodal 

Transportation Center. This alignment will be through the San Gabriel Valley and Inland 

Empire at about 170 miles in length. A Preliminary Alternatives Analysis was completed 

in March 2011 and since that time 18 areas of the alignment have been under study for 

refinement, along with a station market analysis and connectivity analysis. Phase Two 

includes several alternative alignments including I-10 and SR 60 in the San Gabriel Valley 

and I-15 and I-215 in the Inland Empire. Work on this section is in close coordination with the 

Southern California Inland Corridor Group that includes transportation agency stakeholders 

along the corridor including SCAG.

CURRENT PLANNING EFFORTS

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL MEMORANDUM 

OF UNDERSTANDING

The blended approach involves improving existing passenger rail facilities in Southern 

California and the Bay Area (the “bookends”) to connect to the CA HST as part of a phased 

implementation strategy to deliver the full system while reducing costs and environmental 

impacts. The development of the 2012 RTP/SCS involved debate and discussion by the 

SCAG Regional Council on whether to include Phase One of the CA HST in the 2012 RTP/

SCS. Based on these discussions, the Regional Council agreed to include Phase One in the 

2012 RTP/SCS and the CHSRA committed to spend $1 billion in Prop. 1A funds and other 

funding sources on these early investments to improve the region’s existing passenger rail 

system as part of the blended approach. This commitment by CHSRA and the Southern 

California transportation agencies was formalized in a memorandum of understanding 

(MOU) between CHSRA, Metrolink, SCAG, SANDAG, Metro, RCTC, and the City of Anaheim. 

Key principles of the MOU include: z the CHSRA agrees to fund an additional $1 billion in early investments in Southern 

California above and beyond the Prop 1A $950 million interconnectivity projects;

z a candidate project list is incorporated in to the MOU for the $1 billion in early 

investments to be funded by 2020;

z performance criteria are agreed on and also incorporated in to the MOU for 

selecting the projects from the candidate project list; and

z an agreed upon process for selecting the prioritized project list of 

these early investments.
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alha m bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew oo d

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valley

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

CA HSR Phase 1 Plan

CA HSR Phase 1 Alternatives 

CA HSR Phase 2 Plan

CA HSR Phase 2 Alternatives

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Exhibit 3 CA HSR 
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 9

All agencies which are signatories to the MOU have approved and executed the MOU (with 

the exception of SANBAG). The CHSRA approved the MOU at its April 2012 meeting. The 

CHSRA also approved their 2012 Business Plan at that meeting which incorporates the 

MOU into the plan. OCTA was an original proposed signatory to the MOU, however opted not 

to approve it but rather to pass a resolution supporting the blended/bookend approach and 

high-speed rail investments in our existing passenger rail services. The Southern California 

Rail Partners Working Group is continuing the effort to secure funding for the projects and 

move them forward. A Finance Subcommittee has been established towards this end.

LOS ANGELES UNION STATION MASTER PLAN

The Los Angeles Union Station Master Plan is a visioning effort to improve the station in 

many aspects and coincides with Union Station celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2014. 

Metro purchased the property in 2011 along with 47 acres of surrounding land and is 

working to improve the historic station, which in the 60s, 70s and 80s had become virtually 

dormant. The Master Plan is designed to preserve the architectural beauty of Union Station 

as it prepares the civic icon to meet the growing transportation demands of the 21st century. 

Nearly 70,000 people pass through the station on an average weekday and this is expected 

to grow to 100,000 by 2020 and to 140,000 users by 2040. Improvements include:

z a new expanded multi-modal passenger concourse (currently called the tunnel) 

that would be widened for greater capacity;

z widened passenger platforms for increased capacity;

z improved signage and wayfinding;

z a relocated bus plaza from the east side of the station to the west side;

z accommodating future tracks and platforms for the CA HST project;

z establishing a pedestrian gateway on the west side of the station to connect with 

historic Placita Olvera;

z 3.25 million square feet of improved retail and transit-oriented 

development (TOD) uses; and

z improved pedestrian and bike facilities.

In addition to the Master Plan, plans are underway to construct a new express bus passenger 

facility along the El Monte Express Lanes on the south side of the station with a direct 

pedestrian connection in to the station. Currently, the thousands of daily I-10 Express Lanes 

bus patrons are dropped off at a street corner outside of Union Station to arrive downtown 

and picked up on a freeway island with sparse passenger amenities and virtually no shelter 

from the elements to travel eastbound. The Southern California Regional Interconnector 

Project is also part of the Master Plan and is described later in this Appendix.

The MOU includes a candidate project list to which $1 billion will be programmed in order to 

provide interconnectivity to the CA HST project and improve the speed, capacity, operational 

efficienty and safety of our existing passenger rail network. A MOU Working Group met over 

several months in 2012 and developed the project list using agreed-upon criteria. The list 

includes 74 projects totaling about $3.9 billion. While this is well over $1 billion, it represents 

a comprehensive project list that shows the need for capital improvements to improve speed 

and service for our region’s existing rail network as well as to deliver the blended approach. 

The twelve criteria are:

z Project Readiness by 2020 Fits Within Statutory Requirements for Prop 1A 

Funding for CA HST Phase One

z Regional Connectivity to the CA HST and Linkages

z Improved Operations and Speed

z Enables Development of CA HST

z Independent Utility

z Enhanced Capacity

z CPUC Hazard Ranking (Section 190)

z Safety Improvements to Increase Speed

z Leverages Local Investment

z County Priority

z Top County Priority

The top six projects on the list, as shown in Table 1, are each of the five county’s (Los 

Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego) top projects, plus the Southern 

California Regional Interconnector Project (formerly called the L.A. Union Station RunThrough tracks) due to its regional significance and benefit to all counties.

Table 1 Top MOU Projects

CP = A track switch, or the location of a track signal or other marker with which dispatchers can specify when controlling trains.

Los Angeles Southern California Regional Interconnector Project

Los Angeles CP Brighton to CP Roxford Double Track

Orange State College Blvd. Grade Separation

Riverside McKinley St. Grade Separation

San Bernardino CP Lilac to CP Rancho Double Track

San Diego San Onofre to Pulgas Double Track
 10 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

management for the Pacific Surfliner. DOR has also traditionally provided state operating 

subsidies for the Pacific Surfliner in order to provide a much higher level of service than 

Amtrak would otherwise provide. This subsidy has recently been about $90 million a year. 

In 2011, the LOSSAN Board asked the LOSSAN Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) group to 

recommend changes to the LOSSAN governance structure that would enhance the LOSSAN 

Board’s ability to implement speed, service and marketing improvements, especially in light 

of upcoming changes to federal operating subsidies per Section 209 of the Passenger Rail 

Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) and the Southern California High-Speed 

Rail Memorandum of Understanding improvements. The LOSSAN CEOs group proposed 

a new Joint Powers Authority (JPA) structure wherein the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency 

would have direct control of Amtrak operations, similar to Northern California’s Capitol 

Corridor JPA for Amtrak’s Capital Corridor Service. The Capitol Corridor implemented local 

control from the DOR in 1998 to much success.

In August 2011, the LOSSAN Board unanimously approved the recommendation of the 

LOSSAN CEOs group to move forward and develop a governance initiative that would 

assume local control of the state- supported Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service. SB 1225 was 

authored by State Senator Alex Padilla and introduced into 2012’s legislative session in 

February, 2012. It was approved by the state legislature in August and signed in to law by 

Governor Brown in September of 2012. A companion bill for local control of the Amtrak San 

Joaquin service in the San Joaquin Valley was also signed in to law that year.

The benefits of local management of passenger rail service in the LOSSAN corridor include:

z More efficient resource allocation related to service expansion, 

frequencies and schedules;

z A unified voice at the state and federal level when advocating on passenger rail 

issues, including funding for capital improvements;

z Consolidated services such as fares, ticketing, marketing and passenger 

information systems;

z Coordinated capital improvement prioritization; and

z More focused oversight of on-time performance, schedule integration, mechanical 

issues and customer service.

SB 1225 provided a timetable for DOR to transfer management of the Pacific Surfliner 

to the new locally-controlled JPA by June of 2015 by means of an Interagency 

Transfer Agreement (ITA). Importantly, it specifies that funding and levels of service 

will remain at least at the same levels for the initial three-year period from the ITA’s 

effective date of execution.

METROLINK STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT

SCRRA initiated its Strategic Assessment in 2015. This was SCRRA’s first long range plan 

since 2007. The effort took a comprehensive look at a variety of the agency’s organizational 

elements including a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges analysis (SWOT 

analysis), operations, maintenance, marketing, security, as well as an assessment of how 

regional travel in Southern California is evolving. Ridership demand and service levels were 

forecasted out to 2025.

LOSSAN JPA

The 351-mile long LOSSAN rail corridor traverses six counties from San Diego to 

San Luis Obispo. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service runs on the corridor as well as 

Metrolink, the NCTD’s Coaster service and freight service by Union Pacific and 

Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

The LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency was formed in 1989 by stakeholders along its corridor 

in order to increase ridership, revenue, train capacity, reliability and safety on the corridor 

between Los Angeles Union Station and San Diego. In 2002, the agency expanded to 

include the entire Pacific Surfliner corridor north to San Luis Obispo. The agency is governed 

by a Board of Directors and member agencies include:

z San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG)

z Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG)

z Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC)

z Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)

z Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Riverside County Transportation 

Commission (RCTC)

z North County Transit District (NCTD)

z San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)

z San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)

z California Department of Transportation Division of Rail (DOR) (ex-officio)

z Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) (ex-officio)

z Amtrak (ex-officio)

z California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) (ex-officio)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is the designated intercity passenger rail service in the corridor 

and since Amtrak took over passenger service in 1971, DOR had provided administration and 
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 11

year of the 2016 RTP/SCS. The 2012 LOSSAN Strategic Implementation Plan (LOSSAN 

SIP) and the Metrolink Strategic Assessment both forecast significant increases in passenger 

and service volumes. The CA HST is now being constructed and Southern California HSR 

MOU blended projects that have independent utility from the CA HST are advancing. There 

are significant barriers to this progress however, notably, a lack of increased and dedicated 

funding streams and freight-owned corridors where shared use agreements restrict 

passenger rail services now operating. These freight-owned corridors result in a supply 

of passenger rail trips that may not meet the real or latent demand in the corridor such 

as Metrolink’s 91 and Riverside Lines. Both the LOSSAN SIP and the Metrolink Strategic 

Assessment forecast higher passenger and train volumes on these freight-owned corridors 

and these volumes would require renegotiated shared-use agreements. More funding for 

capital improvements would be necessary for this increased volume.

INTERCITY AND COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE

Both Amtrak and Metrolink are forecasted to increase their train passenger and train 

volumes as forecasted in their respective strategic plans mentioned above. Metrolink’s 

growth is forecasted by the Strategic Assessment from 165 current daily trains to 240 by 

2025. In addition, the LOSSAN SIP forecasts up to 310 daily Metrolink trains in 2040. For 

the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, the LOSSAN SIP forecasts up to 18 daily round trips between 

downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and additional round trips between downtown Los 

Angeles and Santa Barbara. Additionally, the LOSSAN SIP includes:

z New Coast Daylight Service: 1 round-trip per day

z New East Ventura to Santa Barbara Commuter Service: 4 round-trips per day

z New Los Angeles to San Diego Commuter Service: 5 round-trips per day split 

between Metrolink and Coaster

z New Express Service: 4 round-trips per day split between Metrolink 

and Pacific Surfliner

z New Metrolink Service to San Jacinto: 8 round-trips per day

BLENDED OPERATIONS

The Southern California HSR MOU projects include additional double tracking, sidings, 

station improvements, grade separations and grade crossings that benefit the existing 

Metrolink network and LOSSAN Corridor so that speed and service improvements can be 

delivered to our region much sooner than the CA HST’s arrival. The Draft 2016 CHSRA 

Business Plan identifies significant investments in the Burbank to Anaheim corridor that will 

benefit existing rail services in advance of CA HST starting service in Southern California.

In 2013, OCTA was awarded the contract as the first local managing agency after a 

competitive procurement process. They began an initial “interim” term until the ITA was 

executed in June 2015 and commenced their three-year term to manage the service at 

that time. DOR will continue to provide a supportive role in the corridor and coordinate on 

aspects such as statewide planning and connectivity, feeder bus service and equipment 

acquisition and coordination. In addition, DOR will transition from being a voting member to 

an ex-officio member.

Improvements in the Pacific Surfliner service have already been realized including a 

LOSSAN Corridor joint timetable showing all Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink and Coaster trips; 

improved statistical performance reporting; and planning for free connecting transit at Pacific 

Surfliner stations, among other improvements.

FREIGHT

The SCAG region’s freight railroad system consists of two Class 1 railroads and about a 

half dozen Class 3, or short line railroads. Railroads are typically divided into three classes. 

Class 1 railroads generate more than $399 million in annual operating revenues (2010 FRA 

definition). The two Class 1 railroads operating in our region are BNSF and UP. They are two 

of the largest national railroads and operate national networks. Class II railroads, commonly 

referred to as regional railroads, generate between $31.9 million and $399 million in annual 

operating revenues. Class III railroads, commonly called short line railroads, generate less 

than $31.9 million in annual operating revenues and engage in line-haul movement. The 

notable short line railroad in our region is the Pacific Harbor Line, operating in the ports of Los 

Angeles and Long Beach on 59 miles of track. They connect with BNSF and UP, especially 

at the beginning of the Alameda Corridor.

While the freight railroads transport billions of dollars of goods within our region and to the 

rest of the country, Metrolink and Amtrak carry growing numbers of passengers along rail 

ROW owned by the freight railroads. This is allowed through shared use agreements, but 

unfortunately limits the amount of “slots” available for the passenger railroads, resulting 

in a supply of service that may not meet the real passenger demand. As noted earlier, the 

Metrolink Riverside Line is currently only allowed 12 daily slots resulting in just six round 

trips per day along this corridor. By the same token, freight railroads also operate on CTCowned ROW in certain rail corridors.

RAIL IN THE SCAG REGION–FUTURE 

CONDITIONS

It is expected that passenger rail service will grow significantly through the 2040 horizon 
 12 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT

High Desert Corridor (HDC): The HDC is an approximately 60-mile corridor that would 

connect the Antelope and Victor Valleys between SR 14 and I-15. It is a multi-purpose 

corridor with up to eight lanes that includes freeway/expressway, a possible toll facility, 

high-speed rail and bike lanes. This corridor will allow a connection between the CA HST 

in Palmdale with XpressWest between Victorville and Las Vegas and eventually other 

Southwest destinations such as Phoenix. The project is being funded through a variety of 

sources, including Measure R in Los Angeles County, Measure I in San Bernardino County 

and state and federal funds. Currently, the funding is only available for the environmental 

study phase and additional funding is required to enter in to the engineering and 

construction phases. A Draft EIR/EIS was released in the fall of 2014 and the Final EIR/EIS 

is expected in 2016.

Southern California Regional Interconnector Project (SCRIP): Los Angeles Union Station 

was originally designed as a “stub” rail facility, with tracks only flowing northward out 

from the station. This only allows for a “push/pull” trainset arrangement that results in 

significantly longer schedules as train crews have to switch to the cab car if the locomotive 

pulled in and southbound trains must first travel north out of the station before they can 

continue on in a southerly direction. The resulting increase in locomotive idling time also 

significantly adds to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Up to six tracks will be built to extend out of the south of Union Station and across the U.S. 

101 Freeway to connect with the main tracks along the Los Angeles River. This includes a 

wye on the southeast portion of the station area. These additional tracks will increase Union 

Station’s capacity by 40 percent to 50 percent, enabling the scheduling of many more 

through trains with improved running times as well as sharply reducing air pollution and 

greenhouse gas emissions from idling locomotives.

The Metro Board awarded a contract for environmental impact work and final engineering in 

April 2014. An additional component of the work is to study the effects of raising the entire 

platform areas in order to accommodate the SCRIP run-through tracks and to incorporate the 

larger passenger concourse that was developed as part of the Union Station Master Plan, as 

well as identifying any associated operational benefits. SCRIP could be completed as early 

as 2020 provided funding can be secured.

Rosecrans/Marquardt Grade Separation: The intersection of Rosecrans and Marquardt 

Avenues along the LOSSAN Corridor is an at-grade rail crossing located in the City of Santa 

Fe Springs. This grade crossing is along the BNSF San Bernardino Subdivision which is part 

of its transcontinental mainline, in addition to the LOSSAN corridor’s busy Amtrak Pacific 

Surfliner and Metrolink’s Orange County and 91 Lines. BNSF has mostly completed triple 

tracking between Redondo Junction in downtown L.A. and Fullerton Junction in Fullerton, 

but this location remains a choke point with the existing double track. This intersection has 

The Phase One blended system of the CA HST involves sharing the existing commuter rail 

infrastructure in Northern and Southern California to allow for a one-seat ride before full CA 

HST infrastructure is constructed. By upgrading existing Caltrain, Metrolink and Amtrak 

rights of way and infrastructure, the CA HST can travel onward to San Francisco or Los 

Angeles at lower speeds while it is being built in segments. This will also allow for higher 

speeds for Metrolink and Amtrak on its improved infrastructure.

In the SCAG region, this plan may be complicated by propulsion issues. While the CA HST 

will be electrified via direct-overhead electrical lines (catenaries), Amtrak and Metrolink 

currently operate diesel-electric locomotives, as do UP and BNSF. 

CA HSR PHASE TWO

CA HST Phase Two from downtown Los Angeles to San Diego will link many urban areas 

and activity centers within the SCAG region via the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire. 

This corridor is about 160 miles long and traverses Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino 

and San Diego counties. With more than 21 million residents, these four counties make 

up about 56 percent of the state’s current population and will grow significantly by 2050. 

Upon completion, Phase Two will provide important access to planned and existing regional 

centers, including Ontario International Airport, the March Inland Port and possibly San 

Bernardino International and Corona airports, helping to meet SCAG’s long-term goal of 

regionalizing air travel in Southern California. Furthermore, Phase Two may one day be the 

basis for further high-speed rail extensions into Nevada and Arizona.

The CA HST will provide excellent regional connectivity to our region by connecting with 

a robust network of intercity and commuter rail, subway, light-rail, modern streetcars and 

fixed-route transit systems. Integrated planning and service levels of these connecting 

services will allow them and the CA HST to feed and complement each other. While 

commuter, intercity and interregional rail services are distinct travel markets, the proper 

coordination of their schedules will further increase the region’s rail and transit ridership by 

attracting new and crossover passengers to these different markets. It will also significantly 

relieve capacity constraints of the existing air and highway transportation system as 

increases in intercity travel demand in California occur. By attracting a large number of 

trips from current auto and air travel markets, a significant decrease in greenhouse gas 

emissions will be achieved in our region. In addition, the CA HST will provide a much cheaper 

alternative to building additional airport and highway capacity to serve intrastate aviation 

routes and auto trips.
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 13

Lone Hill to White Double Track: This is a 3.9-mile double track project in eastern Los 

Angeles County that was a major recommendation of the Metrolink San Bernardino Line 

study that was conducted jointly by Metro and SANBAG. Seventy percent of the San 

Bernardino Line is single-track operation and this project would significantly improve 

capacity. Environmental and preliminary design work began in the spring of 2015.

Bob Hope Airport/Hollywood Way Station: This new rail station is currently under 

construction on the east side of Burbank Bob Hope Airport, and will be served by the 

Metrolink Antelope Valley Line and the future CA HST. When it opens in December 2016, 

Burbank Bob Hope Airport will be served by two rail stations. 

Burbank Bob Hope Airport Station Pedestrian Bridge: This pedestrian bridge is in the 

planning stages and will connect the current Burbank Bob Hope Airport rail station via 

a pedestrian bridge over West Empire Ave. to the Regional Intermodal Transportation 

Center and its moving walkway to the airport terminals. The Burbank Bob Hope Airport rail 

station is served by the Metrolink Ventura County Line, and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner 

and Coast Starlight.

State College Boulevard Grade Separation: This project will construct a vehicle 

undercrossing to eliminate the existing at-grade crossing of State College Boulevard 

and the Los Angeles – San Diego - San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor, in the city of 

Anaheim in Orange County.

Placentia Metrolink Station: The downtown Placentia Metrolink station would be a new 

station added to the Metrolink network, serving the Metrolink 91 Line. Construction is slated 

for the end of 2016.

Downtown San Bernardino Transit Center: The Downtown San Bernardino Transit Center 

project also includes the one-mile Metrolink rail extension to downtown San Bernardino 

from the current terminus at the historic Santa Fe Depot. When completed in 2016, this 

multi-modal center will serve Metrolink, sbX BRT, the future Redlands Rail now under 

development and an array of local Omnitrans bus lines.

Redlands Rail: The Redlands Rail project would connect the new downtown San Bernardino 

Transit Center with the University of Redlands along nine miles of existing ROW. The service 

is planning on using diesel-multiple-units (DMUs) and construction could begin in 2017. The 

Final EIS/EIR was approved by the SANBAG Board in early 2015.

Coachella Valley Rail Service: The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) 

recently completed an Initial Service Development Plan for this unserved rail market 

connecting Downtown Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley. In 2015, the Federal Railroad 

Administration awarded RCTC and Caltrans $2.9 million for a full Service Development Plan 

and the additional necessary environmental documents needed for project approval.

been rated by the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as the most hazardous grade 

crossing in California and more than 130 trains and more than 45,000 vehicles use this 

crossing each day. The rail track has a diagonal configuration at the intersection which has 

led to a high rate of incidents. This project is fully funded under State’s Section 190 Program, 

Proposition 1A, Measure R and the BNSF Railway.

Raymer to Bernson Double Track: This project will add 6.4 miles of second mainline track 

between Control Point (CP) Bernson (near De Soto Ave) and CP Raymer (near Woodley Ave) 

in the San Fernando Valley. The project also includes grade crossing equipment upgrades, 

track controls and road improvements. Once complete, this will complete a continuous 

double track segment along the LOSSAN Corridor in the San Fernando Valley improving 

safety, capacity and operational reliability for the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink Ventura 

County Line. Also as part of this project, nine at-grade rail crossings and two bridges will be 

reconstructed and a second side platform and a grade separated pedestrian underpass will 

be built to connect the existing and new platform at the Northridge Station.

Brighton to Roxford Double Track: The Brighton to Roxford Double Track Project will 

construct 10.4 miles of new double track beginning at Control Point (CP) Brighton in the 

city of Burbank and ending at CP Roxford in the city of Sylmar on the Metrolink Antelope 

Valley Line. The project also includes construction of second side platforms at the Metrolink 

Hollywood Way Station and the Sylmar/San Fernando and Sun Valley Stations and will 

upgrade 16 at-grade crossings.

Doran Street Grade Separation: The Doran Street at-grade crossing has been identified as 

one that would gain the most significant benefit from safety enhancements in Los Angeles 

County. In addition, Doran Street is closely located to the Broadway/Brazil crossing, which 

is also heavily used by trucks and cars and may be a part of this project. About 90 Metrolink, 

Amtrak and UP Railroad trains use these crossings daily and the corridor is anticipated to be 

part of the CA HST alignment.

Rancho Vista Grade Separation: The Rancho Vista at-grade crossing in the City of Palmdale 

has been the location of several serious accidents over the years. This section of track is 

operated by Metrolink and the UP Railroad and is along the CA HST alignment.

Vincent Grade/Acton Siding and Platform: The Vincent Grade/Acton project will lengthen 

the existing siding at this location on the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line by 4,000 feet to 

create a two mile long passing siding. A second side platform will be added at the Vincent 

Grade/Acton Station. This project adds significant capacity to the northern portion of the 

Antelope Valley Line, which is mostly single track operation. Longer freight trains will be able 

to layover on the siding and not interfere with Metrolink trains which will result in improved 

on-time performance (OTP) and schedule reliability. A construction contract was awarded in 

the summer of 2015 and the project should be completed in 2016.
 14 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

THE STATE OF THE SYSTEM

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE METRICS AND TRENDS

PACIFIC SURFLINER

The Pacific Surfliner has a long-term trend of increasing ridership. Some of it by virtue of 

adding service over the years, but much of it by being an attractive alternative to passenger 

car travel along the corridor. The Pacific Surfliner carried 2,673,173 passengers in FY2013-

14. This is down just slightly from FY2012-13 when it carried 2,689,465 passengers. The 

peak ridership year was FY2009-08, at 2,835,132 boardings, before the Great Recession. 

Between FY1999-00 and FY2007-08, ridership grew about 85 percent.

OTP for FY2013-14 was 78.5 percent, down a little from FY2012-13 which was 82.5 percent. 

OTP has generally hovered in the high 70s recently. It was 75.5 percent for FY2011-12 

and 77.6 percent for FY2010-11. For the Pacific Surfliner, OTP policy is departing within 10 

minutes at scheduled station stops for the Goleta to San Diego Trains and within 20 minutes 

for the San Luis Obispo to San Diego trains. (The above figures are averaged to incorporate 

both segments.) Commuter rail in Southern California, Metrolink and NCTD’s Coaster, 

perform much better, generally above 90 percent and their OTP standard is departing 

within six minutes of scheduled times. Reasons for the Pacific Surfliner’s lower OTP include 

maintenance work and slow orders from the host railroads, in this case freight operators 

FUTURE PLANNING EFFORTS

State Network Integration Plan: The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) has 

begun conducting a statewide rail network integration plan. As the passenger rail network 

and its service continue to grow year by year in the State, along with the future CA HST 

service, the goals of this study are to:

z better integrate regional, commuter and intercity passenger rail by improving 

connectivity, reliability, frequency, universal fare payment and marketing;

z attract new riders to rail and transit across the state by planning an integrated 

network including the future CA HST; and

z integrate passenger rail growth with regional sustainable community 

strategies, investments in station area planning, active transportation and first/

last mile solutions.

California State Rail Plan: Caltrans produces a State Rail Plan every four years. The 2013 

State Rail Plan was a comprehensive study of commuter rail, intercity rail and freight rail, 

including sections on existing conditions, challenges and opportunities, network integration, 

marketing, performance, future service, funding and financing and more. The next State Rail 

Plan is scheduled to be released in 2018.

2.70

2.60

2.75

2.66

2.70

2.67

FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14

Figure 1 Pacific Surfliner Ridership (in Millions)

Source: LOSSAN Managing Agency.

80.8%

79.0%

77.6%

75.5%

82.5%

78.5%

FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14

Figure 2 Pacific Surfliner On-Time Performance (OTP) as Percentages

Source: LOSSAN Managing Agency.
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 15

METROLINK

SCRRA operates 165 weekday trains on seven lines carrying about 41,500 daily passengers 

(FY2014-15 1st Qtr). 34 trains are operated on Saturdays and 28 on Sundays. System-wide 

average speed is 37 mph (FY2014-15 1st Qtr). Metrolink operates two round-trip express 

trains: one round-trip on the San Bernardino Line and one round-trip on the Antelope Valley 

Line (to Palmdale only). Metrolink carried 11.7 million passengers in FY2013-14, a 2.7 

percent decrease from FY2012-13. The reasons for this decrease have not been determined, 

but Metrolink has generally increased fares every year and this may be a factor. Metrolink 

ridership traditionally increased year over year since it began operating but was negatively 

impacted by the Great Recession.

Metrolink’s farebox recovery was 43.3 percent in FY2013-14 and has been in the range 

of 42 percent to about 50 percent for the last two years. Metrolink’s OTP has been very 

good historically ranging from 93 percent to 95 percent over the last ten years. A train is 

considered late if it departs a station six minutes or more from the scheduled time. The OTP 

for FY2013-14 was 94 percent. 

Metrolink’s average system-wide speed is 37 mph. The average speeds vary by line and 

top speeds are generally 79 mph, except for a section of track in Camp Pendleton where the 

maximum speed is 90 mph. The San Bernardino Line has the slowest average speed at 36 

mph and the Riverside Line has the highest at 41 mph. Factors that keep the average speed 

at these levels are lack of two-track operation, the number and density of the stops (San 

as well as Metrolink whose member agencies own the tracks; and mechanical problems. 

Passenger rail in our region is greatly affected by the amount of one-track operation, as even 

a minor delay can lead to a train losing its slot, thereby causing cascading delays throughout 

the network. The Pacific Surfliner’s average speed is 46 mph.

Ticket revenue was $64,149,626 in FY2013-14, up 4.2 percent from FY2012-13 and 31 

percent from FY2009-10. Revenue has done very well the last few years. It was up 8 

percent in FY2010-11 and nearly 11 percent for FY2011-12. This is due to the healthy ridership 

gain noted above most years and also due to the elimination of the off-peak non-summer 

fares, which were significantly cheaper than summer fares, in FY2011-12. (There was also 

an across the board 2 percent fare increase in the summer of 2012.) Farebox recovery was 

56 percent for FY2013-14, 54 percent for FY2012-13 and 58 percent for FY2011-12, all up 

significantly from FY2009-10 when it was 51 percent. Farebox recovery has generally been 

in a healthy range of between 55 percent and 60 percent over the last ten years. While 

these figures would be a very good farebox recovery ratio for an urban rail service, the Pacific 

Surfliner is an intercity transportation mode, with a different fare structure and additional 

revenue streams such as business class premium seating and a cafe car. In the future, 

as speed and service levels increase, its farebox recovery should climb significantly and 

perhaps be as profitable one day as Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.1

43%

45%

50% 50%

46%

43%

45% 45%

44% 43%

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14

Figure 3 Metrolink Farebox Recovery as Percentages

Source: SCRRA.

10.7

12.3

12.0

12.7

12.2

12.0

11.3

12.0 12.0

11.7

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14

Figure 4 Metrolink Ridership (in Millions)

Source: SCRRA.
 16 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

z Population and housing figures are about the same, which is expected since they 

are more or less proxies of one another.

z Levels of the three variables for the half-mile buffer are relatively flat through 

2040, except in Ventura County where they rise. Riverside County is quite low. 

Since the half-mile buffer is so small, it is reasonable to conclude that there will 

not be lot of change.

z Riverside County’s population and employment accessibility range from 

15 percent to 24 percent and Ventura County’s figures range from 44 

percent to 52 percent.

z All county rail stations have greater accessibility to employment than population 

and housing except Los Angeles County.

z This is expected since Metrolink Lines are along long-standing rail corridors 

and are often parallel and/or are within freeway and highway corridors where 

employment centers historically developed.

z Ventura County has the highest employment accessibility levels.

z Employment accessibility for the half-mile buffer dips slightly by 2040 for all 

counties except Orange, which remains flat.

z Riverside County’s employment and population accessibility declines somewhat 

in the 3-mile buffer.

BIKE ACCESSIBILITY

SCAG analyzed current and future bike facilities at commuter rail stations, including Class 1, 

2 and 3 bike lanes and bike racks and lockers at the stations. A one-mile buffer was used to 

Bernardino Line) and geographic factors (Antelope Valley Line). This further accentuates the 

need to fund capital projects in order to speed up the service and make these services more 

attractive to the single occupant vehicle (SOV) commuters.2

Metrolink’s performance indicators are generally similar to most of its comparable peers 

as TABLE 2 and TABLE 3 show. Some exceptions however are that Metrolink’s productivity 

(passengers per hour) is significantly lower and its passenger cost per trip is higher. One 

reason for the latter is probably linked to the fact that Metrolink’s average trip length is 

significantly longer at 34.6 miles than that of the four of its peers shown here.3

ACCESSIBILITY ANALYSIS

Several accessibility analyses were conducted as part of the 2016 RTP/SCS, which include 

a half-mile and three-mile buffer analysis around Metrolink stations to determine population, 

housing and employment levels; a bike facility analysis, to determine the extent to which 

bike facilities serve the stations; and a transit analysis, to determine the level and quality of 

connecting transit to commuter rail stations.

BUFFER ANALYSIS

Both half-mile and three-mile buffers were used at the TAZ 2 level for both the 2012 base 

year and 2040 horizon year. The former is the industry-accepted standard for walk-shed 

to premium transit services such as commuter rail. The latter buffer size was used to get 

a sense of these respective levels in a generally close proximity to the stations (TABLE 4). 

Population, housing and employment levels were measured. The findings include:

Source: NTD FY2012-13; Pax=Passengers

Table 2 Metrolink Peer Statistics

Indicator SCRRA Metra 

(Chicago)

Septa 

(Philadelphia)

LIRR 

(New York)

Metro North 

(New York)

Pax per 

Hour 39.78 52.2 53.53 46.97 42.6

Pax Cost 

per Trip $14.08 $9.02 $6.64 $12.28 $12.87 

Pax Cost 

per Mile $0.41 $0.40 $0.49 $0.56 $0.43 

Oper. Exp. 

per Mile $14.38 $15.37 $13.21 $18.81 $16.43 Source: NTD FY2012-13

Table 3 Metrolink Peer Statistics

Indicator SCRRA Metra Septa LIRR Metro 

North

Farebox 

Recovery 44% 45% 56% 48% 55%

Subsidy per 

Pax Mile $0.23 $0.21 $0.22 $0.27 $0.18 

Avg. Trip 

Length 34.6 22.6 26.9 21.8 30
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 17

Metrolink stations are located, as the cities own the stations with the exception of RCTC 

which owns the stations within Riverside County.

(Note: 1) Most county transportation commissions do not have future facilities published, 

so SCAG used local cities’ Map Book databases, thus the future facilities analysis may not 

be complete. 2) The database for lockers and racks at stations was obtained from Metrolink 

in 2014. It was noted that the list needs to be updated for some stations and this should 

probably be done at the city level, as the cities own the stations except for in Riverside 

County where they are owned by RCTC.)

TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY

An analysis was also done to look at the level of transit connectivity to Metrolink stations 

using 2014 peak-period schedules. A half-mile buffer was used around the stations. 

The findings include:

z Out of the 56 Metrolink stations in the SCAG region, only 13 have connecting 

transit that operates with 15-minute headways in the peak periods.

z Other than Los Angeles Union Station, the Cal State L.A. Metrolink Station 

currently has the most lines with 15-minute or better service.

demonstrate the amount of stations that have bike facilities leading to them, or bike facilities 

that are close enough to serve as an incentive for bike access. The findings include:

z Slightly over half of the Metrolink stations are within a mile of Class 1 bike lanes.

z Slightly over two-thirds have access to Class 2 bike lanes.

z It is evident that bike facilities implemented or planned by cities are not done 

so for the main purpose of connecting to a Metrolink station. Rather, they 

are implemented based on other criteria that are used in the bike facility 

implementation process, such as connectivity to existing bike facilities, appropriate 

roadways, safety, ROW availability, etc.

z Many of the station one-mile buffer areas show existing or planned facilities that 

are only adjacent to the buffer boundary.

The analysis shows the need to better coordinate, implement and fund first/last mile access 

improvements to passenger rail stations. More emphasis needs to be placed on direct 

connections in to the stations to encourage more riders to bike or walk, as currently 80 

percent of riders access their stations by driving alone or being dropped off. TOD is a factor 

here as well. When TOD is planned and built, it should be done with first/last mile facilities 

incorporated in to the planning process. This planning involves the local cities where the 

County Population 2012 Population 2040 Household 2012 Household 2040 Employment 2012 Employment 2040 

IMPERIAL COUNTY 180,000 282,000 49,000 93,000 59,000 125,000

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

LOS ANGELES COUNTY 9,923,000 11,517,000 3,257,000 3,951,000 4,235,000 5,214,000

28.2% 28.5% 26.1% 26.5% 27.5% 27.2%

ORANGE COUNTY 3,072,000 3,464,000 999,000 1,154,000 1,526,000 1,899,000

26.5% 27.1% 24.9% 25.2% 28.1% 28.4%

RIVERSIDE COUNTY 2,245,000 3,171,000 694,000 1,052,000 617,000 1,159,000

17.0% 15.1% 15.7% 13.7% 24.1% 22.3%

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY 2,068,000 2,725,000 615,000 855,000 659,000 1,028,000

23.9% 21.4% 21.6% 19.5% 32.1% 30.3%

VENTURA COUNTY 835,000 963,000 269,000 311,000 332,000 420,000

44.3% 44.9% 42.0% 45.4% 47.1% 51.8%

Table 4 County Population, Household, and Employment Totals, and Percentage Within 3-MIles of Metrolink Stations
 18 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

PROJECTS COMPLETED SINCE THE 2012 RTP/SCS

Anaheim Regional Intermodal Transportation Center (ARTIC): ARTIC opened in December 

of 2014 as a new intermodal transportation center for the City of Anaheim in Orange County. 

Located in the Platinum Triangle at Katella Ave. and SR 57, it serves Metrolink, the Amtrak 

Pacific Surfliner, OCTA buses, various intercity buses and is also adjacent to the Santa 

Ana River Bike Trail. The future CA HST will also serve the station. The center is critically 

acclaimed for its architecture and houses shops, restaurants and other retail uses. The 

Platinum Triangle has seen significant TOD the last few years and is permitted for thousands 

more residential units.

Metrolink Perris Valley Line: The Metrolink Perris Valley Line opened for revenue service 

in early 2016, completing the first expansion of the Metrolink network since 2002. The line 

serves four new stations along 24 miles of track including Riverside Hunter Park, Moreno 

Valley/March Field, Downtown Perris and South Perris. The project included construction 

and rehabilitation of the railroad tracks and ROW, upgrade of 18 at-grade crossings and 

improvement of existing tracks. The Perris Valley Line greatly improves access to our 

region’s commuter rail network for residents in Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula, San Jacinto, 

Hemet, Lake Elsinore and Wildomar.

Burbank Bob Hope Airport Regional Intermodal Transportation Center (RITC): In June 2014 

the Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR) RITC opened providing a multimodal transportation 

center that makes BUR the most accessible of our region’s airports for those choosing to 

travel to the airport without a car. It includes a consolidated rental car center, bike storage, 

bus transit center and is immediately north of the exiting Amtrak and Metrolink station. A 

moving walkway from the RITC takes passengers to the terminals and a pedestrian bridge 

from the existing rail station to the RITC is in the planning and engineering phase. The new 

Hollywood Way rail station under construction along the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line and 

future CA HST alignment will also be serviced by the RITC.

Metrolink Positive Train Control (PTC): SCRRA completed its system-wide PTC 

implementation in 2015, making it the first commuter railroad in the country to do so. 

PTC permits automatic train stopping when sensors in the system indicate potential 

incidents with other trains ahead, or when the speed limit of a section of track is being 

exceeded. SCRRA’s PTC implementation included working cooperatively with UP 

and BNSF on freight-owned track on the Metrolink network. The total cost of the 

implementation was $216 million.

Los Angeles Union Station Platform 7: This project restored and rebuilt tracks 13, 14 and 15 

at Los Angeles Union Station after 35 years of non-passenger use. Track 15 is also used for 

temporary train layover and storage. The project also improved communications systems 

and installed new lighting and message boards.

z 21 transit agencies serve Metrolink stations but only six have service of 15-minutes 

or better in the peak periods.

z Most stations have bus facilities within the station-area footprint (e.g., Fullerton, 

Palmdale, Downtown Burbank), while others have bus facilities on adjacent 

streets (e.g., Covina, Lancaster).

z Stations with connecting transit that do not offer 15-minute or better headways are 

served by lines ranging from 16-minute headways up to 140-minute headways.

z The Vincent Grade/Acton Metrolink Station is the only station that does not have 

connecting transit within a 1⁄2 mile buffer.

While frequent service is an important component of transit accessibility, the scheduling 

of the transit services is just as important. 15-minute service is not effective if the transit 

service does not arrive or depart the train station with the necessary coordinated time for 

bus/train transfers. Some transit agencies in the SCAG region, like OCTA’s Stationlink, 

are scheduled to the train arrival and departure times and can wait for the train arrival 

up to a certain amount of time if the train is late. However, other transit services may put 

higher importance on sticking to the overall schedule, especially if operating on a long 

route where the train passengers are a very small segment of the overall origins and 

destinations along the corridor.

PARKING ACCESSIBILTY

Parking availability has been a long-standing issue at Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink 

stations and there have been capacity constraints at many of them for years. A SCRRA 

2010 on-board survey indicated that 83 percent of Metrolink riders have a car available for 

their trip and 80 percent of riders drive to their stations to board. One solution has been to 

build additional parking. Fullerton, Tustin, Santa Ana and Irvine have added new parking 

structures over the last few years. Another solution is introducing paid permit parking. 

Baldwin Park and Covina have charged for years and Rancho Cucamonga recently started 

paid permit parking with a discount for city residents. In Rancho Cucamonga’s case, this has 

at least temporarily solved the lack of capacity parking problem and now there are ample 

spaces available during the peak periods.

As ridership grows in the future however, there will be only so many parking spaces a city 

can add. This point highlights the need for better transit connectivity and better first/last mile 

connectivity. For more information on first/last mile and active transportation strategies and 

investments, please see the Active Transportation appendix.
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 19

ADDRESSING UNSERVED MARKETS

LOS ANGELES TO COACHELLA VALLEY

The second biggest physical gap in rail service in our region behind the Antelope Valley to 

Bakersfield gap is between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley via the Inland Empire. 

The Coachella Valley-San Gorgonio Pass Passenger Rail Service now under development 

would close this gap and provide rail service to a completely unserved market. Currently, 

rail service between downtown Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley is only provided 

three days a week with a very unworkable schedule as part of Amtrak’s interstate Sunset 

Limited service. 130,000 daily trips pass through the San Gorgonio Pass each weekday 

along I-10 and this is forecast to grow by 47 percent by 2035 (Source RCTC). RCTC 

recently completed an Initial Service Development Plan choosing a preferred alignment 

through Fullerton. Possible station stops in addition to Los Angeles Union Station include 

Fullerton, Riverside, Redlands/Loma Linda, Beaumont/Banning, Palm Springs, Rancho 

Mirage and Indio. In 2015, the FRA awarded RCTC and Caltrans $2.9 million for a full 

Service Development Plan and the additional necessary environmental documents needed 

for project approval. Service would most likely be operated by Amtrak with initially two 

if not three daily round trips. UP owns this rail corridor east of Colton and is opposed to 

implementing additional passenger service without large capital improvements. It should be 

noted however that Amtrak retains the right to operate passenger service on freight-owned 

railroads per federal statute and there is a process in place to resolve freight opposition, 

although Amtrak and other partners such as Caltrans DOR and RCTC may be required to 

fund capital projects to mitigate potential financial damages to UP. A 2010 RCTC study 

estimated $75 million in station costs, $40 million in equipment costs and $11.4 million in 

yearly operating costs to start this service. (These figures do not include any capital costs 

required to mitigate service disruptions incurred by UP.) This service would potentially 

connect with and be a part of a future Southwest HSR network.

LOS ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS

Passenger service was last provided between Los Angeles and Las Vegas by Amtrak on 

its Desert Wind interstate service that ceased operations in 1997. Currently, XpressWest is 

a high-speed rail service under development connecting Victorville and Las Vegas along 

the current I-15 corridor. It will use steel wheel on steel rail electrical multiple unit train 

technology operating at speeds of up to 150 mph to make the trip between Victorville and 

Las Vegas in 80 minutes. The tracks will largely be within the I-15 ROW. It will run daily, 

with peak departures up to every 20 minutes. XpressWest has been completely permitted 

since 2012. XpressWest had applied for a loan through FRA’s Railroad Rehabilitation & 

Improvement Financing program, however the loan was indefinitely suspended in July 2013 

due to the failure of the application to meet the federal “Buy America” policy. In November, 

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Southern California is in the midst of a rail renaissance, with growing urban, commuter and 

intercity rail networks. With the exception of the recession, ridership on urban and commuter 

rail has grown steadily year over year in our region and nationally. Amtrak’s Pacific 

Surfliner, which operates between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, has seen ridership grow 

more than 70 percent from 2000 to 2014. Many rail projects are in the planning stages, 

including modern streetcars in Orange and Riverside Counties, additional urban rail in Los 

Angeles County and the first light rail system in San Bernardino County. In addition, the 

CA HST is now under construction in the San Joaquin Valley and is planned to serve the 

SCAG region by 2029.

While this progress in our rail network is exciting, there remain significant barriers that are 

keeping our commuter and intercity rail networks from their full potential to reduce freeway 

and highway congestion and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. The majority of 

the commuter and intercity rail network is on one-track operation, some of which is owned 

by the freight railroads that maintain priority for their own operations. Together, these 

two conditions result in average speeds of approximately 40 mph, thereby reducing the 

incentive to SOV commuters and reducing the number of passenger trains that can serve 

our region. Commuter and intercity rail networks in Chicago and the East Coast have much 

higher service frequencies than we do in our region. The SCAG region has a large list of rail 

improvements in the planning phases or that are ready for construction, including adding 

double tracking and grade separations to increase speed and service levels and increase 

operational efficiency, but there is a lack of sufficient dedicated long-term funding for 

commuter and intercity rail to move these projects forward.

FUTURE RIDERSHIP DEMAND

As improvements to our passenger rail system continue through 2040, ridership will 

continue to grow. As noted earlier, both Metrolink and the Pacific Surfliner have seen steady 

growth except during the Great Recession. The Metrolink Strategic Assessment forecasts 

significant growth in daily boardings from 41,000 currently to 55,000 by 2025. The 

LOSSAN SIP forecasts significant growth as well from today’s about 2,700,000 yearly to 

4,700,000 yearly by 2030. Finally the CHSRA forecasts 40,000 daily boardings in the 

SCAG region in the first year of revenue operation in 2029 when the CA HST reaches Los 

Angeles Union Station.

Other transit investments during the life of the 2016 RTP/SCS will feed into these three 

services, highlighting the importance of implementing a robust level of multi-modal 

interconnectivity. New urban rail, BRT/BRT Light, express and local bus services will have 

grown and developed that will feed in to our region’s passenger rail network, delivering new 

and a greater number of commuters to the overall system.
 20 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

COAST DAYLIGHT

The Coast Daylight is a proposed passenger rail service operating between Los Angeles and 

San Francisco. It would operate one round trip per day, but unlike the Coast Starlight which 

serves Oakland and Emeryville and not San Francisco, this route would travel up the San 

Francisco peninsula from San Jose and serve Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Millbrae and downtown 

San Francisco. The original Coast Daylight was privately operated and ran for decades 

before ending service in 1971 when passenger rail service was nationalized via Amtrak.

A coalition of coastal counties has been working together to implement the Coast Daylight 

and the Coast Rail Coordinating Council (CRCC) formed for this effort has been meeting 

on a quarterly basis. The LOSSAN Board, as well as more than 20 agencies along the 

corridor, have passed resolutions of support for the Coast Daylight service. The significant 

challenges for this potential new service include funding for operations and rolling stock 

and negotiations with the UP for operating rights. Caltrans DOR completed a Service 

Development Plan in May of 2013 and a Draft PEIR/EIS was completed by the FRA and 

SLOCOG in November 2014 for the Salinas, CA to San Luis Obispo, CA portion of the route.

LOSSAN CORRIDOR COMMUTER SERVICE

While the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner provides intercity service (and some commuter service) 

along the Ventura to San Diego corridor, on the southern end both the commuter services 

operating along it, Metrolink and Coaster, terminate in Oceanside, CA. The 2012 LOSSAN 

SIP calls for both Metrolink and Coaster to operate through service from L.A. Union Station to 

San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot, so that more one-seat rides are available to commuters, further 

increasing the incentive to reduce SOV travel and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas 

emissions. The LOSSAN SIP also calls for establishing new commuter service between East 

Ventura, where the Metrolink Ventura County Line now ends, to Santa Barbara and Goleta.

ANTELOPE VALLEY TO KERN COUNTY

The Kern County COG completed a Commuter Rail Feasibility Study in the summer of 2012 

that looked at establishing passenger rail service from Kern County south in to the Antelope 

Valley connecting with the Metrolink system. The study also had recommendations on 

establishing new commuter rail service along several corridors within Kern County which 

would also act as connecting feeder service to the CA HST Bakersfield station when in 

operation. The study recommended extending the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line from 

Lancaster to Rosamond. Within Kern County, the Rosamond corridor includes California City 

and Mojave, with a connection in Mojave to Bakersfield.

An additional reason Kern County is interested in Metrolink service to Rosamond is that the 

main entrance to Edwards Air Force Base is via Rosamond Blvd., directly east of downtown 

2015, XpressWest was awarded the franchise to construct and operate high-speed rail 

service between Southern California and Las Vegas in Nevada by the Nevada HighSpeed Rail Authority.

HIGH-DESERT CORRIDOR

The High-Desert corridor is an approximately 60-mile corridor that would connect the 

Antelope and Victor Valleys between SR 14 and I-15. It is a multi-purpose corridor with up to 

eight lanes that includes freeway/expressway, toll roads, rail and bikeways. This potential 

rail corridor will allow a connection between the CA HST in Palmdale with XpressWest in 

Victorville and eventually other Southwest destinations such as Phoenix. A Draft EIR/EIS 

was released in the fall of 2014.

LANCASTER TO BAKERSFIELD

The most significant north/south rail gap in the State of California and in our region is the 

Bakersfield to Lancaster passenger rail gap through the Tehachapi Mountains. Currently, UP 

has a one-track freight operation through this corridor that contains the renowned Tehachapi 

Loop. While Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin services are the second and third 

busiest Amtrak routes in the country, respectively, rail passengers connecting from one of 

these lines to the other line are forced to transfer to Amtrak Thruway buses. This gap will 

finally be closed with the arrival of the CA HST to Southern California.

SOUTHWEST HIGH-SPEED RAIL NETWORK

In September 2014 the FRA released the Southwest Multi-State Rail Planning Study. 

The study analyzed candidate rail corridors in several Southwest states: California, 

Nevada and Arizona as the primary area and New Mexico, Utah and Colorado as the 

“extended” area. This was FRA’s first “High-Performance Rail (HPR) network study with 

the purpose of developing a toolkit for conceptual planning of HPR networks in multistate and mega-city regions. It included ridership projections and economic benefit output 

at the sketch planning level. It included three HPR service tier levels including 1) “Core 

Express” with top speeds greater than 125 mph, 2) “Regional” with top speeds of 90 mph 

to 125 mph, and 3) “Emerging/Feeder” with top speeds up to 90 mph. The CA HST and 

XpressWest corridors were identified as Core Express corridors in the study. The study also 

concentrated on the complexities of multi-state and jurisdictional rail planning and two key 

recommendations came out of the study including: 1) Convening a voluntary CaliforniaArizona-Nevada Passenger Rail Policy and Planning Group to continue the momentum of 

the study and to engage stakeholders and elected officials in the region, and 2) Forming 

a Blue Ribbon Commission to guide a Phoenix–Southern California Corridor study over 

an 18-month schedule.
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alha m bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew oo d

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valley

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

Metrolink System (2012)

Metrolink System (2040)

Redlands Rail (2040)

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Exhibit 4 Redlands Rail
Kern

San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Ojai

Simi Valley

Thousand

Oaks

Oxnard

Arcadia

Azusa

Burbank

Carson

Co m pton

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Irwindale

La Mirada

Los Angeles

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Torrance

Walnut

West Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Ran cho

Cu cam onga

Redlands

Rialto San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Yucca Valley

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

In

W

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Rancho

Mirage

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San

Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Pal

Des

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm Springs

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntingto n

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

105

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

XpressWest High Desert Corridor Rail Alternative CA HSR Phase 1 Plan

CA HSR Phase 1 Alternatives 

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 5 10 2.5

Miles

Exhibit 5 High-Desert Corridor and XpressWest
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 23

Rosamond. About 8,000 civilian employees work there, with about 40 percent commuting 

from Palmdale and Lancaster. Kern County COG has identified a station site in Rosamond 

that is about 11.5 miles from the existing Lancaster Metrolink station. The study estimates 

273 daily boardings at the station in 2035 and 333 with the CA HST in operation. These 

numbers are reasonable demand for establishing commuter rail service in the area. The 

study estimates a conceptual capital cost of a new station and surface parking in Rosamond 

at about $3 million. The current Lancaster station serves about 400 boardings per day and 

some of these boardings are Kern County residents. KernTransit currently operates Line 250 

between these two points, but with only five round-trips throughout the day the schedule 

is not amenable to Edwards AFB commuting patterns. Additionally, Edwards AFB is a huge 

facility with many different employment locations within it and there is an issue of how 

employees get around without their own personal vehicles. 

In discussions between SCRRA and Kern County COG, SCRRA suggested that rather than 

extending the current Antelope Valley Line to Rosamond (the Antelope Valley Line currently 

operates nine daily round trips), it could be feasible to establish new service just between 

Lancaster and Rosamond with four daily round trips. SCRRA estimated annual O&M costs 

at $2.6 million, not including insurance, security and UP track access fees. Capital costs at 

Lancaster include additional storage tracks at the Metrolink layover facility and a crossover 

track to access the UP track. These costs were not estimated at that time, nor were ridership 

and revenue estimated. Kern County and Metrolink would have to negotiate with Union 

Pacific to operate along this corridor. In addition, Kern County may have to join the SCRRA 

JPA, at least as an ex-officio member.

LONG RANGE PLANS

The Southern California High-Speed Rail MOU, the LOSSAN SIP and the Metrolink 

Strategic Assessment all contain lists of projects that include double tracking, sidings, grade 

separations, station improvements and signal improvements to increase speed and service 

levels, operational efficiency, as well as improve safety in our region. The Southern California 

High-Speed Rail MOU’s project list contains 74 projects totaling $3.9 billion. These projects 

provide independent utility to our existing passenger rail network and will also benefit the CA 

HST once it is built in our region. Acquiring the necessary funding is crucial to match against 

the CHSRA’s commitment of $500 million in Proposition 1A funding.

IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY

Improving connectivity to our passenger rail network is a major goal for our region—not only 

between existing and future rail services but also with local transit serving rail stations. Better 

connecting transit including rail feeder bus services in our region to passenger rail stations 

would reduce the incentive for SOV travel. It is prevalent in our region not to time bus arrivals 

and departures to train arrivals and departures and establishing services such as OCTA’s 

Stationlink bus lines would provide this incentive. Finally, there is still little BRT or BRT Lite 

services in our region outside of Los Angeles County and establishing these to serve rail 

stations, such as the current Omnitrans sbX Green Line and RTA’s future RapidLink Line 1, 

will meet this goal. Strategies for increasing connectivity also include fare agreements and 

universal smart cards accepted by all connecting carriers.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION–FIRST/LAST MILE

First/last mile strategies are designed to increase the range and desirability of passenger 

rail station access by removing bike and pedestrian barriers around transit and rail stations 

and providing alternatives to access transit and rail stations other than SOV travel. Strategies 

include adequate sidewalk facilities, bike facilities such as bike lanes and lockers, bike 

sharing and car sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. These strategies can increase the 

effective catchment areas of rail stations from less than 1⁄4 mile to ranges considerably 

greater. Many cities with Metrolink stations are looking at first/last mile strategies.

RAIL CONNECTIVITY TO AIRPORTS

The SCAG region is served primarily by LAX, Ontario International Airport (ONT) and 

several other regional airports. Only one, Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR), is directly 

connected to rail. LAX, ONT and Palmdale (PMD) are very close to rail lines, roughly 2.5 to 

3.5 miles, but fall short of a rail connection. LAX is closest to the Green Line and has a bus 

connection that serves the terminals. Long Beach (LGB) and John Wayne (SNA) airports are 

even farther from rail.

Given this, transit’s mode share to airports in our region is extremely low. At LAX and BUR, 

the transit mode share is about 1 percent to 2 percent, with even lower shares at ONT, 

SNA and LGB. Shared-ride vans, long-distance shuttles, taxis and limousines provide 33 

percent of passenger trips to and from LAX, which demonstrates the potential for transit 

to increase its share.

ONT is between two Metrolink corridors, the San Bernardino Line and the Riverside Line; 

and Amtrak’s Sunset Limited runs on the northern border of ONT’s short-term parking lot, 

within walking distance to the terminals. The Riverside Line runs just south of the airport and 

its East Ontario station is about one and a half miles from the terminals, but currently there 

are no bus connections between ONT and any of the nearby stations on these three lines. 

SANBAG completed an ONT ground access study in 2015 that included several short-term 

bus connections and long-term rail connections including the Metrolink San Bernardino Line 

and the Gold Line extension 2C.
 24 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

BUR’s RITC opened in 2014 and includes a consolidated rental car facility, long-term 

parking, a bus transit center and a grade-separated moving walkway between the terminal 

and the RITC. A project to extend the moving walkway over West Empire Ave. to link 

directly with the existing Amtrak and Metrolink station is in the planning stages. With 

completion of the Hollywood Way rail station on its eastern border in 2016, BUR will be 

served by two rail stations. This station will be served by Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line 

and the future CA HST.

Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) currently offers no commercial air service, but is 

configured for a significant commercial operation presence, especially as the Antelope 

Valley grows. It will have the benefit of being within three miles of the future CA HST and the 

Metrolink Antelope Valley Line which is planned for future speed and service improvements. 

It will also be within three miles of the potential future High-Desert Corridor rail service. 

All three of these rail services will serve the Palmdale Transportation Center, which could 

connect to PMD via bus shuttle services. 

FUNDING

The lack of dedicated funding streams is a major barrier to expanding rail infrastructure in our 

region. Currently, our progress is measured only on an incremental basis. Passenger rail has 

traditionally lacked dedicated funding streams in our region and nation. Amtrak is funded on 

a year by year basis by the U.S. Congress, usually resulting in funding amounts insufficient 

to meet state of good repair needs or to grow their levels of service and network. With local 

control of the Pacific Surfliner now complete, the State of California has guaranteed funding 

levels for three years to maintain current service levels but not to increase service levels. 

Additionally, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) is a large funder of 

Amtrak’s state-supported services and was reauthorized under the FAST Act.

One new funding source is the Cap-and-Trade Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program 

which received $25 million in FY2014-15 and ten percent of annual state Cap-and-Trade 

auction proceeds beginning in FY2015-16. This FY2015-16 allocation is currently estimated 

to be over $200 million. Similarly, the CHSRA has been given a dedicated Cap-and-Trade 

funding stream of 25 percent of Cap-and-Trade funds beginning in FY2015-16 (for FY2014-

15 CHSRA received $250 million). FY2015-16 funding is estimated at over $600 million.

RAIL AND SUSTAINABILITY

Passenger rail reduces SOV trips, thereby significantly reducing VMT, air pollution and 

greenhouse gas emissions. In the SCAG region and throughout California and the nation, 

passenger rail boardings are generally increasing year over year. As more and more capital 

improvements are implemented, speed and service levels will increase and at the same 

time an increasing population will cause our capacity-constrained freeways, highways and 

airports to become more congested. Studies have shown that high-speed rail only uses onethird the energy of airplanes per passenger and one-fifth the energy of cars per passenger.

VMT AND AIR POLLUTION BENEFITS

CA HST: The CHSRA states that the CA HST will be a game changer in terms of modal 

shift in the state and our region and result in a drastic reduction in VMTs, air pollution and 

greenhouse gas emissions. Following are some statistics:4

z By 2040, the CA HST will reduce 10 million daily VMT statewide.

z Over about 60 years, the system will reduce 400 billion VMTs.

z Beginning in 2030, the state will see a reduction of 93 to 171 flights per day and by 

2040, 97 to180 flights per day (45 percent of travelers between Los Angeles and 

San Francisco are projected to use CA HST).

z Between 2022 and 2040, the cumulative reduction of CO2 is estimated to be 

between 5 and 10 million metric tons.

Metrolink: Metrolink also plays a significant role in our region’s sustainability. Following 

are some statistics:

z Metrolink removes about 8,500,000 weekday automobile trips from our region’s 

roadways every year.

z Metrolink trains provide the same capacity as adding two new freeway lanes on 

adjacent freeways during peak commute times.

z Metrolink riders reduce 178,200 metric tons of CO2 emissions from the 

atmosphere each year (CALPIRG 2008). 

z Metrolink currently averages 22,000 bikes on its trains per month.

Additionally, Metrolink has undertaken several green programs to reduce air pollution and 

greenhouse gas emissions. Its Metrolink Industry Station Carport Project started in 2012. 

The project outfitted the Metrolink Industry Station with about 8,300 photovoltaic solar 

panels covering 940 parking spaces. This is the largest project of its kind in Southern 

California, generating electricity using the sun’s energy. The panels can generate 

enough electricity to power 1,300 homes and the station also contains 64 electric 

vehicle charging stations.

Metrolink has 35-plus Tier IV locomotives on order with the first prototype to be delivered 

in early 2016. Metrolink will be the first commuter railroad in the country to put Tier 
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 25

IV locomotives in service. The locomotives are expected to reduce particulate matter 

(PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by about 86 percent while producing more horsepower 

and using less fuel.

Metrolink’s Fuel Conversion Program allows maintenance crews to shut down the Head End 

Power (HEP) engines that power the car lights and air conditioners in order to conserve fuel. 

When train sets are stored overnight and during weekends at layover yards, the locomotive 

main and HEP engines are shut down and the train set is connected to wayside power. Use 

of the temporary plug-in power while the locomotive engine is shut off reduces exhaust 

emissions and the amount of fuel that would be consumed by the locomotive engines left 

idling. This program yields an approximate 13 percent reduction (853,000 gallons) in diesel 

fuel consumption per year.5

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

The CHSRA estimates the following economic benefits of the CA HST:6

z The $2.6 billion initial state investment in the CA HST from Proposition 1A 

bond funds will produce a net economic impact of $8.3 to $8.8 billion – a 3:1 

return. State and local governments will earn more than $600 million back 

in tax revenue, or nearly 25 percent of what the state will spend on initial 

construction of the CA HST.

z Connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco will generate 66,000 jobs 

annually for 15 years and the Phase One Blended System will generate 2,900 

permanent operations jobs.

z Providing the equivalent new capacity on the state’s highways and airports would 

cost more than double the investment required to develop the CA HST between 

San Francisco and Los Angeles. The CA HST is the equivalent of adding 4,300 

new highway lane miles, 115 additional airport gates and four new airport runways 

at an estimated cost of $158 billion.

RAIL AND LAND USE

INTRODUCTION

Rail investment and the economic investment returns it brings are well established and 

documented. Many passenger rail stations in our region have seen significant TOD and 

many stations have TOD projects under development. As speed and service levels grow on 

our existing system, as well as congestion on our roadways, TOD will become all the more 

attractive for our residents. With the delivery of the CA HST, station area planning and its 

TOD potential could reach a new level in terms of investment and attractiveness.

STATION AREA PLANNING

The CA HST will greatly support California’s land-use objectives as outlined in SB 375 

and AB 32. High-speed rail stations around the world have been shown to be an effective 

and powerful tool to encourage sustainable, compact mixed-use land development and 

pedestrian-oriented design. Two French cities, Lilles and Nantes, provide examples of how 

a combination of high-speed rail investment and local planning and development incentives 

can play a significant role in sparking station area development.

Lille’s economy was transformed once it was connected via high-speed rail to London, Paris 

and Brussels. High-speed rail investment helped the city reverse a trend of depopulation and 

declining economy. In the case of Nantes, France, after it was connected in 1991, it evolved 

from an industrial port to a major service sector hub and one of the world’s most livable cities.

Fresno will be the first city in California to have a CA HST station in its downtown and has 

received a CHSRA station area planning grant. The city has already approved a landuse scenario that will direct growth to infill areas to spur denser development within the 

downtown core, including 600 planned residential units and 460,000 s.f. of commercial 

space. This compact, mixed-use development will not only support ridership for the 

CA HST, but minimize development pressure on more remote parcels and impacts 

to agricultural land.7

While there is no doubt that rail stations spur economic development and TOD, it is critical 

that multi-modal connectivity exist at these stations. This includes transit and first/last mile 

facilities. As noted earlier, currently there are varying levels of connectivity to our existing rail 

stations. Current and future rail stations should provide timed transit schedules to arriving 

and departing trains, so that passengers have ample time to make the connection. Local, 

express and BRT/BRT Lite transit should connect with rail where appropriate. Rail stations 

should also have bike share and other active transportation facilities for those who wish to 

access the stations by biking and walking.

Another issue is gap closures. There are several significant transit and rail gaps in our 

region. One is the Green Line gap to the Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Metrolink Station. The 

LOSSAN Corridor is one of the busiest rail corridors in the nation and the Pacific Surfliner 

is the second busiest Amtrak service behind the Northeast Corridor, yet the Metro Green 

Line ends just 2 miles to the west. Norwalk is also a possible future station for the CA HST. 

Another significant gap is between the Metro Orange Line in North Hollywood and the Metro 

Gold Line in Pasadena. Metro is studying how best to close this gap. This future service 
 26 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

could connect with both of BUR’s rail stations, one of which will be a CA HST station. This 

gap closure would provide residents of the San Fernando Valley, Burbank, Glendale and 

Pasadena a direct connection with the CA HST and air carrier service at BUR and also 

greatly increase general transit opportunities in the corridor.

CURRENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS AND PLANNING EFFORTS

CITY OF PALMDALE

The City of Palmdale has two current TOD planning studies underway, one SCAG funded 

and one Metro funded and has recently received a CHSRA station area planning grant for 

$600,000. The studies focus on their Palmdale Transportation Center (PTC), a relatively 

new multi-modal center that serves Metrolink, several Antelope Valley Transit Authority 

lines and the future CA HST and potential High-Desert Corridor rail service. The two current 

planning studies are looking at TOD potential around the PTC and the CHSRA grant will 

study the current PTC as well as the CA HST station site for TOD potential, including a real 

estate and market analysis, value capture, connecting transit and first/last mile facilities.

CITY OF BURBANK

The City of Burbank recently received a CHSRA station area planning grant for $800,000 

to develop conceptual designs and an environmental review for a new multimodal 

transportation hub adjacent to the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. The new hub would 

incorporate future CA HST service, Metrolink and Amtrak services, bus services, and other 

transportation services.

ARRIVE CORRIDOR

SCAG and SANBAG completed a study in 2015 that made station-area planning 

recommendations for the six rail stations on the Metrolink San Bernardino Line in San 

Bernardino County. The emphasis was not only how to improve the number of origins from 

the stations but to greatly improve the number of destinations to them—making them 

destinations. Most of the current rail activity is to go to jobs in downtown Los Angeles; 

however, the station areas have potential to spur TOD and commercial development. 

Montclair currently has an excellent bus/rail interface and has thousands of residential 

units planned and under construction. Less developed are the Fontana and Rialto station 

areas, yet the stations are within walking distance of their old towns. Rancho Cucamonga 

has recently sold the Empire Lakes golf course and that property is slated for at least 

3,000 residential units.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION 

AND RESILIENCE

Since Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast caused millions of dollars of damage in 

transportation infrastructure and suspended transit operations for days and weeks in some 

cases, much emphasis has been placed on the impacts of climate change to our nation’s 

transit infrastructure.

Pursuant to Executive Orders No. 13514 and 13653, the U.S. Department of Transportation 

(DOT) is required to adopt a Climate Adaptation Plan. The current plan was adopted in 2014. 

As part of this plan, DOT has identified three high-level priority actions to be implemented in 

to our nation’s multi-modal transportation planning process.8

z Planning: DOT will take actions to ensure that federal transportation investment 

decisions address potential climate impacts in statewide and metropolitan 

transportation planning and project development processes as appropriate in order 

to protect federal investments. Through such actions transportation systems will 

gradually become better prepared for future climate shifts. 

z Asset Management: DOT will work to incorporate climate variability and change 

impact considerations in asset management. For example, modal administrations 

will work with grantees to assure that potential impacts are incorporated into 

existing grantee asset management systems. Agencies will assess the policy, 

guidance, practices and performance measures of its asset management 

programs to incorporate such considerations.

z Tools: DOT will provide tools, case studies, best practices and outreach for 

incorporating climate considerations into transportation decision-making.

SCAG is taking steps to incorporate climate change planning into our region’s rail planning 

and transit asset management efforts. SCAG recently received a Caltrans’ Sustainable 

Communities grant to fund a Transit Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Strategy for 

Southern California, leveraging work done by Metro to address these challenges by working 

with the region’s CTCs, Caltrans and transit providers to collaboratively assess potential 

climate change related stresses to transit assets and key services, and formulate strategies 

to address those impacts.

While our region doesn’t have the same topographical vulnerabilities to flooding as the 

East Coast, much of our rail system, especially the LOSSAN Corridor, runs along the coast 

on sandstone bluffs that could be significantly affected by erosion from sea level rise. 

Also, excessive heat can cause rail buckling and there are forecasts for significantly higher 

numbers of days with highs over 95 degrees. This high heat can also cause problems for air 

conditioning units on passenger cars.
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 27

The Pacific Surfliner South Service Development Plan, May 2013, points to the threat of 

climate change on the Pacific Surfliner’s infrastructure, as well as the state rail network. It 

cites that the physical impacts on railroad infrastructure include “inundation, landslides, 

flooding, high winds, intense waves, storm surge, accelerated coastal erosion and change in 

construction material durability.”

CONSTRAINED PLAN PROJECTS

The projects included in the financially constrained RTP/SCS (Constrained 

Plan) are detailed below.

CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PHASE ONE

The CA HST Phase One is from San Francisco to Anaheim via L.A. Union Station and in our 

region from the Kern County line to Anaheim via L.A. Union Station with stops in Palmdale, 

Sylmar, Burbank Bob Hope Airport, L.A. Union Station, Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs and 

Anaheim. This project was first included in to the Constrained Plan with the 2012 RTP/

SCS and was conditional upon the CHSRA entering in to a MOU with Southern California 

transportation agencies to invest $1 billion (including local match) in CA HST Proposition 1A 

funding for the LOSSAN and Metrolink corridors by 2020.

AMTRAK LOSSAN CORRIDOR AND METROLINK NETWORK

The CA HST Blended approach calls for capital investments to the LOSSAN and Metrolink 

corridors that could ultimately enable operation of high-speed service on some segments 

that would meet the FRA criteria for high-speed rail (110 mph or above). The Southern 

California High-Speed Rail MOU has identified 74 capital projects with a cost of $3.9 billion 

that include grade separations, sidings, double-tracking, station improvements and signal 

system improvements.

In addition to Prop 1A funding, Amtrak, Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency 

stakeholders are continuously working towards speed, operational efficiency, safety and 

service improvements. The LOSSAN Corridor SIP, adopted in May 2012 and the Metrolink 

Strategic Assessment, adopted in 2016, identify an array of capital improvements towards 

this end. The plans also identify programs and policies to better coordinate all rail services in 

the rail corridors and aim to increase ridership and develop new markets. 

STRATEGIC PLAN PROJECTS

The Strategic Plan represents additional projects that the region may consider for 

implementation if sufficient funding becomes available. These projects may also need 

further study and consensus to identify feasible alternatives. The projects included in the 

Strategic Plan are detailed below.

CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PHASE TWO

The CA HST Phase Two is from Madera to Sacramento and in our region from L.A. Union 

Station to San Diego through the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. Phase Two is in the 

alternative analysis phase and includes alternative alignments in our region, specifically: 

either I-10 or SR 60 through the San Gabriel Valley and either I-15 or I-215 from the Inland 

Empire to the San Diego County line. The implementation schedule and cost estimate for 

Phase Two is being determined.

XPRESSWEST

XpressWest will connect Las Vegas to Victorville using steel wheel on steel rail technology 

with a top speed of 150 mph. There are no intermediate stops between Victorville and Las 

Vegas and the running time is estimated to be approximately 80 minutes. The project has 

completed the environmental process with the Records of Decision from the FRA, Bureau 

of Land Management, FHWA, and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued 

by the Surface Transportation Board . XpressWest had applied to the FRA’s Railroad 

Rehabilitation Improvement Financing (RRIF) program for a loan to start and complete 

construction of the project however the loan application was suspended in 2013 due to the 

application not meeting Buy America requirements. Phase Two of this project would connect 

Victorville to Palmdale along the High-Desert Corridor, thereby providing a connection 

with the CA HST and the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line. Phase Two was not included 

in XpressWest’s environmental process, nor was it part of their FRA loan application. In 

November, 2015, XpressWest was awarded the franchise to construct and operate highspeed rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas in Nevada by the Nevada 

High-Speed Rail Authority.
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alha m bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew oo d

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Temecula

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valley

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

Newport

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Lossan Corridor (Pacific Surfliner) Metrolink Network (2040)

Redlands Rail

CA HSR Phase 1 Plan

CA HSR Phase 1 Alternatives 

High Desert Corridor

Exhibit 6 Constrained Plan Projects
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 29

The XpressWest EIS has received the following Federal approvals: 

z July 8, 2011: Federal Railroad Administration Record of Decision (ROD) 

z October 26, 2011: Surface Transportation Board issued Certificate of Public 

Convenience and Necessity

z October 31, 2011: Bureau of Land Management ROD 

z November 18, 2011: Federal Highway Administration ROD 

z December 7, 2011: XpressWest executed a lease agreement with BLM for the 

alignment and facilities located on federal land

THE COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN GORGONIO PASS PASSENGER 

RAIL SERVICE

The Coachella Valley-San Gorgonio Pass Passenger Rail Service would connect 

downtown Los Angeles to the Coachella Valley via the City of Fullerton. RCTC completed 

an Initial Service Development Plan in late 2015, and was also awarded $2.9 million 

by the FRA to complete an EIR/EIS. Stations stops would include Los Angeles Union 

Station, Fullerton, Riverside, Beaumont/Banning, Palm Springs and Indio. Service most 

likely would be provided by Amtrak and consist of two to three round trips a day upon 

implementation of service.

CALIFORNIA/NEVADA SUPER-SPEED TRAIN

The California/Nevada Super-Speed Train (CNSST) project would connect Las Vegas to 

Anaheim using maglev technology with intermediate stops in Primm, Barstow, Victorville 

and Ontario. A Programmatic EIR/EIS was initiated in 2004 but was rescinded in 2014 by 

the FRA. Plans call for building the first 40-mile segment either from Las Vegas to Primm or 

Anaheim to Ontario. To date, no funds for construction have been identified.

CALIFORNIA/NEVADA SUPER-SPEED TRAIN ANAHEIM TO 

ONTARIO INITIAL OPERATING SEGMENT

This is a maglev project which is part of the larger Las Vegas to Anaheim project. This 

southernmost segment from Anaheim to Ontario is being considered as the initial operating 

segment of the larger project due to its strong ridership potential and regional connectivity 

and its ability to operate as a stand-alone project with independent utility. A $45 million 

planning project for this segment is also included in the Constrained Plan.

ORANGELINE NORTHERN SEGMENT

The northern segment of the Orangeline is between Los Angeles Union Station and Santa 

Clarita. Eco-Rapid Transit (formerly the Orangeline Development Authority) is a joint powers 

authority formed to pursue development of a higher speed, environmentally friendly, 

technology neutral transit system from Cerritos to Santa Clarita. The southern section from 

L.A. Union Station to Cerritos is along the West Santa Ana Branch PE ROW that is partially 

funded by Measure R.

A series of improvements in the corridor are being planned including Southern California 

High-Speed Rail MOU projects, improvements to the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line 

as identified in the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line Infrastructure Improvement Study 

and improvements identified in the BUR Ground Access Study. Thus, the Orangeline 

Northern Segment will benefit from a set of investments during the life of the 2016 RTP/

SCS that will improve safety, efficiency, capacity, speed and connectivity. This supports 

Eco Rapid’s intermediate vision of more frequent service and increased hours of operation 

within the corridor.
San Diego

Camarillo

Moorpark

Simi Valley

Thousand Oaks

Oxnard

Agoura

Hills

Alham bra

Arcadia Azusa

Bell

Burbank

Carson

Cerritos

Compton

Diamond

Bar

Downey

El

Monte

Glendale

Glendora

Inglew ood

Irwindale

La Mirada

La

Los Angeles Verne

Monrovia

Monterey

Park

Norwalk

Pasadena

Pomona

San

Dimas

Santa

Monica

So uth Ga te

Torrance

Walnut

West

Covina

Whittier

Calabasas

Long Beach

Adelanto

Apple Valley

Barstow

Chino

Chino Hills

Colton

Fontana

Hesperia

Highland

Loma

Ontario Linda

Rancho

Cucamonga

Redlands

Rialto

San

Upland Bernardino

Victorville

Yucaipa

Lancaster

Palmdale

Santa Clarita

Eastvale

Lake Elsinore

Hemet

Tem ecu la

Perris

Moreno Valley

Murrieta

Wildomar

Corona

Jurupa Valley

Desert Hot Springs

San Jacinto

Beaumont Banning

Calimesa

Riverside

Menifee

Norco

Palm

Springs

Aliso

Viejo

Anaheim

Brea

Buena

Park

Costa

Mesa

Cypress

Fo untain

Valle y

Fullerton

Garden

Grove

Huntington

Beach

Irvine

La

Habra

Laguna

Niguel

Lake

Forest

Mission

Viejo

New port

Beach

Orange

San

Clemente

Santa Ana

Seal

Beach

Tustin

Yorba Linda 91

14

60

126

71

57

60

101

101

15

215

10

15

10

210

405

5

605

710

5

15

405

110

105

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Orange

County

Los Angeles

County

Ventura

County

XpressWest

CA/NV Super-Speed Train

CA HSR Phase 2 Plan 

CA HSR Phase 2 Alternatives

CA HSR Phase 1 Plan (Constrained)

CA HSR Phase 1 Alternatives (Constrained)

Lossan Corridor (Pacific Surfliner) (Constrained)

High Desert Corridor Rail Alternative (Constrained)

Source: SCAG

8

10

10

San Bernardino

County

Riverside

County

Imperial

County

° 0 4.5 9 2.25

Miles

Exhibit 7 Strategic Plan Projects
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL 31

Improving transit, bicycling and walking accessibility to our region’s passenger rail stations 

is critical. Increasing rail feeder bus services in our region to passenger rail stations would 

reduce the incentive for SOV travel. As noted earlier in the Appendix, there is much 

opportunity to improve transit connectivity and first/last mile access to rail stations. Finally, 

there is still little BRT or BRT Lite service in our region outside of Los Angeles County and 

establishing these to serve rail stations, such as the current Omnitrans sbX Green Line and 

RTA’s future RapidLink Line 1, will meet this goal.

SECURE INCREASED FUNDING AND DEDICATED FUNDING 

SOURCES

Passenger rail has traditionally lacked dedicated funding streams. Amtrak is funded on a 

year by year basis by the U.S. Congress, usually resulting in funding amounts insufficient 

to meet state of good repair needs or to grow their levels of service and network. With 

local control of the Pacific Surfliner now complete, the State of California has guaranteed 

funding levels to maintain current service levels (but not to increase service levels) for 

the first three years.

One new funding source is the Cap-and-Trade Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program 

which received $25 million in FY2014-15 and 10 percent of annual state Cap-andTrade auction proceeds beginning in FY2015-16. This FY2015-16 allocation is currently 

estimated to be over $200 million. Similarly, the CHSRA has been given a dedicated 

Cap-and-Trade funding stream of 25 percent of Cap-and-Trade funds beginning in FY2015-

16 (for FY2014-15 CHSRA received $250 million). FY2015-16 funding is estimated at 

more than $600 million.

SUPPORT INCREASED TOD AND FIRST/LAST MILE 

STRATEGIES

Increased TOD and first/last mile planning and investments are crucial to passenger 

rail station area planning. Increased and effective TOD improves our region’s jobs/

housing balance, reduces VMT and air pollution emissions and greenhouse gas 

emissions. First/last mile investments also reduce VMT and air pollution emissions and 

greenhouse gas emissions, and encourages rail users to access rail stations with options 

other than driving alone.

REGIONAL PASSENGER RAIL 

RECOMMENDATIONS AND STRATEGIES

There are several strategies to increase rail ridership in our region and make rail more 

attractive as an alternative to SOV commuting. It is important to note that there are three 

distinct rail markets: commuter, intercity and interregional. The first served by Metrolink, 

the second by Amtrak and the third will be served by the CA HST service. However, 

the three carriers can be attractive to the rail travel markets different from their own. 

Rail strategies include:

z Increase speed and service

z Improve accessibility and connectivity

z Secure increased funding and dedicated funding sources

z Support increased TOD and first/last mile strategies

z Implement cooperative fare agreements and media

INCREASE SPEED AND SERVICE

The Southern California High-Speed Rail MOU partners are in the process of planning and 

implementing MOU capital projects to improve capacity, operational efficiency, speed and 

service, bringing at least some segments of their networks up to the federally defined highspeed of 110 mph or greater and to implement the blended system. These projects include 

grade separations, double-tracking, siding construction, station improvements and signal 

improvements. Progress has been made in advancing many of these projects since the 2012 

RTP/SCS and much work needs to be done and funding acquired. In addition to the MOU 

project list, these projects are detailed in the LOSSAN SIP for 2030 and the Metrolink 2015 

Strategic Assessment that looks out ten years to 2025. 

IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY AND CONNECTIVITY

This strategy includes establishing rail connections to our region’s airports and improving 

accessibility and connectivity of transit, bicycling and walking to rail stations. BUR is the 

region’s best served airport by rail, hosting two rail stations in the near future with service 

provided by two Metrolink lines, Amtrak and CA HST. ONT is not directly served by rail, 

although SCAG together with Metro, SANBAG and CHSRA are studying various options to 

provide direct rail service to the airport. LAX is also currently not served by any rail, but will 

be within the next decade via the Crenshaw Line and the Airport Metro Connector.
 32 2016–2040 RTP/SCS I APPENDIX

IMPLEMENT COOPERATIVE FARE AGREEMENTS AND MEDIA

Cooperative fare agreements and media also offer opportunities for increasing rail ridership 

and attracting new riders. For example, the Rail2Rail pass allows Metrolink monthly 

pass riders who have origin and destination points along the LOSSAN corridor to ride 

Amtrak. In 2014, the NCTD reached an agreement with Caltrans DOR in which five daily 

Pacific Surfliner trains stop at all Coaster stops. This service has proven quite popular and 

successful. Agreements like this one could be expanded once the CA HST project is built.

Other notable recent fare policy efforts include the Metrolink e-ticketing program 

launched in 2016. Also, the LOSSAN managing agency received a Cap-and-Trade 

Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grant in 2015 to reestablish a cooperative fare 

agreement with local connecting transit agencies for free transferring to and from the 

Pacific Surfliner. This program had never been fully developed by Caltrans DOR and had 

recently been discontinued.

These cooperative fare agreements and media efforts include effective marketing across 

passenger rail markets and transit riders. Metrolink has been successful with its special 

service trains for both Dodgers’ and Angels’ games and other special events. These types of 

services introduce passenger rail to the public that can lead to new regular customers.
 33

NOTES

1 Pacific Surfliner Managing Agency

2 SCRRA Website and FY14 Financial Report

3 NTD FY2012-13

4 CHSRA, Environmental Fact Sheet, August 2014

5 Metrolink Website

6 CHSRA Fact Sheet: The Big Picture, June 2015

7 CHSRA, Contribution of the High-Speed Rail Program to Reducing California’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels, June 2013

8 U.S. DOT, Action Plan: Ensuring Transportation Infrastructure and System Resilience, 2013
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

please recycle 2347 2016.03.31

ADOPTED | APRIL 2016

WWW.SCAGRTPSCS.NET

APPENDIX

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM I PASSENGER RAIL

REGIONAL OFFICES

Imperial County

1405 North Imperial Avenue, Suite 1 

El Centro, CA 92243 

Phone: (760) 353-7800 

Fax: (760) 353-1877

Orange County

OCTA Building 

600 South Main Street, Suite 1233 

Orange, CA 92868 

Phone: (714) 542-3687 

Fax: (714) 560-5089 

Riverside County

3403 10th Street, Suite 805 

Riverside, CA 92501 

Phone: (951) 784-1513 

Fax: (951) 784-3925

San Bernardino County

Santa Fe Depot 

1170 West 3rd Street, Suite 140 

San Bernardino, CA 92410 

Phone: (909) 806-3556 

Fax: (909) 806-3572

Ventura County

950 County Square Drive, Suite 101 

Ventura, CA 93003 

Phone: (805) 642-2800 

Fax: (805) 642-2260 

MAIN OFFICE

818 West 7th Street, 12th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 236-1800

www.scag.ca.gov