Skip to main content

Metrolink's Antelope Valley Service Could Improve with Double Tracking Project

Support Provided By
Track along Metrolink's Antelope Valley line

It takes about two hours for commuters aboard Metrolink trains to travel between the Antelope Valley and downtown's Union Station. Add a service delay -- for whatever reason -- and that easily adds a half hour.

On Weekdays, 24 Metrolink trains and up to five Union Pacific freight trains, which extend over a mile in length, share the mostly single track route that reaches into northern L.A. County. To make trips for passengers as short as possible, Metrolink schedules around the freight trains.

Now, thanks to a $14.65 million project that recently began construction with completion scheduled for late Summer or early Fall 2011, more flexibility and the option to increase service could be on its way.

Once completed, there will be 1.3 miles of passing siding (essentially double tracking) between the historic Lang Station in the Santa Clarita Valley and a station in Acton. "Should express service be considered on this line, this siding would provide a place for other trains to wait so the express train could continue to its destination," explained a Metrolink spokesperson. The siding will also decrease some delays by 15 minutes.

Bart Reed of the Transit Coalition said its good to see the project go through after years of delays. "Every siding the Antelope Valley line gets means there's more ability to handle two way rail traffic," he said, noting that the line is well over 50% single track (for example, there are 14 miles of single track between Palmdale and Lancaster).

Last week the California Transportation Commission funded nearly half of the project, a key element for the project's completion. In that funding package, Metrolink also received $68.75 million for the implementation of Positive Train Control, a collision avoidance technology that enhances safety.

"These funds help us reach our goal of becoming the region's commute of choice by providing a safe, reliable, affordable and flexible transportation option for the region," said CEO John Fenton.

Previously on KCET's SoCal Focus blog: Metrolink Looking to Test Express Service, Could Save Riders 45 Minutes

The photo on this post is by Flickr user SpokkerJones. It is used under a Creative Commons License.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.