LOS ANGELES — Facing equipment availability issues, Southern California commuter rail operator Metrolink is altering its weekday service beginning Monday, March 23, with moves that will affect nearly 20% of its schedule.
Six of Metrolink’s seven lines will see service decreased, a move that the commuter service says is because of “a growing number of mechanical issues in recent months, alongside continued supply challenges for replacement parts.” A source tells Trains the parts issues involve Metrolink’s EMD F125 locomotives.
The agency has 40 of the F125s and is the lone operator of the Tier-4 compliant unit powered by a 20-cylinder, 4,700-hp Caterpillar diesel. The locomotive has been problematic since its introduction, requiring almost two years after the first unit was delivered in 2016 before it was allowed to operate solo in revenue service. It took nearly five years to complete the 40-unit order.
The changes set to begin Monday are intended to protect the highest-ridership trains on the schedule, and are expected to be in effect for seven weeks. They call for the suspension of 12 trains on the San Bernardino Line, four on the Orange County Line, six on the Antelope Valley Line, six on the Ventura County Line, and two each on the 91/Perris Valley and Inland Empire-Orange County lines. A full list of those trains is available here.
Additionally, four sets of trains will operate on shorter routes. On the Orange County Line, trains 605 and 618 will operate from and to Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo rather than Oceanside; on the Antelope Valley Line, trains 201 and 206 will operate from and to Vista Canyon rather than Lancaster; on the 91/Perris Valley Line, trains 707 and 720 will operate from and to Riverside-Downtown rather than Perris-South; and on the Inland Empire-Orange County line, trains 803 and 824 will operate to and from Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo rather than Oceanside.
Only Metrolink’s Riverside Line, and the Arrow service between San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif., which uses Stadler FLIRT multiple-unit trainsets — diesel- or hydrogen-powered — will not see service reductions.
A notice on Metrolink’s website says the operator is making the changes “rather than risk widespread delays, last-minute cancellations, and unreliable service … This is a difficult but necessary step to ensure the service we operate remains reliable for our riders.”
This is not the first time Metrolink has had to alter its schedule because of locomotive issues, although the earlier instance was far less extensive. In August 2022, it canceled six trains per day for a week when 19 of its 55 locomotives were out of service, leaving it two short of the number needed to operate its full schedule [see “Locomotive issues lead to Metrolink train cancellations,” Trains.com, Aug. 24, 2022].
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
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