Southern California is falling behind the Bay Area on regional and high speed rail.

Electrification proposal for Southern California regional rail. Metrolink needs to make it happen.

The Bay Area’s Caltrain just debuted its first in the state electric service, powered by proven overhead wire technology. These lightweight electric trains serviced by overhead catenary wires will provide fast, reliable, more frequent, quieter and zero emissions service that Gov. Newsom called “a model for the future of all rail across the country.”

Southern California has a regional rail system, Metrolink, which has seven lines that serve six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and San Diego Counties. However, these lines are in need of upgrades to make the system faster and more convenient to serve as a real alternative to long, polluting, and punishing car commutes in the region.

Electric Caltrain from San Jose to San Francisco will be 25 minutes faster than the Metrolink San Bernardino Line from San Bernardino to Los Angeles, despite being about the same distance (around 50 miles) and Caltrain having twice as many stops. For a $2.4 billion capital investment over the course of 7 years, Caltrain electrification and modernization provides the following benefits:

• 23 new high-performance electric multiple unit trainsets to replace its diesel locomotives.

• Local trains operate in 75 minutes, compared to 100 minutes today.

• Express trains operate in under an hour, compared to 65 minutes today.

• Trains every 15-20 min during peak periods at 16 stations, compared to only 7 today.

• Trains every 30 min during mid-day service at every station, evenings and weekends, compared to hourly today.

• New vehicles offer enhanced amenities: onboard Wi-Fi, new digital displays, power outlets at each seat, better lighting, improved climate control, baby-changing tables in bathrooms, security cameras, and expanded storage under seats.

• Projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 250,000 tons annually, equivalent to taking 55,000 cars off the roads.

• Creation of 33,000 high-quality jobs in 36 states.
  

Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US and the Greater LA region is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world at 18.4 million people. A mega-region of this size deserves fast, electric regional rail. Despite our size and population, Metrolink has fewer riders than Denver’s electrified regional rail - because its slow and infrequent service doesn’t meet travelers' needs. Electrification with overhead catenary wires is the gold standard for regional and intercity rail around the world, including in Europe and Asia. Southern California has fallen behind on adopting this technology outside of its metro light rail systems at LA Metro and San Diego MTS.

Metrolink’s SCORE projects will provide some safety and service improvements with double-tracking and other projects leading up to the LA 2028 Olympics, but the plan is not ambitious enough: There is currently no plan or regional leadership to electrify the system, despite the obvious improvements electrification will bring to Southern California commuters.

We’re calling on the Metrolink Board of Directors as well as local, county, and statewide representatives around the region to champion electrification of Metrolink.

There are numerous opportunities compelling Metrolink to electrify:

• Caltrain electrified to accommodate California High Speed Rail, which uses the same overhead catenary technology.

• California High Speed Rail service will begin in the Central Valley in 2030, and in Southern California will share tracks with Metrolink between Burbank and Anaheim – yet Metrolink has no plan to build the infrastructure high speed rail will need.

• Brightline West, private high speed rail to Las Vegas, plans to start service terminating in Rancho Cucamonga in 2028, but has no plans to continue to Downtown LA, because the Metrolink San Bernardino Line doesn’t have wires and Metrolink has no plan to put them up.

• The CARB In-use Locomotive Rule and other climate targets compel zero emissions service for Metrolink; however the agency has been slow to lead on the right technology. These rules take a “fuel-neutral approach” which leaves the door open for hydrogen trains, which have numerous drawbacks such as unreliability, energy inefficiency, emissions during production and transport of fuel, and higher costs at high levels of service. 95% of hydrogen on the market today comes from fossil fuels. Where hydrogen trains have been implemented in other countries like Germany, they have failed.

• As proven by Caltrain electrification, an Electrified Metrolink will bring faster trains, cut down trip times, provide modern train amenities, and make more frequent service possible. Higher speed and higher frequency regional rail is possible with electrification!

To clean up our air, take cars off congested freeways, and bring high speed rail to Southern California, we need an Electrified Metrolink. Tell the Metrolink Board of Directors that we need leadership on this, and it’s time to champion rail electrification for the system to bring fast, reliable, clean, green electric rail to Southern California!

Note: You can directly tell Metrolink to electrify their system by filling out this form (takes 30 seconds!). Ask the agency to:

• Commit to electrifying the entire system with overhead catenary for higher speed regional rail and to be compatible with California High Speed Rail and Brightline West.

• Prioritize electrification of highest ridership lines that are shared with high speed rail: Burbank to LA Union Station, Union Station to Anaheim, Antelope Valley Line, and San Bernardino Line.

• Lead on electrification as the gold-standard for zero emissions service and do not waste precious time and money on faulty experimental technologies like hydrogen fuel cell trains which have numerous drawbacks such as unreliability, energy inefficiency, hidden emissions, fossil fuel dependence, and higher costs at high levels of service.

• Purchase battery-electric multiple units with discontinuous electrification for zero emissions rail vehicle procurement under the AQMD Carl Moyer Program.