Congestion on a key railroad corridor between the Inland Empire and Los Angeles is causing unprecedented delays for thousands of people who use Metrolink commuter trains.
For two years, the reliability of Metrolink service between downtown Riverside and Union Station has plummeted because of a surge in conflicts with Union Pacific Corp. freight trains going to and from the Los Angeles area and its busy harbor. In April, the commuter line's performance reached a new low with delays of up to two hours.
The logjam has angered commuters and Metrolink officials, who contend that Union Pacific, the nation's largest railroad, has repeatedly violated a track-sharing agreement to yield to passenger trains during rush hours, forcing them to wait.
"Here we are in the 21st century. Public transit should be a priority," said Alice Beard, a Los Angeles County social worker and Metrolink regular who has organized three petition drives demanding better service. "It's a shame we are going through this nightmare. People's livelihoods depend on that train."
On weekdays, Metrolink runs 12 trains daily between Riverside and Union Station, one of seven routes the agency operates in five counties. A round-trip ticket costs about $16.50; monthly passes up to $245.
Trains originate in downtown Riverside and stop in Pedley, East Ontario, Pomona, Industry and Montebello before arriving downtown. The 59-mile run is supposed to take slightly more than an hour.
But commuters say delays of 15 minutes or more are common. As a result, some say they have used sick time or vacation time to compensate employers for being late. Others have missed appointments or incurred increased child-care expenses. Still others are so fed up they are considering moving, taking demotions to work closer to home or switching to other Metrolink routes that are inconvenient for them.
For commuter Nancy J. Simas, the last straw occurred on the evening of April 7, when a westbound Union Pacific freight train blocked the tracks for almost two hours.
The crew, which had worked the maximum time allowed under federal law, was forced to leave the train on the main line. The train didn't move until Union Pacific could bring in a fresh engineer and conductor by van.
"I've never seen freight traffic like this. It was horrible," said Simas, who administers a law office in downtown Los Angeles.
