In a change of course on a key safety initiative, Metrolink board members Friday voted to begin negotiations on a sole-source contract with Amtrak to provide train crews for the five-county commuter rail service starting next summer.
The action represents a change from June, when the board approved a plan to hire train engineers and conductors directly.
Given the safety improvements straining the rail agency's resources and Amtrak's experience and interest in providing train crews, board members unanimously agreed that negotiating a sole-source contract was the best option for maintaining operations.
The current operating agreement with Connex Railroad LLC, whose relationship with Metrolink deteriorated after last year's Chatsworth rail crash, would end in June, putting the rail agency under a tight deadline to resolve how the system would be run.
"We have a lot going on here," said board member Richard Katz, explaining his shift away from support for Metrolink hiring and supervising train crews directly. He said a series of other projects, including the development of a high-tech collision avoidance system, are also challenging the agency.
