Metrolink Service Systemwide Pauses Dec. 26th – 29th for Infrastructure Upgrades

Starting December 26th and lasting through December 29th, Metrolink will pause its services systemwide in order to complete infrastructure upgrades and make repairs.

Courtesy of Metrolink

LOS ANGELES – Starting December 26th and lasting through December 29th, Metrolink will pause its services systemwide in order to complete infrastructure upgrades and make repairs.

Starting December 26^th and lasting through December 29^th, Metrolink will pause its services systemwide in order to complete infrastructure upgrades and make repairs. During this pause in service, no trains will run on Metrolink’s seven lines, and according to the report, Arrow service will also be suspended during this time. The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner will continue to operate on a modified schedule during this time; These trains will bypass Union Station.

Metrolink’s Chief of Program Delivery, Justin Fornelli, commented: “Placing our system temporarily out of service was necessary to complete the final phase of a three-year modernization project at LA Union Station, which connects six of our seven lines and serves as the agency’s central hub,” and Metrolink will “upgrade the signal system where trains enter and exit the station, but we’re not stopping there. This unique break in service will allow us to tackle state-of-good-repair projects across multiple lines, as we work to deliver the safest, most reliable passenger rail experience possible.”

According to the report, the modernization work includes replacing the 1930s-era signal relay technology with a microprocessor-driven signal system. This will allow Metrolink to run multiple trains on multiple tracks as they enter and depart. With the increase in capacity, there should be a subsequent decrease in delays, “while the updated technology will improve safety through this heavily trafficked corridor.” In addition, crews will repair concrete on platforms, paint, clean gutters and canopies, add more lighting tied to emergency power in the tunnel, and service high-voltage components in order to reduce the likelihood of power outages.

During the service-wide suspension, crews will also replace rail on the Antelope Valley Line that is at the end of its life which should reduce the need for slow orders. For the San Bernadino Line, crews will replace culverts that “divert rainwater and storm runoff underneath the tracks to prevent flash flooding.” 

These modernization efforts were partly funded by Metrolink’s Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) capital improvement program. The program, which launched in 2017, carries the goal of providing more efficient rail service before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. This project is the first of two SCORE projects “wrapping up in 2023 with another 11 underway.” This past November, crews implemented an upgraded signal system between Dana Point and San Clemente. Additionally, crews are expected to finish work on Metrolink’s Antelope Valley and Ventura County Lines at Burbank Junction in early 2024.