TEMECULA, Calif. — Despite an increase in on-time arrivals on its Riverside-to-Los Angeles line, Metrolink officials say they will take Union Pacific into federal arbitration if more isn’t done to make sure freight trains don’t interfere with the commuter rail service, reports the North County Times.
Representatives of the regional rail system, which has trains traveling the Inland Empire as well as parts of Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and San Diego counties, is blaming the nation’s largest railroad for the delays. They say Union Pacific, which has dispatch duties for the line, is allowing freight trains to clog up the tracks during weekday business hours.
Metrolink officials accuse Union Pacific of failing to abide by an early 1990s contract that gives commuter trains priority, and in March threatened legal action if the delays continue.
A spokesman for Union Pacific said the company has effectively taken steps to reduce the delays but that a busy rail line is bound to have its fair share of holdups.
Last year, about 16 percent of Metrolink’s Riverside-to-Los Angeles commuter trains were late. In October, the worst month, more than one-fifth of the trains arrived or departed at least five minutes late, with delays often in excess of 30 minutes and sometimes longer than an hour.
Metrolink estimates that during the average weekday, about 2,300 people ride the 12 trains it has running along the nearly 60-mile Riverside line.
Sharon Gavin, a spokeswoman for the regional rail system, said Monday that the most recent complaints to Union Pacific haven’t gone unheard. The on-time rate for the Riverside line is now at 95 percent, she said.
But Temecula Mayor and Metrolink board member Ron Roberts said that too often in the past, Metrolink has seen the performance problems fixed only to see regular delays resurface a few months down the line.
He said a 95 percent on-time rate is great, but it’s a matter of keeping it consistent. The delays, Roberts said, are bound to hurt ridership, and the trains must be on time if commuters are going to get off the freeways and on the tracks.
The Riverside County Transportation Commission is supporting Metrolink and has asked that the Southern California Regional Rail Authority “pursue all available efforts” to give commuter trains priority.
Mike Furtney, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said there are other causes for the delays in addition to freight trains, including maintenance of the rail system and heavy usage. Along with Metrolink’s 12 trains, Union Pacific runs between 50 and 60 freight trains on the line daily.
“It’s a very busy line,” he said. “They’re combining a very busy commuter system … with a busy freight system that has grown over the years. All we’re asking from them is a rational approach.”
Union Pacific recently told its dispatchers to make sure the commuter trains are given priority, Furtney said, adding that the company hopes the issue can be worked out without federal arbitration.
Union Pacific officials are scheduled to meet formally with the Metrolink board of directors, Gavin said, possibly as soon as April 26. She said the fact that the on-time rates have improved over the past month is proof that the problem can be corrected.
“Metrolink’s relationship with Union Pacific is going to be a long-term one and we’re looking for any avenue we can to take care of the problem,” Gavin said. But she added that arbitration remains a potential recourse.