LOS ANGELES — Five years ago, Patty Pogemiller was one of many county residents enduring the traffic nightmare along Southern California highways as part of her commute from Moorpark to her job in downtown Los Angeles, the Ventura Country Star reported.
That’s when she decided to trade in her freeway commute for a seat aboard a Metrolink train. At the time, the Southern California area’s only commuter rail service was operating seven routes through a six-county network of 507 miles.
It’s a decision Pogemiller hasn’t regretted.
“It frees up my time. I have two hours to do my own thing, like reading or working on e-mails,” Pogemiller said after disembarking Monday morning at Metrolink’s Moorpark station.
Earlier in the morning, Simi Valley officials joined Metrolink representatives at the Simi Valley train station on Los Angeles Avenue to celebrate the train service’s 10th anniversary.
It was in 1992 that the first Metrolink commuter trains rolled onto the scene in Southern California. The trains covered just 112 miles on three lines, serving about 2,300 weekday passengers. Today, the service has grown to cover more than 500 miles on seven lines, serving more than 34,000 weekday passengers and another 6,000 weekend patrons.
Metrolink officials say the Simi Valley stop is Ventura County’s busiest station, averaging about 240 passengers in September compared to 347 from all other stations combined in the county in that same month.
The service appears to be growing in popularity. A new station will open Nov. 11 in Montalvo. The two trains now beginning and ending in Oxnard will be extended northwest to the new stop. Metrolink currently has stations in Simi, Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard.
“At times we’re playing catch-up because ridership has grown,” said David Solow, CEO of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which oversees Metrolink.
Solow said many people couldn’t envision the success Metrolink would have, because “people said Southern Californians love their cars.
“We wanted to show them there was another viable alternative to take to work,” Solow said.
Simi Valley Mayor Bill Davis, who sat on the original board that created the rail service, said he initially doubted whether the five counties involved could come together to create Metrolink in the 18-month span members wanted.
“Once we moved pass the voting block, deciding on how many votes each county had, things went very smoothly,” Davis said.
Metrolink and Amtrak recently launched a new “Rail 2 Rail” program, which allows pass holders on the Ventura and Orange county lines to ride either train. Now some passengers wish officials would orchestrate a program with local bus services.
“The only problem is the time frame. It’s not practical or convenient,” Chatsworth resident Omer Boyson said Monday. “You get off the train and the bus isn’t there. You can’t always get to where you want to.”