ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A deal struck between Metrolink and a Florida-based railroad operator is expected to keep the commuter rail running regardless of financial woes that might jeopardize Amtrak, which provides Metrolink trains with engineers and conductors, reports the Orange County Register.
Starting Wednesday, Metrolink will pay RailAmerica Inc. $1,000 a month for 18 months to provide backup operating services for the Southern California commuter rail should Amtrak fail to fulfill its contract, officials said. “It’s kind of like an insurance policy,” said Sharon Gavin, a spokeswoman for Metrolink, which serves 33,000 commuters a day.
The contingency plan stems from last summer’s near shutdown of Amtrak. In June, Amtrak threatened to discontinue services because it was on the brink of bankruptcy. A shutdown was averted with a federal bailout. But the near closure, which jeopardized operating services for commuter railroads across the country, forced Metrolink to come up with a Plan B. Gavin said Metrolink is the first and only commuter railroad to have such a plan. The contract with RailAmerica is being paid from the agency’s $91.7 million operating budget.