CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
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Faced with rising labor and maintenance costs, the Metrolink commuter rail service is considering fare increases of up to 5.5% this year and a policy change that would require riders to share some of the cost of transferring to other transit services.
If approved by Metrolink’s board of directors late this month, fares would go up anywhere from 3.5% to 5.5% on July 1 with increases for some lines that will be higher than the systemwide average. For example, a round-trip commute between Anaheim and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, now $14, could rise as much as 77 cents if the maximum boost is applied to that route.
“The annual increase is due to the higher costs of operating Metrolink,” said Francisco Oaxaca, a railroad spokesman. “We are facing an escalation of costs in our labor and maintenance contracts.”
Metrolink is also proposing changes in its transfer policy for passengers who connect to other transit services in Los Angeles County. Those changes could go into effect in the fall.
-- Dan Weikel
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