Metrolink considers train service cuts to balance budget

Metrolink could face significant cuts as operating costs rise and ridership stays below pre-pandemic levels. 

At last Friday's meeting, the board announced cuts that would average 29% fewer trains during the week and 40% fewer on weekends across the five counties it serves. 

"I think it's going to be difficult for a lot of people and the families," said Addison Macedo, a student at UC Santa Barbara.

After hopping off the train in Rancho Cucamonga, Macedo said navigating Amtrak and Metrolink schedules is getting more difficult even before the proposed cuts.

"I've been trying to plan trips before and seen the trains aren't running that weekend," Macedo said. 

Right now, 14 trains run from Rancho Cucamonga to Los Angeles' Union Station every day. In the proposed schedule, post-service cuts, riders in Rancho Cucamonga would lose the noon train and the 4 p.m. train, sometimes having to wait two hours to head west. 

Metrolink said ridership has dropped significantly since the pandemic, as more people work from home at least part-time, if not full-time. In San Bernardino County, Metrolink has about 7,000 riders a day, a 30% drop since 2019. 

A public hearing and final vote for the proposed cuts are scheduled for next week. If approved, the cuts will start in November. 

Earlier this month, Metrolink raised fares for the first time in 13 years, with one-way ticket prices up 14%.