Riverside Line
View from the tracks at the Pomona station
Overview
LocaleGreater Los Angeles Area and Inland Empire
Termini
Stations7
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetrolink
Operator(s)Metrolink
Daily ridership1,237 (June 2023)[1]
History
OpenedJune 1993[2]
Technical
Line length59.1 miles (95.1 km)
CharacterElevated and surface-level
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed41 miles per hour (66 km/h) (average)[3]
Route map
■ Antelope Valley Line ■ Ventura County Line
 L.A. Union Station
■ San Bernardino Line
■ 91/Perris Valley Line
■ Orange County Line
 Montebello/​Commerce
 Industry
 Pomona–Downtown
 Ontario–East
 Jurupa Valley/Pedley
■ 91/Perris Valley Line
■ Inland Empire–Orange County Line
 Riverside–Downtown
■ 91/Perris Valley Line
■ Inland Empire–Orange County Line
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible
 Stations with Amtrak service

Metrolink's Riverside Line is a commuter rail line running from L.A. Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles to Riverside along the Union Pacific Railroad. It runs weekday peak commuter hours only, with very little midday and reverse commute service.[4] In 2011, the average weekday ridership was 5,161 passengers.[5]

History

The Riverside Line, the fourth line to be introduced, was added to the Metrolink system in June 1993.[6] This line featured Saturday service from June 2000 until January 2002, when it was cancelled due to low ridership. As of November 2021, the line has seven trains daily on weekdays only with reverse commute service temporarily eliminated in 2019, but revived with only one train per day as of 2021.

The Riverside Line can be used to get to Ontario International Airport; the East Ontario station has an airport shuttle served by Omnitrans Bus route 81 as of 2019, including discounted Lyft fares from the station.

As Metrolink trains along the Riverside Line share tracks with Union Pacific freight trains, delays of up to 90 minutes are not uncommon.[7] In April 2005, morning westbound trains arrived on schedule 90% of the time, while those headed east during the evening arrived on schedule only 72% of the time.[8]

Present decline

A train stopping at Pomona c. 2019

Ridership for the Riverside Line has gradually declined following the opening of the 91/Perris Valley Line in 2002.[9] Much of the decline in service has been a direct result of competition with the 91/Perris Valley Line or San Bernardino Line, or track right-of-way disputes with Union Pacific. Planning of the line's route has also come into question later in its lifetime, as the line was not redirected to the north half of the Monte Vista Subdivision to possibly construct a station to directly serve Ontario International Airport, which was heavily renovated in 1998. As a result, many riders believe Metrolink has not made the line as much of a priority for frequent usage, which has shown in the decline of trains per day in recent schedule updates. As of 2022, the Riverside Line operates seven trains on weekdays only.

Stations

Station Connections Location
L.A. Union Station Metrolink (California) Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley Antelope Valley Orange County San Bernardino Ventura County
Amtrak Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle
Metro:  A Line  B Line  D Line  J Line
FlyAway (bus) FlyAway to LAX
Silver Streak		 Los Angeles Los Angeles County
Montebello/​Commerce Montebello
Industry City of Industry
Pomona–Downtown Amtrak Amtrak: Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle
Silver Streak		 Pomona
Ontario–East Ontario San Bernardino County
Jurupa Valley/Pedley Jurupa Valley Riverside County
Riverside–Downtown Metrolink (California) Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley Inland Empire-Orange County
Amtrak Amtrak: Southwest Chief		 Riverside

Demographics

In 2011, the average weekday ridership was 5,161 passengers, with 46 percent male and 54 percent female.[5] Eighty-nine percent of riders used the line for work commutes.[5] The median household income for riders was US$86,028.[5]

Ridership by ethnicity was evenly split:[5]

Accidents and Fatalities

An abandoned platform at Downtown Pomona

Numerous accidents and deaths have occurred on the Riverside Line since its inception.

  • On December 30, 1993, around 6:15 pm, a pedestrian was killed in a collision with a Metrolink train near Bon View Avenue and Mission Boulevard (adjacent to Ontario International Airport).[10]
  • On August 25, 1994, at 6:39 a.m., a Metrolink train struck a car containing three adults and an infant girl in Riverside, all occupants were killed.[11]
  • On October 26, 1997, at 5:33 a.m., a 95-year-old, hearing-impaired man was hit and killed by a Riverside line train.[13]
  • On January 30, 2003, at 5:33 am, a clinically depressed 37-year-old man was killed by a Metrolink train when it collided with his car after being parked on a City of Industry rail crossing. The death was reported to be a suicide.[14][15]
  • On March 9, 2005, a Union Pacific train crashed near Fullerton Road and Railroad Street in the City of Industry, derailing 21 rail cars and disrupting Metrolink service on the Riverside Line.[16] The crash was caused by a broken track.[17]
  • On November 9, 2008, at 2:25 p.m., a 44-year old man was struck and killed by a train in Jurupa Valley.[19]
  • On September 5, 2013, at 9:21 a.m., a man was struck and killed by westbound train #409 at the Hamilton Boulevard grade crossing, about a half-mile west of the downtown Pomona station.[20]
  • On April 5, 2016, at around 6:20 a.m., man was struck and killed by a Union Pacific train in Montclair, delaying Metrolink service for up to 3 hours.[21]
  • On September 9, 2016, at around 4:30 a.m., a woman was struck and killed by a train near the Montebello station in what was believed to be a suicide.[22][23]
  • On July 24, 2017, at 2:45 p.m., a man identified as 40 year old Frederico Duran of Long Beach was struck and killed off of the Archibald Ave crossing in Ontario, the death was later determined to be a suicide.[24]
  • On March 29, 2018, at 2:19 p.m., a Woman was struck and killed by eastbound Metrolink train 402 at the Campus Ave crossing in Ontario.[25]
  • On June 12, 2018, a woman was killed after her car was struck by a train at the Archibald Ave Crossing in Ontario.[26]
  • On August 16, 2018, at 4:30 am, Pomona police officers responded to a call after the bodies of two homeless men were found at the Downtown-Pomona station. The bodies were later identified as 37-year old Robert Salinas Jr and 31-year old Jeremy Alexander Henness. Both men were found to have received multiple gunshot wounds on the South platform of the Pomona station. Ontario police officers later apprehended Amtrak engineer Christopher Matthew Peterson as the sole suspect in the murders. He was later charged in connection with the shootings and is currently awaiting sentencing.[27][28]
  • On October 5, 2018, at 1:45pm, the body of an unidentified homeless woman was found near the tracks under the Temple Ave overpass in Diamond Bar.[29]
  • On May 31, 2019, at around 2:00 p.m., a 22 year old woman later identified as Evelyn Gamarro was killed by an oncoming Metrolink train traveling at approximately 60 mph near Buena Vista Avenue in Pomona. Local authorities later determined the death to be a suicide based on witness reports.[30][31]
  • On December 21, 2022, at 9:03 a.m., a man was struck and killed by a westbound Amtrak train in Pomona, cancelling all westbound Metrolink trains, resulting in Metro offering reimbursements to multiple passengers.[32]
  • On May 14, 2023 at 5:30 a.m., an unidentified pedestrian was struck and killed by a freight train in Pomona, delaying Metrolink service up to 3 hours due to the ongoing investigation.[33]
  • On May 17, 2023, 37-year old Jaqueline Sweet was struck and killed by an inbound Riverside Line train near Commerce and 3rd Street in Downtown Riverside.[34]
  • On June 5, 2023, at 5:20 p.m., a 22-year old man was hit by an inbound train in Riverside adjacent to the Iowa Avenue crossing. The man was later identified as Samuel Lissy of Riverside.[35]
  • On June 23, 2023, at 10:28p.m., an unidentified homeless individual was struck and killed by a Union Pacific freight train adjacent to the Temple Ave crossing in Diamond Bar. Amtrak service was affected as outbound trains were delayed up to 4 hours.[36]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Quarterly Fact Sheet Q4 2022-2023" (PDF). Metrolink. June 30, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Curtiss, Aaron (27 October 1993). "Rail System Ends 1st Year on Upswing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Metrolink Fact Sheet for June 2012" (PDF). Metrolink. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Metrolink Timetable" (PDF). June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Riverside Line 2011 Demographics Fact Sheet" (PDF). Metrolink. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Trains Magazine – Railroad News, Web Cam, Railroading Video – Metrolink
  7. ↑ Morin, Monte (13 January 2003). "As O.C. Balks, Riverside Rail Proposal in Peril". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Weikel, Dan (15 May 2005). "Freight vs. Folks on Lone Rail Line". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Consulting Services for Metrolink Origin Studies 2018" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "Pedestrian Killed by Train Near Ontario Airport". Los Angeles Times. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "Metrolink Train hits Car, 4 Killed".
  12. ↑ "2 Men Killed by Metrolink Trains in Separate Incidents".
  13. ↑ Simon, Richard (26 October 1997). "Girls' Deaths Renew Rail Safety Debate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  14. ↑ "2 Metrolink Deaths Believed to Be Suicides". Los Angeles Times. 31 January 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  15. ↑ Becerra, Hector (6 February 2003). "Teen Killed by Metrolink Train". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  16. ↑ Thermos, Wendy (9 March 2005). "21 Freight-Train Cars Derail". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  17. ↑ Thermos, Wendy (10 March 2005). "Broken Track Blamed in Freight Train Derailment". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  18. ↑ Silverstein, Stuart (14 December 2006). "Man killed by Metrolink train". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "Riverside Man Struck By Metrolink Train Dies".
  20. ↑ "Pedestrian Hit, Killed by Metrolink Train in Central Pomona".
  21. ↑ "Metrolink's Riverside Line Delayed Following Fatal Train Crash".
  22. ↑ "Montebello Woman Killed by Train".
  23. ↑ "Train Kills Woman in Montebello, Streets Closed".
  24. ↑ "Man struck by Metrolink train in Ontario is identified".
  25. ↑ "Woman Fatally Struck by Metrolink was from Ontario".
  26. ↑ "Woman dead after Metrolink train hits car in Ontario". 12 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "Amtrak Engineer found Guilty in murder of Homeless men".
  28. ↑ "Amtrak Engineer pleads not guilty to fatally shooting 2 homeless men at Pomona Train Station".
  29. ↑ "Body of Homeless Woman found on Metrolink Tracks".
  30. ↑ "22-year-old Pomona woman killed by Metrolink train in apparent suicide".
  31. ↑ "Evelyn Gamarro (22) stepped in front of a train that was moving at 60 mph".
  32. ↑ "Metrolink shuts down tracks after Amtrak train hits person".
  33. ↑ "Pedestrian found dead under freight train in Pomona".
  34. ↑ "Woman Struck, Killed By Metrolink Train Was Riverside Resident".
  35. ↑ "Investigation Underway into Death of Man Struck by Metrolink Train".
  36. ↑ "Pomona, CA: Pedestrian Fatally Struck by Train in Pomona".
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