Ventura County Line
The Metrolink station at Chatsworth
Overview
LocaleGreater Los Angeles Area and Ventura County
Termini
Stations12
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetrolink
Operator(s)Metrolink
Daily ridership1,273 (June 2023)[1]
Technical
Line length70.9 miles (114.1 km)
CharacterElevated and surface-level
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed39 mph (63 km/h) (avg.)
Route map
Amtrak
Coast Starlight
to Seattle
Pacific Surfliner
to San Luis Obispo
 Ventura–East
 Oxnard
 Camarillo
 Moorpark
 Simi Valley
Santa Susana Tunnel
 Chatsworth
Northridge
 Van Nuys
( 2031)
 Burbank Airport–South
Hollywood Burbank Airport
■ Antelope Valley Line
 Downtown Burbank
 Glendale
 L.A. Union Station
■ San Bernardino Line
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible
 Stations with Amtrak service
View of the Ventura County Line railway on Tampa Avenue heading to Chatsworth station

The Metrolink Ventura County Line is a commuter rail line serving Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles, in the Southern California system.[2] The line is the successor of the short lived CalTrain commuter rail line.

Schedules

As of October 23, 2023, the Ventura County Line is served by 20 Metrolink trains (ten in each direction) each weekday, running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel.[3]

However, of those trains, only six trains (three in each direction) travel the entire length of the line between Los Angeles and Ventura–East station. Sixteen trains (eight in each direction) short turn, traveling only between Los Angeles and Moorpark station, while 20 trains (ten in each direction) travel between Los Angeles and Chatsworth station.[3]

Two round trips operate on weekends over the entire length of the line. Metrolink passengers (except those at Ventura–East station) also have access to four Pacific Surfliner trains (two in each direction) each day through a codeshare agreement.[3]

Tracks

The line operates between Moorpark and Los Angeles Union Station on tracks owned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – the Ventura Subdivision from Moorpark to Burbank Airport and the Valley Subdivision, the Valley Subdivision from Burbank to Glendale, becoming the River Subdivision into Los Angeles Union Station. It uses the Coast Line of the Union Pacific Railroad between Moorpark and Oxnard and into Ventura where the Santa Paula Branch splits from the rest of the Coast Line. Ventura–East station and layover facility are on the Santa Paula Branch Line.[4]

History

The railway was originally constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad as their Coast Line, connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco. The Montalvo Cutoff between Burbank and Ventura via the Simi Valley was built in 1904, bypassing the old line further to the north. Caltrans ran commuter rail service over the line very briefly in 1982 and 1983, but CalTrain was unsustainable due to a number of factors.

In 1990 the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, predecessor of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, acquired a portion of the right-of-way between Los Angeles and Moorpark from Southern Pacific and transferred it to the newly formed Southern California Regional Rail Authority for commuter service.[5]

The line began operations in 1992 as one of Metrolink's original three routes, with service from Moorpark to Los Angeles Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. Service was extended to Camarillo and Oxnard in 1994 after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, then to Ventura in 2002.

Because Amtrak trains operate on the same corridor all day, every day, Metrolink did not operate weekend service on the line. As part of a six-month trial program to determine demand, Metrolink added Saturday service on April 6, 2020.[6] Permanent Saturday service started on May 29, 2021, with one round trip between LA Union Station and Moorpark.[7] Service was extended to Ventura–East on August 9, 2021.[8]

Metrolink established a code sharing agreement with Amtrak, allowing all Metrolink passengers to ride select Pacific Surfliner trains with any ticket or pass, starting April 4, 2022. The code sharing agreement adds one more morning and early afternoon trip to Ventura, expanding midday and Saturday service, and establishing de facto Sunday service on the line.[9]

Accidents

2008 Chatsworth train collision

At 4:23 p.m. on September 12, 2008, 25 people were killed in a collision between Metrolink commuter train 111 and a freight train. At least 130 people were injured, with at least one dying later at a hospital. The crash occurred on the Ventura County Line near Heather Lee Lane, south of the Ronald Reagan Freeway(SR-118) and east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Both locomotives, the leading car of the commuter train, and seven cars of the freight train were derailed.

2015 Oxnard train derailment

On February 24, 2015, according to Oxnard Police Sergeant Denise Shadinger, a Metrolink commuter train traveling from Ventura County to Los Angeles hit a road vehicle near Oxnard, California; she initially said there was an unspecified number of injuries. The incident was reported at 5:44 A.M. Three cars derailed, at least one vehicle was fully engulfed at some point, and the three derailed cars were on their sides; the locomotive was still upright. Little but scorched, mangled wreckage in an intersection and on the tracks was left of the truck; Oxnard Fire Department battalion chief Sergio Martinez said the driver fled the scene unhurt but was found and taken into custody. News helicopters and footage from ABC affiliate KABC showed footage of triage tarps lying in the 5th Street (SR 34) where on-scene firefighters were treating victims and monitoring the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in a tweet, acknowledged the incident and stated they were launching an investigation.[10][11][12][13][14][15] The train engineer died a week later and 29 others were injured. A week after the incident, an Amtrak train collided with a vehicle in the same area as the first crash.[16]

Stations

Station Connections Location
Ventura–East Ventura Ventura County
Oxnard Amtrak Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner Oxnard
Camarillo Amtrak Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner Camarillo
Moorpark Amtrak Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner Moorpark
Simi Valley Amtrak Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner Simi Valley
Chatsworth Amtrak Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner
Metro:  G Line		 Chatsworth Los Angeles County
Northridge Northridge
Van Nuys Amtrak Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner Van Nuys
Burbank Airport–South Amtrak Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner
Hollywood Burbank Airport Walkway to Hollywood Burbank Airport		 Burbank
Downtown Burbank Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Antelope Valley
Glendale Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Antelope Valley
Amtrak Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner		 Glendale
L.A. Union Station Metrolink (California) Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley Antelope Valley Orange County Riverside San Bernardino
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		 Los Angeles

References

  1. ↑ "Quarterly Fact Sheet Q4 2022-2023" (PDF). Metrolink. June 30, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hattem, Matt Van (June 30, 2006). "Metrolink, The commuter railroad serving Los Angeles". Trains Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2006.
  3. ↑ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation.
  4. ↑ 1991 California Rail Passenger Development Plan (PDF) (Report). Caltrans. July 1991. p. 175. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. ↑ Harris, Mike. "Metrolink to add Saturday service on VC line in April in pilot program". Ventura County Star. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Metrolink's Ventura County Line starts Saturday service to LA's Union Station". Los Angeles Daily News. May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Metrolink expands Ventura County Line's Saturday service". Daily News. August 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Metrolink Schedule Update". www.metrolinktrains.com. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Metrolink train hits a vehicle in Oxnard". vcstar.com. The E.W. Scripps Co. February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Alerts, Service Advisories and Planned Advisories | Metrolink". Metrolinktrains.com. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Abandoned truck's driver arrested after commuter train crash". Msn.com. February 25, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ Lah, Kyung (February 25, 2015). "Train technology prevented tragedy in California". CNN.com. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Truck driver who caused California derailment arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Truck driver arrested after train crash". Usatoday.com. February 25, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  15. ↑ Nelson, Laura J. (March 1, 2015). "Amtrak train strikes car in Camarillo; no serious injuries reported". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
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