Public Transit Thoughts

[mikelovato]

And if you take Metrolink you're good to go when you arrive to ride for free on Metro buses, subways, and light rail. When you do the $10 weekend pass mentioned above it's an awesome way to do a day trip. I've gone with my family before that way and with group of high schoolers from my church. You can get to tons of great places that way.

[jmlowman]

Originally Posted by rah62

I tried using Metrolink a couple times, but I lived in Palm Springs so it involved a drive to the SB Metrolink station (which is in a sketchy area of town), a long train ride, and then having to transfer to some other mode of transit once I got to LA Union Station. I did take the Metrolink once from SB to Oceanside, but as Metrolink doesn't allow overnight parking, I had to scoot right back that afternoon.

I finally decided if I had to drive all the way in to SB, I might as well just stay in the car and go the rest of the way.

I never took Amtrak from PS to LA. I could walk faster than Amtrak, and the PS Amtrak platform is way out in the middle of nowhere and I absolutely would not leave my car there.

It's going to take a few years, but there are plans to extend the San Bernardino Metrolink line out to Redlands. It will take a lot of work on the tracks, though. There are small palm trees growing between the rails in places, and there hasn't been passenger traffic on that line for decades, so the tracks will have to be upgraded, as well.

I agree about the Palm Springs Amtrak station if you can call it that. Also, the Sunset Limited runs only three days a week, and probably won't be on time going toward LA.

We took the Metrolink from San Bernardino to Claremont once to have lunch. The interior of the car was very clean and there were no sketchy-looking people making the trip.

BTW, I was a station host at the SB station for a few years, before it was reopened to the public. I would go in about 30 minutes before the evening Amtrak arrived from LA and stayed until about 30 minutes after that. The eastbound train arrived a bit after 8 PM, and I never heard of any problems. The area around the station was pretty sketchy, but the old supermarket was torn down and a new complex was built. There's a new supermarket, a Subway, a Chinese restaurant and a doughnut shop that I can recall. There's also a new parking structure, as well.

[wrcousert]

Originally Posted by Tristan_Davis

I guess you're right, traffic can be a mess. You can get a Metrolink pass for 10.00 per person on the weekend so it's not that costly.

The weekend pass used to be good for service on Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday. Metrolink replaced it with a pass that is good for either Saturday or Sunday, not both - same $10.00 price. What used to cost $10 now costs more than $20 if you used it all three days. And they wonder why people don't want to give up their cars.

[wrcousert]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

There's something to be said for sitting back and taking in the scenery while someone else drives the choo-choo.

Sit back, snooze, surf the web, watch a movie, join the five foot high club. There's so much you can do on the train that isn't possible when you have both hands on the wheel.