Train from Orange County to Pasadena (Santa Ana, Irvine: apartments, lease, car insurance)

[1sanctuary1]

Hello!

I am at a major turning point in my life, and will be having to be in Pasadena regularly starting next month. However, I still have a lease here in Irvine for about 2 more months.

I am trying to decide between moving to Pasadena or commuting there by train. I am particularly fond of my current studio, because I can save money, and it has pretty thick walls, very thick floors, and neighbors are more mature and quieter. After browsing online, the train routes are a bit overwhelming.

Hopefully, someone can help me; if I am to take the train to Pasadena from Irvine, what would be the cheapest, quickest, overall most efficient route?

Also, about how long is a trip one-way?


All help is greatly appreciated, thanks!!

[DarkWolf]

I looked it up , Google tells me 100 minutes the shortest trip.. Head to the Metrolink Station , idk where in Irvine your at...


Irvine Transportation Center & Tustin Metrolink Station Service the Orange County line

1. Once on the Train to LA Union Station - it takes about 1hr , 10 minutes - 8 Stops to LA
2. Arrive at LA Union Station takes about 5-10 minutes to Transfer to the Metro Gold line
3. Board a Metro Gold line train bound for Sierra Madre Villa
4. Arrive in Pasadena 21 minutes later - 9 stops to Pasadena

Inbound Trains that Service Irvine (add 5 minutes for Tustin)

4:14am , 5:26am , 6:03am , 6:33am , 7:05am , 7:23am , 8:04am , 8:49am to LA Union Station , Cost is 10.50$ one way , 21.00$ roundtrip...still cheaper then driving by 10-15$ it says...hmmm Its a 1.50$ for the Gold line...

Outbound Trains to Irvine are...

2:25pm , 3:20pm , 3:50pm , 4:30pm , 4:50pm , 5:40pm , 6:30pm

[coo77]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

I looked it up , Google tells me 100 minutes the shortest trip.. Head to the Metrolink Station , idk where in Irvine your at...


Irvine Transportation Center & Tustin Metrolink Station Service the Orange County line

1. Once on the Train to LA Union Station - it takes about 1hr , 10 minutes - 8 Stops to LA
2. Arrive at LA Union Station takes about 5-10 minutes to Transfer to the Metro Gold line
3. Board a Metro Gold line train bound for Sierra Madre Villa
4. Arrive in Pasadena 21 minutes later - 9 stops to Pasadena

Inbound Trains that Service Irvine (add 5 minutes for Tustin)

4:14am , 5:26am , 6:03am , 6:33am , 7:05am , 7:23am , 8:04am , 8:49am to LA Union Station , Cost is 10.50$ one way , 21.00$ roundtrip...still cheaper then driving by 10-15$ it says...hmmm Its a 1.50$ for the Gold line...

Outbound Trains to Irvine are...

2:25pm , 3:20pm , 3:50pm , 4:30pm , 4:50pm , 5:40pm , 6:30pm

Metrolink monthly pass holders also have access to "Rail 2 Rail" which means you can ride an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train and just show your conductor your pass. The Amtrak train is roughly 10 minutes quicker due to less stops. Towards L.A. there is a 7:48AM and 8:37AM train. The way back Amtrak adds departures at 4:10, 5:10, 7:30, and 10:10PM to OC.
Rail 2 Rail® Program | Metrolink

Also, there is a discount for buying a monthly pass: A monthly pass costs $288 between Irvine and Union Station and includes unlimited travel between these two stations in a month. Assuming 20 round-trips a month, that is $14.40 per day, $6.60 less than buying roundtrip tickets everyday at $21. In addition, Metrolink ticket holders do not need to pay for Metro Gold Line. As long as your Metrolink ticket is valid for the day of travel on Metro, your Metro fare is included. If a fare inspector is onboard your Metro Gold Line train and asks to see your TAP card or fare, simply show the inspector your Metrolink ticket or pass and it counts. Saves you $3 roundtrip on Gold Line fares.

You might also consider the Tustin station on the Irvine border depending on where you live in Irvine. There is no Amtrak service usually to Tustin, only Metrolink schedules. Its about 6 minutes closer to Union Station than Irvine station.

--And on a personal note: I'd recommend moving to Pasadena. Its a great lively area with a beautiful and fun downtown. You'd save yourself a headache commuting. Its a long drive or a long ride on trains.

[1sanctuary1]

Thank you! This helps A LOT.

[Coldjensens]

Keep in mind too that train time is not lost time like commuting time is. With mobil internet there is almost nothing you cannot do on the train that you could do in your living room or your office.

[1sanctuary1]

I agree, this is the main reason why I am considering commuting, but I'm afraid the cost, even with a monthly pass, may be too much to bear...

[Coldjensens]

If your employer normally pays for parking, they may be willing to provide you that amount as reimbursement for train fare instead. Some employers even offer cash for any amount parking exceeds train fair. Other eployers will pay train fare regardless of whether it exceeds parking costs just to encourage employees to ride the train.

What I found was after factoring in gas, parking and wear/depreciation on the car, the train was cheaper than driving. Later I discovered that reducing the miles driven to work, also reduced my car insurance premium by a little bit.

Even if your savings do not exceed the train fare, figure out what the difference amounts to and compare it to the time you will recover. You may fnid that by driving, you are saving $1.50 per hour. In other words if you find train fare costs $3 per day more than it costs to dirve and park, but you spend 2 hours doing other things on the train that you doulc not do when driving, then you are paying yourslef $1.50 per hour for the time you spend driving - not worth it.

One last thing, I was often able to finsih my work day on the train. Thus, I would leave an hour early and do an hour of work on the train. Sometimes I was able to do more than an hour of work on the train (45 minutes A.M. and 45 minutes p.m.). You cannot expect to recover all of your train time, becuase you lose some time waiting for hte trains, getting on and off, and talking to people.

[ragnarkar]

You may want to drive a bit further out, especially if your commute is early. Board the Metrolink at Buena Park right before I-5 gets congested, for example. Experiment with different Metrolink stations between Irvine and Union Station then find the one that makes the most optimal commute and buy a monthly pass for that station.

[coo77]

Originally Posted by 1sanctuary1

I agree, this is the main reason why I am considering commuting, but I'm afraid the cost, even with a monthly pass, may be too much to bear...

Driving will probably cost more each day, especially depending on the car you drive or be about even.

Your looking at 100 miles round trip everyday.
Assume you get 26 mpg during the trip. (your car may get better or worse).

100/26 = 3.85 gallons used
3.85 x $4 per gallon (lower than most gas stations right now mind you) = $15.30 per day in gas.
$15.30 X 20 days of commuting = $306 in gasoline just to go to work each month.

If you car average 20 mpg, it would be $400 per month in gas +! And remember, unless you have a hybrid, your car gets worse mpg in traffic and will be guzzling that fuel.

So the train isn't gonna cost you any more than driving unless you have a 50mpg Prius or something. The cheapest thing would be to move closer probably when you get a chance. There are plenty of really nice apartments in Pasadena area.

[OtherHand]

I've done this very trip a number of times, mostly for recreation (Rose Parade, fooling around in old Town Pasadena, etc). It works, but it is a loooong trip. The 21 minutes or so on the Gold Line from Union Station to Pasadena goes fast. But your Metrolink time is dependent upon their schedule. If you get there early you'll have to wait around, adding to your total travel time.

I initially went out of the Santa Ana station as parking in Irvine sucked. But now I go from the Irvine station, as there's lots of free parking in the new structure. Also the Tustin station has a huge new parking structure with plenty of free parking there.

As mentioned, if you pay for Metrolink you can ride the Metro trains for free. Not true if you take Amtrak. Amtrak is also more expensive as it isn't subsidized to the extent Metrolink is.

Finally, as comparison, travel time via car (with no friggin' traffic!) is an hour. I use that as a perhaps unfair comparison.