| Orange County Line | |
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Type | Commuter rail line |
| System | Metrolink |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Greater Los Angeles Area and Orange County |
| Termini | Los Angeles Union Station Oceanside |
| Stations | 14 |
| Operation | |
| Owner | BNSF Railway (track) |
| Operator(s) | Metrolink |
| Character | Elevated and surface-level |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 87.2 miles |
| Track gauge | 1,435mm (4ft 8½ inches) |
The Metrolink (Southern California) Orange County Line is a commuter rail service that runs from Downtown Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail to San Diego. The Orange County line carries passengers to the primary Metrolink hub at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, as well as to many attractions in Orange County including Angel Stadium of Anaheim and the Honda Center, Old Town Orange, and Mission San Juan Capistrano.
The Orange County Line began as Metrolink's fifth line in March 1994. [1] Service is provided seven days a week, with 19 trains on weekdays, and six on weekends. The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner supplements Orange County Line service by providing limited stop service along the corridor and more service during mid-days and weekends.
While the Orange County Line shares trackage with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner trains, a few of its stations are shared with the 91 Line and many with the IEOC line.
The Orange County Line runs on BNSF Railway track, under a shared-right-of-way agreement. Several stations, most notably the ones in downtown Fullerton and Santa Ana, are renovated Spanish Colonial Revival depots originally built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
In October 2005, the Orange County Transportation Authority announced that it would increase service on the Orange County Line, running trains twenty hours daily, seven days a week every 30 minutes. The first part of the additional service was implemented in June 2006 with Saturday service, and July 2006 with Sunday service. The plan has drawn criticism as many Metrolink stations are located beyond walking distance from important destinations such as Disneyland and the adjacent Anaheim Convention Center, Knott's Berry Farm, and the Irvine Spectrum. Funds for new rolling stock and track improvements were allocated from the voter-approved Measure M half-cent sales tax, while critics had advocated using the money for bus operations or other transit service instead. To address some of these issues, OCTA operates a series of Stationlink shuttle routes that connect Metrolink stations in Orange County to nearby destinations.
The Orange County line serves 14 stations:
- Union Station, Los Angeles
- Commerce, Commerce
- Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk
- Buena Park, Buena Park
- Fullerton, Fullerton
- Anaheim, Anaheim
- Orange, Orange
- Santa Ana, Santa Ana
- Tustin, Tustin
- Irvine, Irvine
- Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo
- San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano
- San Clemente North Beach, San Clemente
- Oceanside, Oceanside
An additional stop is made at San Clemente Pier but no Orange County trains stops here. This is the primary Amtrak stop in San Clemente. However, the IEOC Line does stop here on weekends.
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California High-Speed Rail
The route of the Orange County Line will be used for the planned California High-Speed Rail line from Los Angeles Union Station to Irvine. It will stop in Anaheim and possibly either Norwalk or Fullerton. When completed, the right-of-way will consist of the existing tracks with two additional tracks for HSR trains.
See also
External links
References
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