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91/Perris Valley Line

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91/Perris Valley Line
Pedestrian bridge and tracks at the Fullerton station
Overview
LocaleSouthern California
Termini
Stations12 (1 planned)
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemMetrolink
Operator(s)Metrolink
Daily ridership1,597 (June 2023)[1]
History
OpenedMay 2002 (2002-05)
Technical
Line length83.8 miles (134.9 km)[2]
CharacterElevated and surface-level
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed33 mph (53 km/h) (avg. Q4 2015-16)[2]
Route map
Map 91/Perris Valley Line highlighted in blue
L.A. Union Station
Pico Rivera
(proposed)
Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs
Buena Park
Fullerton
Placentia
(planned)
Corona–West
Corona–North Main
Riverside–La Sierra
Riverside–Downtown
Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR
Moreno Valley/March Field
Perris–Downtown
Perris–South
Hemet
(proposed)
San Jacinto
(proposed)
Other service sharing track
Multiple services sharing track
Stations with Amtrak service

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible

The 91/Perris Valley Line,[3] formerly known as the 91 Line,[2] is a commuter rail route operated by Metrolink that runs from Los Angeles to Perris in Southern California, mostly paralleling State Route 91 between Riverside-Downtown and Buena Park stations. Operating since May 2002, the route runs on the Southern Transcon line owned by BNSF Railway,[4] as well as the Riverside County Transportation Commission-owned San Jacinto Branch Line. Services are primarily operated along the entire route between L.A. Union Station and Perris–South, while some trips use Riverside–Downtown as a terminus.

History

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Service on the 91 Line began on May 6, 2002, between Union Station and Riverside–Downtown.[5] Metrolink began operating limited weekend service on the 91 Line in July 2014.[6]

Weekend service

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The Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line weekend service began on October 19, 2019 between Perris-South Metrolink Station and Los Angeles Union Station, and consists of 2 round trip trains (one-way to L.A. in the morning and one-way back to Perris in the afternoon and evening).

Extension

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The Perris Valley Line is a 24-mile-long extension of the original 91 Line into the Perris Valley. The extension runs on the San Jacinto Branch Line, which parallels Interstate 215.[7]

The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) purchased the BNSF San Jacinto Branch Line in 1993, soon after Metrolink began operating.[8] Planning for the extension formally began in 2002. After studying the service alternatives available for the Perris Valley, RCTC selected commuter rail service in 2004. The Federal Transit Administration provided funding for the extension in 2007.[citation needed] In 2009, both the Federal Transit Administration and RCTC decided to conduct further studies into the project. The Federal Transit Administration decided to require a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) to refresh the 2004 information and to obtain new public comment. RCTC had decided to prepare a full draft environmental impact report (EIR) to clarify concerns and address new station site options. The draft EIR was released for public comment on April 5, 2010, with the public comment period closing on May 24, 2010. The draft SEA was completed and the comment period for the SEA ended on January 6, 2011. As of October 2012, comments received on both the EIR and the SEA were under review.[8]

Seven stations were originally planned by RCTC—five to open along with the extension, and two to be built in the future. In the April 2010 CEQA-mandated environmental impact report,[9] three stations were dropped: the two future stations, one on the Cajalco Expressway near its junction with Interstate 215 in Perris and one in Box Springs within Riverside; and a station adjacent to UC Riverside, which was removed due to complaints by local residents.[10] In response to these removals, RCTC officials stated that more stations could be built in the future if necessary.[10] A local community group filed a CEQA lawsuit against the extension in 2011;[11] the group and RCTC settled the suit in 2013.[12]

Led by RCTC, construction on the extension began in October 2013.[8] Originally planned to start in December 2015,[8][13][14] public service on the extension was delayed to February 2016, then March 2016, then scheduled for sometime in the spring.[15][16] The delay had been attributed to construction of the Perris–South station.[17] After numerous delays, the extension opened June 6, 2016.[18][19] Metrolink inconsistently uses the terms "91/Perris Valley Line" and "91 Line" to refer to both the extension and the entire rail line.[20]

The extension was projected to cost $248 million with funding coming from the state, a $75 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, and Measure A, Riverside County's special sales tax for transportation projects.[21][22][needs update]

Future development

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In 2005, an RCTC-commissioned study determined that extending the line to San Jacinto[23] via an underused rail line owned by RCTC, and/or to Temecula via a brand-new trackage, would be feasible.[24]

In April, 2023, $15.5 million in funding was allocated by the state following a joint application between Metrolink and the Riverside County Transportation Committee (RCTC) for a double-track project along Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line between the cities of Moreno Valley and Perris. The project is estimated to be completed by late 2025.[25]

Construction of an infill station in Placentia is planned, but has been delayed due to a lack of cooperation from BNSF, who owns the right-of-way.[26]

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) also has plans for an infill station serving Pico Rivera, located between Commerce and Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs stations.[27]

Stations

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There are twelve stations on the 91/Perris Valley Line:[3][28]

Station Connections Location
L.A. Union Station Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Antelope Valley Orange County Riverside 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
Los Angeles Los Angeles County
Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Orange County Norwalk
Buena Park Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Orange County Buena Park Orange County
Fullerton Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Orange County
Amtrak Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner, Southwest Chief
Fullerton
Corona–West Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Corona Riverside County
Corona–North Main Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County
Riverside–La Sierra Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Riverside
Riverside–Downtown Metrolink (California) Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Riverside
Amtrak Amtrak: Southwest Chief
Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR
Moreno Valley/March Field Moreno Valley
Perris–Downtown Perris
Perris–South

The stations at West Corona, North Main Corona, Riverside-La Sierra, and Riverside-Downtown are also served by the Inland Empire–Orange County Line; the station at Riverside-Downtown is also served by the Riverside Line. Although the 91 Line follows the same route through Los Angeles County as the Orange County Line, the 91 Line does not stop at the Commerce station.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Quarterly Fact Sheet Q4 2022-2023" (PDF). Metrolink. June 30, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Metrolink Fact Sheet" (PDF). Southern California Regional Rail Authority. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "91/Perris Valley Line Schedule". Metrolink. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Transportation System Passenger Rail". Southern California Association of Governments. https://metrolinktrains.com/globalassets/about/agency/score/dconnectsocal_passenger-rail.pdf
  5. ^ McKibben, Dave (May 7, 2002). "Riverside-L.A. Commute by Rail Cut to 90 Minutes". Los Angeles Times. p. 13. Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Metrolink Introduces 91 Line Weekend Service". Metrolink. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  7. ^ "Perris Valley Line". Riverside County Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d "Schedule". Riverside County Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  9. ^ "Draft environmental impact report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Begley, Dug (April 12, 2010). "Perris line report includes few changes". The Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  11. ^ Begley, Dug (August 26, 2011). "INLAND: Lawsuit filed over planned Perris Valley Line train project". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  12. ^ Bowen, Douglas John (July 12, 2013). "Deal frees Metrolink Perris Valley Line". Railway Age. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  13. ^ Downey, David (August 13, 2015). "Perris Valley Line project is on track". The Press-Enterprise.
  14. ^ Downey, David (September 14, 2014). "Transportation: Perris Valley Line taking shape". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  15. ^ Sheridan, Tom (February 12, 2016). "PERRIS VALLEY LINE: High-speed tests to help set opening date for new commuter route". The Press Enterprise. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  16. ^ "Perris Valley Metrolink start-up delayed". Inland News Today. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  17. ^ "Construction delays start of Perris Valley Metrolink service". Inland News Today. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  18. ^ Sheridan, Tom (May 11, 2016). "METROLINK: Perris Valley Line set to open June 6 (UPDATE)". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  19. ^ Sheridan, Tom (June 6, 2016). "TRANSPORTATION: Perris Valley Line rolls out right on schedule". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  20. ^ "Metrolink to begin 91/Perris Valley Line service June 6" (Press release). Los Angeles: Metrolink. May 12, 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  21. ^ Rojas, Rick (December 9, 2013). "$75-million federal grant to help fund Metrolink expansion to Perris". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ^ Weikel, Dan (April 21, 2015). "Metrolink will extend 91 line to south Perris". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^ "2005 Commuter Rail Feasibility Study". Riverside County Transportation Commission. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  25. ^ "Metrolink Double Track Project: Moreno Valley-Perris". Riverside County Transportation Commission. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  26. ^ "Metrolink Station and Parking Structure". City of Placentia. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  27. ^ Scauzillo, Steve (June 27, 2023). "Plans for new Metrolink stations in Boyle Heights and Pico Rivera press on". Los Angeles Daily News. MediaNews Group. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  28. ^ "Metrolink Extension to Perris Now on Fast Track" (PDF). Metrolink. August–September 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  29. ^ "Metrolink Route Map" (PDF). Metrolink. May 9, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
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