Broaden and increase Metrolink usage and ridership
● Metrolink recorded more than 4.4 million boardings on the three lines serving Orange County.
● Summer weekend ridership totals increased by 14 percent compared to the previous year due in part to OCTA’s Metrolink Summer Treasures promotion.
● For the second year in a row, the popular Angels Express broke ridership records with more than 43,000 boardings, a 29 percent increase from the previous season.
● New weekend service was added to Metrolink’s 91 Line in July.
● OCTA successfully hosted special transportation to events such as the Los Angeles Kings hockey game held at Dodger Stadium, a Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown and a Swallows Day Celebration in San Juan Capistrano. The goal of hosting these events was to attract new riders to Metrolink.
● In March, OCTA completed the installation of safety enhancements and an Audible Warning System (AWS) along the San Clemente Beach Trail at seven pedestrian crossings. OCTA and the city are continuing efforts to work with state and federal agencies to allow for the use of the AWS in lieu of the routine sounding of train- mounted horns.
● In September, OCTA joined with Metrolink and Operation Lifesaver Inc. to promote rail safety with the “See Tracks? Think Train.” campaign.
● In October, Placentia got one step closer to being the home of Orange County’s 12th Metrolink stop when it cleared the site for a new station.
● The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), a multimodal regional transportation hub, opened in December.
Support development of delivery policies for fixed guideways
● The Santa Ana/Garden Grove Streetcar Project will connect the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center with downtown Santa Ana, the Santa Ana Civic Center, and Westminster Avenue and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove. Milestones were completed by the city of Santa Ana and include the alternatives analysis report, draft environmental assessment/environmental impact reports and the selection of the locally preferred alternative by the Santa Ana City Council. OCTA will serve as lead agency for project development, implementation, operations and maintenance.
● Measure M funds approved for operations and maintenance of future fixed-guideway projects.
Initiate a Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study
● OCTA has initiated the Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study to assess the possibility of connecting two proposed fixed-guideway projects along Orange County’s busiest north/south transit corridor.
● Corridor and mobility issues have been defined and project goals, objectives, and performance measures have been developed. A traffic impact analysis and study is currently underway.
Serve as managing agency for the LOSSAN joint powers authority
● OCTA serves as the managing agency for the 351-mile Los Angeles—San Diego—San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor which runs through six counties. OCTA, on behalf of LOSSAN, is currently working to negotiate an Interagency Transfer Agreement with the State of California with the goal of transferring management responsibility of the Pacific Surfliner rail service to the LOSSAN Joint Powers Authority (JPA) by July 2015.
● The purpose of this effort is to provide local control of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service to improve the passenger experience and provide better integration with other local transit services.