Metrolink communications director Meredith Yeoman blamed the situation on \u201can unusually complex budget cycle.\u201d Ridership and fare revenues remain below prepandemic levels, operating costs have risen, federal and state funding has changed, and member agencies are facing financial constraints, she said. Before considering service cuts, Metrolink reduced costs and adjusted fares, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with those actions, we determined that service reductions are ultimately necessary to align operations with available resources,\u201d Yeoman said in an email. \u201cThese difficult decisions were not reached lightly, and we continue to pursue additional state and federal resources to help ensure regional rail will be available for Southern Californians well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Metrolink\u2019s Board of Directors meeting<\/a> on Friday, more than a dozen public commenters voiced concerns about the proposed cuts, with several warning that Metrolink could be facing a \u201cdeath spiral.\u201d<\/p>\n One Fullerton-based Metrolink rider worried that service reductions could result in further ridership drops, which might inspire deeper cuts in the future. \u201cPoor ridership is interpreted as a lack of interest, where it\u2019s actually an indicator that the services aren\u2019t meeting the needs of riders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The transit advocacy group Californians for Electric Rail<\/a> called any service cuts \u201cunacceptable\u201d in light of the \u201congoing climate crisis, record-high gas prices and (being) less than two years out from the 2028 LA Olympics.\u201d Metrolink is ignoring its growing weekend ridership \u201cin favor of chasing commuters,\u201d CER said.<\/p>\n \u201cCuts indicate a return to \u2018commuter-style\u2019 peak-only service that is not responsive to post-pandemic trends and costs more per passenger to operate,\u201d CER wrote<\/a>. \u201cThe end result will be more hardship for riders and fewer cost savings for the agency than you might expect.\u201d<\/p>\n OCTA spokesperson Joel Zlotnik said the agency recognizes that thousands of locals rely on Metrolink, and the agency made decisions that would \u201cminimize the impact on riders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur analysis shows that 79 percent of Orange County Metrolink weekday riders would have another Metrolink train within 30 minutes of their current schedule,\u201d he said in an email. \u201cTrains being retained by Metrolink on average carry three times the number of passengers as those that are proposed for elimination by Metrolink.\u201d<\/p>\n In Los Angeles, meanwhile, L.A. Metro remains \u201ccommitted\u201d to Metrolink riders, spokesperson Maya Pogoda said.<\/p>\n \u201cMetro staff worked diligently with Metrolink and other partners to identify the least disruptive reductions for riders,\u201d Pogoda said in an email. \u201cMetro asked Metrolink to focus any service cuts on routes with low weekday ridership; off-peak or reverse-commute service; subsequent train service available within a reasonable amount of time; or lower-performing weekend trips.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/OCR-L-METROLINKCUTS-1012-02.jpg\")
A rider boards a northbound Metrolink train in Anaheim in May 2026. Battered by huge drops in ridership and bleeding cash, Metrolink has proposed service cuts in Orange County (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register\/SCNG)<\/p>\n