Metrolink aims to provide safer passage through Ventura County
New safety measures might have prevented deadly '05 crash in Glendale
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

DAYS GONE BY- Metrolink's plans call for all Ventura County crossings to have four gate arms, not two.

With the number of train commuters up 30 percent over the last five years, mass transit officials have been working to improve the safety and reliability of local train corridors.

Metrolink representatives, along with federal, state and local officials, gathered near Pacoima last Monday to break ground on the first "sealed corridor" project.

A sealed corridor is a strategy already employed in other parts of the country to enhance the safety of trains, passengers, motorists and pedestrians along Metrolink's railroad corridors.

The plan includes 63 crossings along 65 miles of track on Ventura County and Antelope Valley lines.

Improvements set to be made at crossings include increasing the number of gate arms from two to four, making longer gate arms, employing "Z" pedestrian crossings and adding median separators, locked gates and fencing.

The decision to implement the sealed corridor program stems largely from a Jan. 26, 2005, Metrolink accident in which a suicidal man parked his SUV on the train tracks in Glendale, causing a crash that cost 11 people their lives, including Simi Valley High School assistant football coach and Los Angeles Sheriff's Dep. James P. Tutino.

"This is the most ambitious rail safety program in the country," said Denise Tyrell, spokesperson for Metrolink.

Three fatal pedestrian accidents on Metrolink rights of way, two fatal vehicle accidents at crossings and three vehicle accidents without injuries have occurred in Ventura County in the last five years.

Those benefiting from the extra safety measures include the 4,000 Ventura County residents who take the train to work each day, said Keith Millhouse, vice chairman of the Metrolink board of directors and member of the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

"This is important to Simi and Moorpark as the Ventura County line is one of the first segments to be studied to determine what grade crossing improvements are needed and to prioritize the same," Millhouse said.

"Once the study is completed, we will be lobbying for federal and state funds to improve these crossings. We will also look to cities for some help," said Millhouse, who is a council member in Moorpark.

In addition to increasing safety and mass transit reliability, the improvements could also have another, unintentional benefit, said Simi Valley Councilmember Glen Becerra.

Local crossings are generally safe in Simi, but noise has been a problem for residents who live near the train track, which bisects the city.

The problem has given rise to the concept of designated "quiet zone" areas, where train engineers are not allowed to blow a locomotive horn.

Since crossings and tracks must be secured before this can happen, the sealed corridor program should help, Becerra said.

Simi city officials eventually would like to turn the entire city into a "quiet zone," he said.