Good Start for Orange County Train Commute

Ushering in a new era of commuter rail travel in Southern California, a special early-morning train chugged out of San Juan Capistrano on time and delivered a full load of passengers to downtown Los Angeles 10 minutes ahead of schedule this morning.

Loudspeakers blared The Bangles’ “Manic Monday” to welcome dignitaries and commuters who arrived in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate a historic occasion, the inaugural run of the region’s first commuter train.

But the scene was anything but manic as the five-car train set a record it may be hard-pressed to equal. The 65-mile run from San Juan Capistrano to Los Angeles took only one hour and 15 minutes as the train sped past idling motorists on the clogged Santa Ana Freeway and chugged into Union Station at 7:15 a.m., 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

A total of 204 passengers made the trip to Los Angeles, although some boarded or departed in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton.

In Los Angeles, Orange County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, chairman of the Orange County Transportation Commission, called the occasion “one of our entry into the Rail Age.” By 1993, Amtrak and the Transportation Commission, partners in the commuter rail experiment, hope to add several more intra-county rail shuttles, Riley said.

For commuters like Phil Reed of Mission Viejo, an engineer for the city of Los Angeles, the shuttle permits an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday. Before Monday, the first Amtrak train from San Juan Capistrano to Los Angeles departed the Capistrano Depot at 6:40 a.m.

“That wouldn’t allow me to get to my office until 8:15 or 8:30,” said Reed, who finishes his commute with a 15-minute walk to Los Angeles’ City Hall East.