MOORPARK : Supervisor Lobbies for New Train Stop

Ventura County Supervisor Vicky Howard is working with Moorpark officials to bring Amtrak rail service to Moorpark, officials said Tuesday.

Howard met with Caltrans officials in Sacramento last week to discuss adding Moorpark to Amtrak’s Los Angeles to Santa Barbara line, which now includes stops in Simi Valley and Oxnard, said Ritch Wells, a Howard spokesman.

Caltrans, which subsidizes Amtrak rail service in California, is the agency responsible for approving new stops.

Wells said that Howard would be making a formal request to Caltrans for the new stop possibly by the end of this week.

Chuck Davis, a Caltrans official, said Moorpark will have to ensure that it has an adequate train platform as well as sufficient lighting and parking for a stop. But Davis said there are other issues that also must be taken into account, such as Moorpark’s close proximity to Amtrak’s Simi Valley stop.

Amtrak has been providing service between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara since 1988 and last October added a second round-trip train between the two cities.

The service operates in conjunction with Amtrak’s San Diegan line, which runs eight round trips daily between San Diego and Los Angeles.

Caltrans and Amtrak officials said that in the 1989-1990 fiscal year, 52,470 passengers rode the southbound train between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, while 47,253 passengers rode the northbound train.

“Ridership on this route has gone beyond expectations,” Howard said in a news statement.

“I believe the people who live in Moorpark . . . will want to take advantage of this excellent route.”

Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason agreed, saying there is “a substantial desire for rail service in our city,” particularly among merchants.

He said a stop in Moorpark would be a boon to the city’s efforts to revitalize its downtown area, where the proposed train stop would be located.

Although there is already a train platform in downtown Moorpark, Lawrason said some changes might have to be made to bring it up to Caltrans specifications.