IRVINE, Calif. — LA-area commuter rail operator Metrolink is hoping to build a maintenance facility in Irvine on 21 vacant acres owned by the Orange County Transportation Authority near the city’s Great Park, the Orange County Register reports.
The OCTA is leading environmental review and approval for the project, expected to cost about $4.8 million. It would be financed by grants through California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.
The new facility would ease the load on facilities in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego County, and provide for overnight train storage as commuter rail service eventually expands, according to an initial environmental review. An OCTA spokeswoman told the newspaper via email that the facility would “improve Metrolink service and reliability throughout the region for passengers who rely on it, and will benefit the environment by reducing emissions.” Heavy repairs would continue to be performed elsewhere.
Metrolink is hoping to have the new facility in operation by 2028.
