Metrolink’s fare hike is here — why the train is still a top SoCal travel hack as gas prices soar  

Metrolink may be hiking its prices — but to anyone paying for gas in Los Angeles, a ride on Southern California’s regional commuter rail network is still sounding like a big bargain.

The agency has announced the first fare bump in thirteen years — amounting to a 14% increase on the average one-way ticket, and by a couple of bucks each for the systemwide SoCal Day Pass, which right now costs as little as $10.

Starting on Oct. 5, it’ll cost you more to traverse the system’s 550 miles or so of track — that’s roughly like going from Los Angeles to Mendocino. Except in this case, you’re going to Lancaster, or Oxnard, or San Bernardino, or Oceanside — and Perris and Palmdale, too.

“Metrolink has worked hard to keep fares affordable while the cost of operating and maintaining our regional rail system has continued to rise,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said in an announcement of the change.

“These pricing adjustments are one step in a broader effort we are taking to responsibly address those pressures and support Metrolink’s long-term financial sustainability,” Kettle continued.

Given the way fuel costs have been soaring into the stratosphere lately, even a slightly pricier pass to ride the rails winds up feeling like a solid value — at least, for those who bother to take advantage.

This easy workaround to the soaring cost of commuting in the Southland — and traveling to major tourist destinations and beaches — continues to be experienced only by a relative few.

The network’s busiest stop, Los Angeles Union Station, only managed to board an average of 7,861 riders per day, according to one source —  a minuscule number, given the regional population of 20 million.

There are, of course, reasons for the limited interest — scant schedules, schedule changes, schedule downsizing, trains not going to places enough people want to go, coastal erosion.

Not to paper over the fact that these issues exist, but most of these things happen to also afflict other American rail networks — ones with far higher ridership numbers.

Of course, if gas prices don’t come down soon, the stubborn hesitance toward public transit could shift — even in car-addicted California.

If you’re already done paying a small fortune to tank up, and you have a little bit of time and patience to learn the ropes, the savings can be immense.

Start slowly, with one of the following great day trips — no traffic, no parking drama, and no $80 tanks of gas. Try one out on the weekend, and you’ll only pay $10 for the whole day — or $12, starting Oct. 5.

San Clemente

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner gets a lot of press for the beautiful ride down the coast — but one of the best chunks of that ride, from southern Orange County to Oceanside, is served by Metrolink as well, and for much cheaper. There are two stops in San Clemente — one toward the northern end, and one, famously, right at the pier, served far less frequently.

Disneyland

Wherever you’re coming from in Southern California, you could be near a Metrolink station with service (often with a train change at Union Station) to the Happiest Place on Earth, now home to some of the mos expensive parkingn on earth. Or, almost. Metrolink stops at Anaheim’s futuristic ARTIC transit center — where you can board the local 14 or 15 bus directly to the parks. The bus ride is free with your Metrolink ticket. Disneyland has even published instructions on how to do this.

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San Juan Capistrano

Here’s another beautiful destination where the Metrolink/Amtrak train station itself is part of the adventure — you’ll stop in the heart of the national historic district that makes the town so famous. Once here, everything’s extremely walkable — including the famous mission, as old as the Declaration of Independence (founded in 1776).

Downtown LA

From the historic Grand Central Market, to busy Little Tokyo and the still-booming Arts District, there are a ton of reasons to plan a day out in the historic center of Los Angeles — even if formerly vibrant spots like Olvera Street aren’t quite what they used to be. Hop the Metro a couple of stops to Bunker Hill and visit the art museums, or jump on the newly-expanded D Line subway — just so you can hear one recorded announcement that almost sounds like it can’t be real (“This is the train to Beverly Hills.”)