Beginning Friday, Dec. 9, train riders in San Bernardino and Redlands will have more early-morning and late-night travel options along the new Arrow route that launched on Oct. 24.
Metrolink Arrow will add two early mornings and four late-night weekday trains, and four early morning and four late-night trains on weekends. The new trains, which will begin operating between the San Bernardino-Downtown and Redlands-University stations on Dec. 9, were originally part of the Metrolink Arrow schedule but were delayed until a Quiet Zone designation was approved by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). These trains were delayed out of consideration for communities along the route that would have been subjected to early morning and late-night noise from the train horns.
“With the Quiet Zone approved along the entire nine-mile Arrow extension, we are now able to provide a more robust schedule to meet the travel needs of more riders,” Metrolink Arrow CEO Darren Kettle said. “Safety is always our priority, and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we waited for the Quiet Zone to go through the required FRA approval process.”
A Quiet Zone is a section of rail at which locomotive horns are exempt from routinely sounding when trains approach crossings, except in emergency situations. The Quiet Zone along the Arrow tracks in Redlands was approved by the FRA in early November and was implemented on Friday, Nov. 25 after the required 21-day notice period. The City of San Bernardino received its approval from the FRA on November 17, and the Quiet Zone along Arrow tracks in that city will go into effect on Thursday, December 8.
As of Dec. 9, Arrow trains will provide weekday service between 4:30 a.m. and 10:43 p.m., along with one Metrolink round-trip express train between Redlands and Los Angeles, as well as weekend service between 5:34 a.m. and 11:32 p.m.
For more information on the Arrow Line visit www.metrolinktrains.com/arrow.