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REGULAR BOARD MEETING
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS NAJARIAN, BARGER, SOLIS, and KREKORIAN
Related to Item 13: Metrolink Antelope Valley Line
Increasing service on the Antelope Valley Line (AVL) to pre-pandemic levels will dramatically improve mobility and provide a critical lifeline to the residents of the Antelope, Santa Clarita, and San Fernando Valleys; however, these additional trains may add to noise impacts that have been historically experienced by residential communities near the corridor, especially the Glendale Station.
The current configuration of the AVL corridor requires all passenger and freight trains to sound their horn when approaching certain at-grade crossings, such as the Glendale Station. While train horns provide an important safety measure, they have created noise impacts, and it is important that we assess near, medium, and long-term strategies to reduce train horn noise at Glendale Station and identify opportunities to mitigate elsewhere in the AVL corridor near residential communities.
Subject
SUBJECT: METROLINK ANTELOPE VALLEY LINE MOTION
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RECOMMENDATION
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APPROVE Motion by Directors Najarian, Barger, Solis, and Krekorian that the Board direct the Chief Executive Officer to:
A. Authorize up to $600,000 in funding from Metro’s Regional Rail-specific revenue sources to conduct a feasibility study focused on reducing train horn noise at the Glendale Station. This study should be conducted in partnership with SCRRA (METROLINK) and local jurisdictions;
B. The study should include an assessment of near, medium, and long-term strategies to reduce train horn noise at the Glendale Station and along the AVL corridor where feasible, by focusing on identifying viable near-term operational strategies, low-cost, small-scale projects, and strategic partnerships to reduce train horn noise associated with current and planned additional service;
C. Report back by April 2024 on the following:
1. Status of the study and, if identified, any operational improvements that could be implemented sooner than later;
2. Information on any opportunities that might come out of Los Angeles County’s Rail Crossing Elimination Master Plan - for which the County recently received federal grant funding - to mitigate impacts elsewhere in the Antelope Valley Line corridor, and;
3. Update on performance and takeaways from the AVL service increases.