It's Here! Metrolink's New $248 Million Menifee, Riverside Connection Now Live

PERRIS, Calif. - Metrolink's new commuter rail service between Riverside and Menifee begins Monday.

After more than six months of low- and high-speed tests along the 24-mile Perris Valley Line, passengers will finally be able to step aboard the commuter trains and get out of traffic, according to Metrolink.

"We are very excited residents of Perris Valley will soon be able to board Metrolink stations in their community and reach areas throughout Southern California," Perris Mayor Daryl Busch said last month. "Metrolink and the Riverside County Transportation Commission have worked incredibly hard to make this concept a reality."

The $248 million PVL is Metrolink's first commuter rail extension since the Antelope Valley Line opened in 1994, officials said.

According to Metrolink, the commuter line will be available weekdays only, from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a dozen runs daily between the downtown Perris and downtown Riverside stations. Most of the trains will be available hourly before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

The train schedule is available at the Metrolink website.

The line was completed in September, after which engineers conducted numerous speed tests, running empty trains between 20 and 80 mph along the passage, which parallels Interstate 215 from East Riverside to the northern edge of Menifee.

The new extension adds four stops: Hunter Park in Riverside; near the entrance to March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley; downtown Perris; and south Perris, along the Menifee city boundary.

Construction on the line got underway in February 2014 after a seven- year environmental review and development process. There was also a legal challenge, which further delayed construction, but all issues were resolved by the end of 2013.

According to the RCTC, trains along the route will ferry an estimated 4,350 riders daily, reducing vehicular traffic on the often-congested 60 and 215 freeways.

– By City News Service.