Ensuring Positive Traveler Experience

It was 1882 when the first passenger train chugged into Riverside. There are now three Metrolink lines and nine Metrolink stations that serve Riverside County. Riverside County rail and transit projects make improvements and upgrades to modernize train travel and make for a positive traveler experience.

Construction on the Riverside County Metrolink Station began in March 2020 with completion expected by the end of the year. For more efficient passenger rail service, the expansion to Metrolink’s train layover facility will allow seven trains to be housed at the station at the end of each night shift, an increase from five. This process also will increase the flexibility of the order that trains leave the station each morning. Additionally, light maintenance work and fueling will become possible at the Riverside Station, rather than at other maintenance facilities.

The project will include:

  • Track improvements north of the train platform
  • New drainage facilities
  • New electrical systems and lighting fixtures
  • Security fencing and access gates
  • Utility relocations and water and sewer connections

Additionally, a project to modernize elevators at the Corona-North Main and Riverside-Downtown Stations was completed in June 2020. Parts were upgraded and new technology installed to allow elevators to run more smoothly and with less down-time or needed repairs.

People who move through Riverside County via other modes of transportation also seek a positive traveler experience. Commuters and truckers weary of negotiating the steep, narrow, accident-prone section of the 60 Freeway through Riverside County’s Badlands can look forward to some much-needed improvements: new truck lanes to separate cars from semi trailers. Thanks to a boost in funding from SB 1, these projects are being implemented to improve traffic flow and safety.

The Highway 60 truck lanes project will construct a truck-climbing lane on the eastbound 60 and a truck descending lane on the westbound 60. Construction crews will also widen the narrow shoulders to standard 10-feet and 12-feet widths, while reducing steepness and moderating the sharpest curves. Completion of this project is anticipated by early 2022.

Other improvements are being made along the I-15, a major north-south trucking and passenger traffic route that links inland counties to Los Angeles and Orange counties (and Las Vegas). An award of $152 million in funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau helped Riverside County’s Transportation Commission construct express toll lanes along the corridor. 

Still to come in Riverside County is the 15/91 Express Lane Connector. Scheduled to begin in fall 2020, this construction project is anticipated to be complete by 2023. In addition to reducing congestion, this project aims to enhance safety and improve traffic operations while allowing a seamless transition for motorists between the existing 91 Express Lanes and future 15 Express Lanes currently under construction.

Join The Movement & Sign Up For The Latest News

Riverside County Rail & Transit Blogs