Took a trip on Metrolink today, FUL-LAX-Lancaster round trip. Just a quick summary
Arrived at Fullerton around 7:30 AM. There were several trains into Los Angeles (thanks to the commuter-heavy schedule), so it was easy to just pick one and take it in without worrying about missing it. I was surprised that we got from Fullerton to Buena Park in just 3 minutes, never noticed how fast it really is. Had an hour layover in LAX, where I walked around, got a coffee, and did a little railfanning. Was able to see a Surfliner and the Starlight boarding. Was hoping to see the Chief, but it was running too late. Doors for my train opened about 10-15ish minutes prior to departure, and I was easily able to find a seat (all the trains had an okay amount of riders, but never enough so that you had to sit next to someone you didn't know).
Ride up to Lancaster was nice, tracks are smooth. The rural appearance of the Newhall Pass was nice, and it honestly reminded me of the Chief's scenery through New Mexico. The Vincent Grade/Acton station might be one of my favorite Metrolink stops, as each shelter is in the shape of an old-timey building and is labeled the Hotel, or Sherriff, and altogether they make up a quaint western town. Metrolink does have nice stations. Along the whole route from Fullerton, three airports plus a military base are passed, which made the avgeek in me happy. In Lancaster, the train immediately switched into the inbound service and so I didn't even have to get off. I did, just to check out the cute Lancaster station, which has a convenience store in it.
The ride back was nice, I noticed that a few teens who work at Six Flags took the train to work. We did have to wait at one red for a UP intermodal, but that waws about all the train traffic we encountered. Back at Union Station, I took a quick trip on Metro's Red/Purple line one stop down, as until now I had never actually been on Metro and thought it was a good time to tick it off the list. There were a lot of Metro staff (or volunteers, unsure) at both Union Station and Civic Center/Grand Park which was nice. When I went to go to my train, Amtrak 777 to SLO was on the adject track (same platform), and so I was able to watch it depart before getting on my train. The ride back to Fullerton was quick and easy. I believe every train I was on was either on time or early.
Overall, nice trip. I was pleasantly surprised to find Metrolink's bathrooms very clean, although disappointed to find limited outlets.
Arrived at Fullerton around 7:30 AM. There were several trains into Los Angeles (thanks to the commuter-heavy schedule), so it was easy to just pick one and take it in without worrying about missing it. I was surprised that we got from Fullerton to Buena Park in just 3 minutes, never noticed how fast it really is. Had an hour layover in LAX, where I walked around, got a coffee, and did a little railfanning. Was able to see a Surfliner and the Starlight boarding. Was hoping to see the Chief, but it was running too late. Doors for my train opened about 10-15ish minutes prior to departure, and I was easily able to find a seat (all the trains had an okay amount of riders, but never enough so that you had to sit next to someone you didn't know).
Ride up to Lancaster was nice, tracks are smooth. The rural appearance of the Newhall Pass was nice, and it honestly reminded me of the Chief's scenery through New Mexico. The Vincent Grade/Acton station might be one of my favorite Metrolink stops, as each shelter is in the shape of an old-timey building and is labeled the Hotel, or Sherriff, and altogether they make up a quaint western town. Metrolink does have nice stations. Along the whole route from Fullerton, three airports plus a military base are passed, which made the avgeek in me happy. In Lancaster, the train immediately switched into the inbound service and so I didn't even have to get off. I did, just to check out the cute Lancaster station, which has a convenience store in it.
The ride back was nice, I noticed that a few teens who work at Six Flags took the train to work. We did have to wait at one red for a UP intermodal, but that waws about all the train traffic we encountered. Back at Union Station, I took a quick trip on Metro's Red/Purple line one stop down, as until now I had never actually been on Metro and thought it was a good time to tick it off the list. There were a lot of Metro staff (or volunteers, unsure) at both Union Station and Civic Center/Grand Park which was nice. When I went to go to my train, Amtrak 777 to SLO was on the adject track (same platform), and so I was able to watch it depart before getting on my train. The ride back to Fullerton was quick and easy. I believe every train I was on was either on time or early.
Overall, nice trip. I was pleasantly surprised to find Metrolink's bathrooms very clean, although disappointed to find limited outlets.
