Comments on: Metrolink Board Holds Fare Increases http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/27/metrolink-board-holds-fare-increases/ Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Robert Arkow http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/27/metrolink-board-holds-fare-increases/comment-page-1/#comment-5646 Robert Arkow Fri, 08 May 2009 15:28:30 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2063#comment-5646 Here are some interesting facts..... Labor costs have probably risen about 3%. Fuel has dropped by about 40% What Metrolink won’t admit is that their LIABILITY expenses have gone through the roof, due to the Metrolink Board of Directors incompetence. For example, I understand that the accident in Burbank, you remember – the one where the nutcase parked a car on the tracks, may have been partially Metrolink’s fault. According to the attorneys that represent the plaintiffs in that crash, the Metrolink engineer did not apply the emergency brake until the last minute. The attorney claims that had he followed Metrolink rules, and applied the brake when he saw the obstacle, the train would not have hit the car. How many dollars will Metrolink pay for that one? Eleven people died in the accident. Is the engineer still employed? I suspect so. Firing him would be admitting liability in the accident. Better to keep an unsafe operator than pay for his mistakes. More dollars spent, and let’s not even talk about the Chatsworth crash! How many dollars will that cost us? And Metrolink just settled with Denise Tyrrell, their former spokesperson for $135,000. Naturally the agreement requires Tyrrell not to say anything bad about Metrolink or its Board of Directors. Hush money? You decide--after all, your taxes and fare monies paid for the agreement that requires Tyrrell not to reveal what really happened. We have to pay because they choose not to police their contractors as well. Metrolink knows of “problem employees” even now that they have and that the contractors have. Yet Metrolink fails to take any action. As long as the situation continues, we will continue to pay and pay. We need to do a clean sweep of the Board, and the powers that appoint board members should be required to appoint people who have been regular passengers for at least a year. But that will never happen. Why do you think that the Metrolink Board of Directors voted to spend your tax money to take legal action to shut down the www.Metrolinkrider.com web site? It is estimated that Metrolink spent $20,000 to $30,000 in legal fees, filing fees, and other expenses to try to shut down that web site. In the end, they lost their legal battle and the web site is still up. More of your tax dollars at play. Want to save money? Start by dumping the Metrolink board. Is this any way to run a railroad? Robert Arkow Webmaster and passenger www.metrolinkrider.com bob@metrolinkrider.com Here are some interesting facts…..

Labor costs have probably risen about 3%.

Fuel has dropped by about 40%

What Metrolink won’t admit is that their LIABILITY expenses have gone through the roof, due to the Metrolink Board of Directors incompetence.

For example, I understand that the accident in Burbank, you remember – the one where the nutcase parked a car on the tracks, may have been partially Metrolink’s fault.

According to the attorneys that represent the plaintiffs in that crash, the Metrolink engineer did not apply the emergency brake until the last minute. The attorney claims that had he followed Metrolink rules, and applied the brake when he saw the obstacle, the train would not have hit the car.

How many dollars will Metrolink pay for that one? Eleven people died in the accident. Is the engineer still employed? I suspect so. Firing him would be admitting liability in the accident. Better to keep an unsafe operator than pay for his mistakes.

More dollars spent, and let’s not even talk about the Chatsworth crash! How many dollars will that cost us?

And Metrolink just settled with Denise Tyrrell, their former spokesperson for $135,000. Naturally the agreement requires Tyrrell not to say anything bad about Metrolink or its Board of Directors. Hush money? You decide–after all, your taxes and fare monies paid for the agreement that requires Tyrrell not to reveal what really happened.

We have to pay because they choose not to police their contractors as well. Metrolink knows of “problem employees” even now that they have and that the contractors have. Yet Metrolink fails to take any action.

As long as the situation continues, we will continue to pay and pay. We need to do a clean sweep of the Board, and the powers that appoint board members should be required to appoint people who have been regular passengers for at least a year.

But that will never happen. Why do you think that the Metrolink Board of Directors voted to spend your tax money to take legal action to shut down the http://www.Metrolinkrider.com web site? It is estimated that Metrolink spent $20,000 to $30,000 in legal fees, filing fees, and other expenses to try to shut down that web site. In the end, they lost their legal battle and the web site is still up.

More of your tax dollars at play.

Want to save money? Start by dumping the Metrolink board. Is this any way to run a railroad?

Robert Arkow
Webmaster and passenger
http://www.metrolinkrider.com
bob@metrolinkrider.com

]]> By: Spokker http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/27/metrolink-board-holds-fare-increases/comment-page-1/#comment-5492 Spokker Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:11:29 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2063#comment-5492 If they don't raise fares then weekend service is probably the first to go. As far as the fare hike, it isn't that big a deal. Inflation would push fares up anyway. What gets me is the loss of transfer privileges for round-trip and one-way riders. I would have to buy a $5 day pass to roll around LA on the weekends. That amounts to about a 50% fare increase for me. But if they end up getting rid of weekend service anyway, then I'm back in the car. Oh well, it'll make weekday commuters happy, which is their bread and butter. If they don’t raise fares then weekend service is probably the first to go.

As far as the fare hike, it isn’t that big a deal. Inflation would push fares up anyway. What gets me is the loss of transfer privileges for round-trip and one-way riders. I would have to buy a $5 day pass to roll around LA on the weekends. That amounts to about a 50% fare increase for me.

But if they end up getting rid of weekend service anyway, then I’m back in the car. Oh well, it’ll make weekday commuters happy, which is their bread and butter.

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