"We're delighted with the initial results from the ticketing portion of this program," said Cyndi Darlington, Amtrak Senior Director, West Sales and Marketing. "Ridership will only continue to grow as more passengers become familiar with using both services."

"We are committed to improving access to rail in California," said Jeff Morales, Director of the California Department of Transportation. "The public's growing interest in the Rail 2 Rail program shows that our investment in new services and better connections is reaping tangible dividends."

For the first four months of the program, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner posted record ridership with 615,532 passengers taking the train. This is a 20.1% increase in overall ridership from the previous year, including Metrolink pass holders.

"Since the Rail 2 Rail program began Metrolink monthly pass sales have gone up by 10 percent," said Metrolink Board Chair Bill Alexander. "This shows that more and more of our passengers are becoming aware of the increased service and flexibility available to them through the Rail 2 Rail program."

How Rail 2 Rail Works

The Rail 2 Rail fare integration partnership allows Metrolink monthly pass holders on the Ventura and Orange County Lines to ride any Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train or Amtrak bus within the trip limits of their pass for no additional charge. Amtrak passengers can use their tickets on any Metrolink service on any line to any destination within the limits of the Amtrak ticket.

Additional Benefits

In addition to being able to board whichever train is most convenient for them, Rail 2 Rail allows Metrolink passengers to use their Orange and Ventura County Line monthly passes to ride Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner trains within the trip limits of their pass on weekends. Currently there is no Metrolink service on the Ventura and Orange County Lines during the weekends.

Another benefit of Rail 2 Rail is that both Metrolink and Amtrak will accept any of each other's fare media valid for travel between Los Angeles Union Station and the Burbank Airport station. Through this program, passengers at Burbank Airport now have 37 trains to choose from.

Metrolink and Amtrak recently introduced joint timetables displaying easy connections between the two services. Future enhancements to the program include joint ticketing machines and integrated marketing efforts.

About Amtrak

Amtrak passengers enjoy rail service in more than 500 communities in 46 states across a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares and reservations, visit Amtrak's Web site at http://www.amtrak.com

About Metrolink

Metrolink is Southern California's regional commuter rail service and is in its tenth year of operations. The Southern California Regional Rail Authority, a joint powers authority made up of an 11-member board representing the transportation commissions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, governs the service. Metrolink continues to be one of the nation's fastest growing commuter rail services, operating over seven routes through a six-county network with 512 total route miles.

About California Department of Transportation

The California Department of Transportation partners with Amtrak to provide service on three intercity rail corridors in California. Through a $75 million per year annual state operating assistance program and the largest capital assistance program in the nation, the State's Division of Rail supports service between the Bay Area and Sacramento on the Capitol Corridor, between San Francisco/Oakland and Bakersfield on the San Joaquins and, in Southern California, between San Diego and San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles and Santa Barbara on the Pacific Surfliner. The California Corridors, operated under the partnership banner, Amtrak California, are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th heaviest traveled in the nation.