Orange County Line

Orange County Line
Company type	Commuter rail route
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	April 30, 1990; 36 years ago
Founder	Orange County Transportation Authority (initially operated by Amtrak)
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Area served	Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, California
Owner	Metrolink
Website	metrolinktrains.com/rider-info/general-info/stations/orange-county-line/

Orange County Line

The Orange County Line is a commuter rail route managed by Metrolink, extending from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County. It offers connections to the Coaster commuter train heading toward San Diego. This line serves Metrolink's central hub located at in downtown Los Angeles and provides access to prominent destinations within Orange County, including Knott's Berry Farm, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Honda Center, the Disneyland Resort, Old Town Orange, the Santa Ana Zoo, and Mission San Juan Capistrano. In San Diego County, it links passengers to attractions such as the Oceanside Pier and Camp Pendelton.

History

On April 30, 1990, the service commenced as the Orange County Commuter, operated by Amtrak between Los Angeles and San Juan Capistrano, with funding provided by the Orange County Transportation Authority. Initially, it featured a single weekday round-trip departing from San Juan Capistrano in the morning and returning in the evening. During its final months under Amtrak's operation from July to December 1993, new stops at Commerce and Orange were introduced. On March 28, 1994, control of the route shifted to Metrolink, which renamed it the "Orange County Line," marking Metrolink’s fifth route. By 1995, service had expanded to offer eight daily trips.

In October 2005, the Orange County Transportation Authority announced intentions to enhance service frequency to every 30 minutes for twenty hours each day, seven days per week. This enhancement began with Saturday services launching in June 2006, followed by Sunday services starting in July 2006. Although funded through Measure M’s half-cent sales tax dedicated to rolling stock and track upgrades, some critics contended that resources might be better allocated toward bus or alternative transit options since numerous Metrolink stations are located at a distance from major destinations such as Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, Knott's Berry Farm, and the Irvine Spectrum. To address this concern, OCTA operates Stationlink shuttle routes that connect Metrolink stations with nearby points of interest.

As of , service operates daily with 29 trains on weekdays and eight on weekends. The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner complements the Orange County Line by providing limited-stop service along this corridor as well as increased frequencies during mid-day, evening hours, and weekends.

Future development

The corridor served by the Orange County Line is under consideration for potential extensions of the proposed California High-Speed Rail project from Los Angeles Union Station to Anaheim, possibly including stops at Norwalk or Fullerton.

The line runs along the Surf Line, which is currently challenged by coastal erosion and rising sea levels near San Clemente. These environmental factors caused multiple service interruptions between 2022 and 2023, with operations resuming most recently on May 27, 2023.

Additionally, LA Metro has plans for an infill station in Pico Rivera situated between Commerce and Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs stations to improve regional transit connectivity.

Route

The Orange County Line operates on tracks shared with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and coincides with the northern segment of the 91/Perris Valley Line from Los Angeles to Fullerton, except for Commerce station. The majority of its remaining stations overlap with those served by the Inland Empire–Orange County Line, spanning from Orange to Oceanside.

Between Los Angeles and Fullerton, the line runs along BNSF Railway's Southern Transcon under a shared-right-of-way arrangement. Notable stations such as Fullerton and Santa Ana boast restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style depots originally constructed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The stretch from Santa Ana to Oceanside supports speeds up to 90 mph.

Stations

During Amtrak's management, the Orange County Commuter stopped at Los Angeles, Commerce, Fullerton, Anaheim–Stadium, Orange, Santa Ana, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano. Following Metrolink's takeover in 1994, service extended southward to Oceanside, with five additional infill stations introduced: San Clemente and Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs in 1995; Tustin and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo in 2002; and Buena Park in 2007.

Station	Connections	Location
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley, Antelope Valley, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura County Template:Rint Amtrak: Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle Template:Rint Metro: A, B, D, J lines Template:Rint FlyAway service to LAX	Los Angeles	Los Angeles County
Template:Scax		Commerce
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley	Norwalk
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley	Buena Park	Orange County
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: 91/Perris Valley Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner, Southwest Chief	Fullerton
Template:Scax (Artic)	Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner	Anaheim
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County	Orange
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner	Santa Ana
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County	Tustin
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner	Irvine
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County	Laguna Niguel
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner	San Juan Capistrano
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County	San Clemente
Template:Scax (weekends)	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner	San Clemente
Template:Scax	Template:Rint Metrolink: Inland Empire–Orange County Template:Rint Amtrak: Pacific Surfliner Template:Rint Coaster Template:Rint Sprinter	Oceanside	San Diego County

As of October 2017, weekday service included ten round trips between Los Angeles and Oceanside; eight between Fullerton and Laguna Niguel; seven between Los Angeles and Laguna Niguel; four between Fullerton and Oceanside; and two between Los Angeles and Irvine.

Holders of monthly passes are permitted to ride Pacific Surfliner trains along their route except during designated blackout periods occurring on holidays or special occasions.

External links

Schedule for the Orange County Line