Passenger Trains > Arrow Service Starts 10/24 between San Bernardino and Redlands

It was made official late Friday that Arrow Service between San Bernardino-Downtown and Redlands-University stations will begin on Monday, October 24, 2022.  This service will be operated by Metrolink (including maintenance and dispatching).  This is the first new line for Metrolink since the Perris Valley Line opened in June 2016.  It is a 9-mile long route with three intermediate stations.  This is a former Santa Fe branch line that a long time ago was part of a loop out of San Bernardino.

It will have 24 round trips each weekday and 16 weekend round trips however 3 weekday and 4 weekend round trips that are in early morning or late at night won't start until the line's quiet zone becomes official.  This was done as a courtesy due to horn noise.

Also, each weekday, the morning Metrolink Express train into Los Angeles on the San Bernardino Line (Train 381) will start at Redlands-Downtown.  In the evening the Express Train will end at the same spot.  A special layover track was built just east of the station for this one trainset.  Since this train uses regular Metrolink equipment, it uses a lower platform than Arrow, thus it will not make any other stops on the line new line.  Arrow Service uses higher, level loading platforms.

The Arrow Service will use three Stadler FLIRT DMUs (3401-3403) to provide this service.  A maintenance facility with two work bays and a few layover tracks was constructed just east of the San Bernardino - Santa Fe Depot station on a site that once was used to store Metrolink trainsets.  This property became available once the new, larger Eastern Maintenance Facility was built (its a few miles away south of the Santa Fe Depot).

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, October 21, 2022.

(for those unaware, this is in Southern California about 60 miles east of Los Angeles in the area referred to as the "Inland Empire".  This project was constructed and funded by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority but Metrolink is the operator.)
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/22 06:07 by SCAX3401.

---

---

California. A  train Meca!!  How  many  mikes  is  that?  Thanks.

It's great that revenue service will be starting very soon on Arrow. I'm not sure how high ridership will be on those trains only running in Redlands. Personally, this Arrow operation would have been better running as a suburb to suburb service, starting out in Redlands, serving San Bernardino, Colton, Riverside, and then running on Metrolink's Perris Valley tracks to South Perris. Other than Redlands residents and U of Redlands students using any of the trains from Redlands to travel toward Downtown LA, not sure if there will be thousands of people traveling on those trains that stay in Redlands. The nonstop from Downtown Redlands to LA, using Metrolink equipement, will be nice.

Looking at the timetable, it looks like the service will be scaled back over what the original plan was. I see two hour gaps during the daytime. No wonder why this service is going to be a commuter rail operation rather than light rail like Sprinter. Other than work and connecting to Metrolink trains, I'm not sure if many people will feel comfortable traveling to San Bernardino given the very high crime rate in much of that city.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/22 06:38 by Passfanatic.

The are no two hour gaps during weekday service but there are a couple during weekend service.  The plan is to see what the demand will actually be and go from there.  Remember all the ridership forecasts and anaylsis were done pre-pandemic.  Post pandemic travel on public transit is still recovering and is still evolving.  24 round tips isn't bad at all during the week.  Sprinter currently operates 34 round trips (plus extra on Friday and Saturday nights) but its a mature line having been opened 14 years ago and its covers a bigger and busier area.  Time will see what Arrow will do and I have no doubt it will expand.  There is already discussion about adding similar trains between San Bernardino and Pomona to connect with the under construction Gold Line Extension.

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's great that revenue service will be starting
> very soon on Arrow. I'm not sure how high
> ridership will be on those trains only running in
> Redlands. Personally, this Arrow operation would
> have been better running as a suburb to suburb
> service, starting out in Redlands, serving San
> Bernardino, Colton, Riverside, and then running on
> Metrolink's Perris Valley tracks to South Perris.
> Other than Redlands residents and U of Redlands
> students using any of the trains from Redlands to
> travel toward Downtown LA, not sure if there will
> be thousands of people traveling on those trains
> that stay in Redlands. The nonstop from Downtown
> Redlands to LA, using Metrolink equipement, will
> be nice.
>
> Looking at the timetable, it looks like the
> service will be scaled back over what the original
> plan was. I see two hour gaps during the daytime.
> No wonder why this service is going to be a
> commuter rail operation rather than light rail
> like Sprinter. Other than work and connecting to
> Metrolink trains, I'm not sure if many people will
> feel comfortable traveling to San Bernardino given
> the very high crime rate in much of that city.

A memory schedule would have been nice, but that would have been customer friendly. Nobody goes to San Bernardino unless they live there. I predict very low ridership.

I believe the idea is to be able to connect to Metrolink trains to LA, etc  ..not just get to san bernardino.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe the idea is to be able to connect to
> Metrolink trains to LA, etc  ..not just get to
> san bernardino.

Abosolutely. Unless if you have a job in San Bernardino within a few blocks of the Downtown transit center, or other reasons like visiting people, I think most people who will be using Arrow will be connecting to Metrolink. They might be heading to LA. There are probably people who would be heading to Claremont from Redlands. There could be people using Arrow to connect to the Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County runs. 

The first story on this new service was one of the best I have ever read here. All the info and no questions, including the location in detail.
Congratulations!!

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Thanks for sharing the schedules. The mid-day flip-back service between Redlands-University and Redlands-Esri is interesting. Transfers at San Bernardino-Downtown apparently are meant to only serve Metrolink SBL riders. The times just don't work for IE-OC riders.

Gerard

Right when the upcoming schedule change for Metrolink takes affect, there will be some connections between Arrow trains and the bigger Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains. For example on weekends, Arrow Train # 3855 arrives into San Bernardino - Downtown at 8:28 am and then Metrolink IEOC Train # 859 departs at 8:56. Returning from Oceanside, Metrolink IEOC Train # 858 arrives back into San Bernardino - Downtown at 5:05 There is a Arrow Train that departs San Bernardino - Downtown Station at 5:32.

During the week, Arrow Train # 3861 arrives into San Bernardino - Downtown at 12:28 and then Metrolink IEOC Train # 815 departs San Bernardino - Downtown at 12:59. Your northbound options during the week are more limited if you want to travel by train from Oceanside to Redlands. Metrolink Train # 803 from Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo arrives into San Bernardino - Downtown Station at 10:58 and Arrow Train # 3860 departs San Berdoo - Downtown at 11:36. 

In sum, your options for connecting from an Arrow train to the Metrolink IEOC runs and vice versa will be very limited.

SCAX3401 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was made official late Friday that Arrow
> Service between San Bernardino-Downtown and
> Redlands-University stations will begin on Monday,
> October 24, 2022. 

I appreciate your detailed and well written report very much. Looking forward to visiting downtown Redlands via the train.

Posted from Android

Passfanatic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Right when the upcoming schedule change for
> Metrolink takes affect, there will be some
> connections between Arrow trains and the bigger
> Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains.
> For example on weekends, Arrow Train # 3855
> arrives into San Bernardino - Downtown at 8:28 am
> and then Metrolink IEOC Train # 859 departs at
> 8:56. Returning from Oceanside, Metrolink IEOC
> Train # 858 arrives back into San Bernardino -
> Downtown at 5:05 There is a Arrow Train that
> departs San Bernardino - Downtown Station at
> 5:32.
>
> During the week, Arrow Train # 3861 arrives into
> San Bernardino - Downtown at 12:28 and then
> Metrolink IEOC Train # 815 departs San Bernardino
> - Downtown at 12:59. Your northbound options
> during the week are more limited if you want to
> travel by train from Oceanside to Redlands.
> Metrolink Train # 803 from Laguna Niguel/Mission
> Viejo arrives into San Bernardino - Downtown
> Station at 10:58 and Arrow Train # 3860 departs
> San Berdoo - Downtown at 11:36. 
>
> In sum, your options for connecting from an Arrow
> train to the Metrolink IEOC runs and vice versa
> will be very limited.

How convenient ! There should be timed transfers.

Posted from iPhone