(The Center Square) - Metrolink has announced its first fare increase in 13 years across Southern California, raising one-way tickets for its passenger trains an average of 14%.
The rare price increase has drawn pushback from frustrated passengers grappling with financial strain, especially amid high gas prices and ongoing calls to curb carbon emissions. The hike left policy experts warning of structural pitfalls in California’s public transit model.
The SoCal Day Pass went from $15 to $19 on weekdays and $10 to $12 on weekends and holidays.
The increase took effect Monday for the train system, which serves Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties.
“This is Metrolink’s first systemwide fare increase in 13 years,” said Metrolink in an FAQ section on its website announcing the increase. “During that time, the cost of operating and maintaining regional rail service has continued to rise, while post-pandemic ridership and fare revenue remain below previous levels.”
Metrolink added that the updated fares support Metrolink’s “long-term financial outlook and the sustainability of regional rail service while preserving a simplified fare structure and valuable discount programs.”
Programs such as the $5 L.A. Zone Pass and existing discounts for students, seniors, veterans, low-income customers and other eligible groups remain in place.
State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, told The Center Square Tuesday that while fare increases are rarely legislative decisions, they put operators in a difficult financial corner. With fare boxes historically covering only a fraction of operating costs — typically around 10% — relying heavily on fare hikes can trigger unintended consequences, Cortese cautioned.
"Whenever you do a fare box increase in any large transit district, you really risk a death spiral for the agency," said Cortese, drawing from his background with the Valley Transportation Authority. Cortese chairs the California Senate Transportation Committee.
While energy, power and labor costs surge for transit agencies just as they do for everyday citizens, Cortese cautioned that raising prices without matching service value risks pushing systems toward insolvency or forcing a retreat in ridership.
Steven Greenhut, director of the Free Cities Center at the Pasadena-based Pacific Research Institute, made similar comments about the economic realities facing public transit. While Greenhut acknowledged that it is not inherently unreasonable to adjust pricing after 13 years, he argued that government-run systems fundamentally struggle due to a lack of market competition.
"In the U.S., we kind of treat transit as a welfare program rather than a transportation program," Greenhut told The Center Square on Tuesday.
Greenhut added that when public systems face budget shortfalls, their standard playbook of raising fares, cutting service routes or seeking new taxes, often accelerates a downward spiral. Instead of relying on routine price hikes or aggressive messaging aimed at shaming drivers out of their cars, Greenhut suggests agencies should focus on aggressive cost-cutting, overhead reform and better marketing to make systems genuinely appealing.
