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Starting today, California commuter railroad Metrolink will begin operating some of Sound Transit’s equipment on its system to help relieve overcrowding in cars.

Metrolink is leasing 12 passenger cars and one locomotive from the Seattle agency for up to three years.

The cars were built by the same manufacturer and have the same basic interior as Metrolink’s cars. The California agency has posted record ridership throughout the year, providing more than 40,000 passenger trips on several days.

"We’ve been operating for 12 years now and every year more people are choosing … Metrolink as an alternative to fighting the traffic on the freeways," said Metrolink Chair Bill Alexander in a prepared statement. "We need to add these cars to ensure the comfort of all our passengers."