Metrolink to introduce cheaper fares in 2016

Beginning Jan. 1, Metrolink will cut the cost of one-way, short-distance fares as part of an effort to boost ridership, the agency announced yesterday.

The fare change marks a 45 percent discount to the current average fare of $5.50 for a one-way ticket between stations, Metrolink officials said in a press release.

The new $3 "station-to-station" fare allows riders to purchase a one-way ticket to travel between stations. A one-way trip between Fullerton and Anaheim, Calif., for example, would be $3, while a trip from Montclair to Pomona, Calif., would cost $6, since there are two stations between that origin and the destination.

"The station-to-station fare is designed to increase ridership by encouraging local trips using Metrolink as an additional transportation option, complementing local bus service," said Metrolink Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy.

Metrolink's board approved the fare policy change in October.

The agency's board also made a 25 percent student and youth discount part of its regular fare policy and approved the extension of a 25 percent discount on the Antelope Valley Line. The latter discount does not apply to the weekend day pass.