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Yesterday, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) board approved a five-year funding plan for a regional transportation improvement program, which includes expanding Metrolink commuter-rail service.

The $1.5 billion plan will be funded between fiscal years 2006 and 2011. Funding will come from a combination of local, state and federal sources, including the State Transportation Improvement, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, Regional Surface Transportation, and Transportation Enhancement programs, as well as Measure M, a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990.

The program includes plans to increase Metrolink service between Fullerton and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo, Calif., by operating trains every 20 minutes to 30 minutes between 5 a.m. and midnight seven days a week. The authority also plans to connect Metrolink service to future high-speed rail lines that could link Orange County to Los Angeles, Ontario and the bay area, and study options for connecting Metrolink stations to major activity centers using buses, monorail, light rail or other transit modes.