| PRESS RELEASE | Contact: Tony Bell, Communications Deputy Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Office: (213) 974-5555 Cell: (213) 215-5176 E-mail: tbell@bos.lacounty.gov |
September 18, 2008 For Immediate Release
ANTONOVICH AND KNABE CALL FOR YEARLY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT / DISASTER EXERCISES FOR FIVE COUNTIES SERVED BY METROLINK
LOS ANGELES COUNTY –- Los Angeles County Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Don Knabe will introduce a motion before the Metrolink Board of Directors on Friday, September 26, 2008, requiring mandatory annual disaster simulation and emergency management training exercises for all five counties served by the agency (Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside).
The motion directs the Metrolink CEO to seek input from County, State and Federal emergency management agencies and other urban commuter rail agencies to develop a risk assessment analysis of the current Metrolink system’s single-tracking, at-grade highway/rail crossings, freight movement coordination, terrorist targets, tunnels, bridges, and stations.
“With nearly 1 million boardings a month, Metrolink faces major challenges with sharing track with freight and Amtrak trains, at-grade highway crossings, homeland security and other infrastructure and technological issues,” said Antonovich. “It is imperative that Metrolink inventories all challenges facing the system, develops a strategy to fund the necessary mitigations, and has an integrated and comprehensive emergency management plan for the five counties.”
In addition to the annual disaster exercise, Antonovich and Glendale Councilman Ara Najarian will introduce a motion to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Thursday, September 25, 2008, to develop and adopt a comprehensive County Commuter/Freight Rail Master Plan to identify, fund and implement rail safety and infrastructure upgrades for all of Los Angeles County.
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