05/11/2026
The Orange County Transportation Authority is currently considering cutting $5.2 million in annual funding for Metrolink through 2030. This amounts to an incredibly small percentage of OCTA’s overall budget—but comes at a time when Metrolink is facing a $30 million operating budget deficit, which if not solved will eliminate all mid-day, evening, and weekend service.
Without OCTA’s support for Metrolink, Metrolink will be forced to shorten routes and raise fares by up to 15%, leaving public transportation in Orange County permanently crippled. This will not only hurt the lives of tens of thousands of ordinary people, but also comes right as Orange County needs to be preparing to service millions more people on public transit, during th 2026 and the 2028 Olympics. These events not only require a state of the art public transit system—it is also something the residents of Orange County deserve.
OCTA has the power to stop the collapse of public transportation in Orange County through more funding for Metrolink services and restoring its commitment to full funding of the system. Step up to support public transit during the upcoming OCTA Board meeting on Monday the 11th at 9am, and contact your representative on the board to fight for a better public transportation system.