Given the growing success of Metrolink service in Riverside County, RCTC is working to develop the Perris Valley Line Commuter Rail Project, a 22.7-mile extension of the Metrolink 91 Line service from Riverside to Los Angeles. The extension would begin at the existing Downtown Riverside Station and proceed northeast for approximately two miles through the City of Riverside before turning southeast along I-215 and ending in the City of Perris.

In November 2005, the Commission completed a Commuter Rail Feasibility Study to evaluate the potential of future rail lines in Riverside County. The recommendation from the study included further evaluation of routes to San Jacinto/Hemet and Murrieta/Temecula.

Of interest to residents in the Coachella Valley are plans to bring intercity rail service to the area. While there is limited Amtrak service to Palm Springs, the Commission, in partnership with Coachella Valley representatives, seeks to expand the level of service to the Valley.

RCTC is participating in statewide planning for a high speed rail system by the California High Speed Rail Authority. The state's plan envisions a 700-mile network linking the Bay Area and Southern California with possible stops in Riverside and Murrieta/Temecula linking to San Diego County. The state system is not the only high-speed rail system under development. The Southern California Association of Governments is planning to build a magnetic-levitation train, or maglev, running from Los Angeles to Riverside. Future phases include an extension from Riverside to Temecula along the I-15 corridor.