The Point: Station improvements will require weekend closure of the Perris, Moreno Valley, and Riverside stations
Plan ahead if you plan to take Metrolink to and from Perris this weekend.
RCTC and Metrolink have scheduled a two-day rail service shutdown that will affect the Perris-South, Perris-Downtown, Moreno Valley/March Field, and Riverside-Hunter Park Metrolink stations. During the closure, these stations will not provide passenger rail service. The Riverside-Downtown, Riverside-La Sierra, Corona-North Main, and Corona-West stations will operate on the regular Saturday and Sunday schedules.
For passengers who need to get to destinations serviced by the 91/Perris Valley Line, Metrolink will provide alternate transportation. Riverside Transit Agency and other transit services from the affected stations will run on regular Saturday and Sunday schedules.
The weekend rail service shutdown is required for the Moreno Valley/March Field Station Improvements Project to ensure the safety of construction crews and the on-time completion of critical work. During the closure, crews will work at the station to extend the current platform, improve the pedestrian crossing, and upgrade drainage channels.
Construction on the Moreno Valley/March Field Station Improvement Project began in October 2022 and key elements include:
- Adding a second passenger train platform
- Extending the existing platform to accommodate the length of the standard Metrolink six-car trains.
- Upgrading 2 ½ miles of track for the future nine-mile double-track corridor south of the station.
The Moreno Valley/March Field Improvement Stations Project is part of RCTC’s goal of increasing commuter rail service to relieve traffic congestion and improve air quality in the region. The project is also part of Metrolink’s Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) program, which aims to upgrade the Metrolink system in time for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics Games.
Project funding is provided by a combination of local and federal transportation sources, including a $32 million Federal Transit Administration grant and Riverside County voter-approved Measure A.
The project is anticipated to be completed by spring 2024. For more information, please visit the project webpage at rctc.org/moval.