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Metrolink warns $35 million shortfall could force 30% service cuts
Summary
Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle told a Senate subcommittee the agency faces a projected $35 million operating deficit for FY 2026–27 and may have to reduce average train service by roughly 30% unless additional funding is provided within weeks.
Darren Kettle, chief executive officer of Metrolink, told the Senate subcommittee that the agency faces a projected $35,000,000 operating deficit for fiscal year 2026–27 and has delayed adoption of its FY 2027 operating budget as a result.
"Unless additional funding is identified in, within the next 2 months, we will be forced to reduce the average number of trains operated system wide somewhere in over 30% or more compared to FY26," Kettle said, warning that service reductions would reduce riders’ options and complicate Olympic planning.
Kettle urged lawmakers to consider sustained funding mechanisms and suggested modernizing the Transportation Development Act to identify dedicated operating support for regional and intercity rail. He said Metrolink supports the SB 1098 recommendations but stressed that implementation depends on robust, steady funding rather than one‑off grants.
The chair and other panelists noted the expiration of a three‑year state budget augmentation in 2027 and described the potential forfeiture of federal matching grants if restored service levels cannot be sustained.
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