On August 23, the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Board of Directors selected OCTA as the local managing agency to oversee intercity passenger rail service on the LOSSAN rail corridor.
The 351-mile LOSSAN rail corridor runs through six counties and is the second busiest intercity passenger rail corridor in the United States. It includes 41 stations and more than 150 daily passenger trains, with an annual ridership of more than 2.7 million on Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains and 4.5 million on Metrolink and COASTER commuter trains.
After working collaboratively to secure the passage of Senate Bill 1225 in 2012, LOSSAN member agencies will now finalize the transfer of administrative responsibility for state-funded Amtrak Pacific Surfliner intercity passenger rail service from Caltrans to the locally governed LOSSAN Joint Powers Authority (JPA).
As LOSSAN's managing agency, OCTA will provide all necessary administrative support services to the LOSSAN JPA, including housing a managing director and a small staff of dedicated employees. OCTA will also utilize shared positions to provide support in a number of key areas, including human resources, finance/accounting, legal, contracts, risk management, audits, public information, and clerk of the board.
Following approval of an administrative support agreement, which is expected to occur in November 2013, OCTA will submit a proposed interim work plan outlining major goals and objectives. To prepare, OCTA has developed a 100-day work plan that includes meetings with key state officials, Amtrak leadership, railroad owners and operators, and individual LOSSAN member agencies.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013