HolyCoast: Thanks Metrolink for Screwing Up My Evening
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Sunday, November 08, 2009

Thanks Metrolink for Screwing Up My Evening

We had plans tonight to hop aboard the Metrolink in Laguna Niguel, ride to Fullerton for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and then ride home again. When we got to the station there were signs all over, including the scrolling electronic signs, that all trains today would use Track 2 because of platform construction. No problem - we waited on Track 2.

At 6:13 pm, right on time, Metrolink #659 rolled into the station...on Track 1. Now, you can't get from Track 2 to Track 1 easily. From where we were we had to go all the way back up the platform to the underground passage that takes you under the tracks, and then back up the other side to the train. Problem is, the trains only stop for about 45 seconds. I knew we'd never make it and they weren't going to wait for us.

Waiting with us were several other people, including a blind man who nearly walked off the platform and fell onto the empty tracks. He thought the train had pulled in on our track. Fortunately another passenger grabbed him before he fell. All of us ended up missing the train since we couldn't get to the other side in time.

Fortunately the train wasn't our only option - we still had a car there. But for those passengers who had been relying on the train to get home, they were truly screwed because #659 was the last northbound train of the night.

To add insult to injury, the tickets you buy on Metrolink are only good for departures leaving within 3 hours of the time you buy them, meaning the $21.50 in tickets I had in my hand are now useless.

I've already checked with the credit card website and the moment that charge shows up on my statement I'm going to dispute it and have it reversed. I'll get my money back.

We ended up driving to Fullerton and getting our spaghetti dinner, and in fact I actually beat the train there. It pulled in as we were walking into the restaurant. I saluted the train appropriately.

3 comments:

Nightingale said...

And the climate-change folks want all of us to give up our cars.

I don't think so.

Bob Hughes said...

Government Run Transportation - what do you expect?

Tim Knoxville said...

That poor blind man... I hope he wasn't a liberal, expecting The Obamessiah to heal him. In the words that Mark Martin once used when he was retiring (the first time), here's a salute to you, MetroLink.