The Point: RCTC has applied for funding a special Coachella Train from LA to Indio next year
Coachella Festival travelers experienced heavy traffic on Interstate 10 before and after the concert during weekend #1, with the same pattern expected for the coming weekend. Please drive safely! Starting next year, a special train could be available for Coachella and Stagecoach attendees.
The Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN) are seeking grant funding to provide special service to these weekend festivals, starting in April 2019 for five years.
Funding is available through the federal Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, based on a competitive application process. RCTC and LOSSAN submitted the grant application in January to run rail service from Los Angeles to Indio, an approximate 3.5-hour trip. The grant funds would be used to make track improvements and build a temporary platform to allow passengers to enter and exit the train in Indio, which does not have a passenger rail station. Bus shuttles would carry passengers between the rail station, the festival grounds and local hotels.
The train would provide a convenient, safe, reliable and low-emission travel alternative for traveling to and from the Coachella Valley, which should be music to the ears for festival-goers who want to enjoy the ride, rather than fight traffic.
The agencies should learn this spring if its funding application is selected.
