Inlanders Make Tracks to Beach

SAN CLEMENTE —  Morning clouds could not dampen the spirits of about 300 Inland Empire residents looking to beat the heat on Saturday, as they rolled into San Clemente on the summer’s first beach train.

Armed with coolers, beach chairs, towels and open checkbooks, the visitors readied for a day of shopping and fun.

“It’s an easy way to get to the beach,” said Riverside resident Bill Kraemer, who brought his wife and two daughters to the beach. “You don’t have to deal with driving or parking. . . . It’s just too easy.”

Yucaipa resident Bud Partain rode the train with his adult children for a day of sight-seeing and sun.

“It’s neat,” he said of the beach train service. “It’s relaxing and enjoyable.”

Developed last year by members of the San Clemente business community as a way to draw tourists and their dollars to the area, the summer train is operated by Metrolink and travels from San Bernardino, Riverside and Corona to stops in San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point and San Clemente.

Last year, eight sold-out trains brought more than 8,000 Inland Empire residents to South County communities.

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Demand was so high for the weekend commuter service that organizers have expanded the service to 19 beach trains, which will run nearly every Saturday and some Sundays through Oct. 19.

“We’re really excited. We hope it turns into a long-range thing,” said Rick Anderson, a San Clemente business owner and train organizer. “It’s a really great thing for everyone.”

The Riverside County Transportation Commission helps to underwrite and promote the project as a community service for families and residents to encourage the use of Metrolink commuter trains. Susan Cornelison, the agency’s rail program manager, said people from Scout troops to senior groups have participated in the summer program.

“There has been a great diversity and a lot of variety of family groupings,” she said of the train’s ridership. “We are very grateful at the level of excitement and appreciation this had been met with [by] the public.”

More stops have been added to the summer route. The Metrolink also stops at the Orange station before going to the three South County sites.

Round-trip tickets are $13 per person or $45 for a family of four, with children younger than 2 riding free. The Metrolink train, which carries six to 10 cars, departs San Bernardino at 8:36 a.m., making four stops before reaching San Juan Capistrano at 10:17 a.m. and the San Clemente Pier at 10:34 a.m.

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Train riders, who often are making their first visit to South County, are given a magazine that provides history of the three cities, calendars of summer events, maps and retail and entertainment information.

Anderson said he expects the summer trains will bring in about $1 million to San Clemente alone. Officials from Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano also hope to also cash in on a piece of the financial pie, although they’re not sure how much their cities will receive.

“We’re really excited about this whole thing,” said Tom Facon, executive director of the San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce. “We expect a total of 18,000 people during the summer.”

Departing the summer’s first beach train, riders praised the service’s convenience and the opportunity to beat the inland heat.

“We come for the ride. The kids love the train ride,” said John Anderson, an Anaheim Hills resident who caught the train with his family in Corona. “It’s a great idea.”