Los Angeles. Thriving as a city, it is decorated with creativity by all kinds of political, cultural, and even occasionally offensive art. Looming buildings with office windows light up the night sky, making those bustling around the streets look like ants. Not to mention, the mouthwatering idea of delicious food on every corner is sure to attract crowds of people. What is not to love about this city of diversity and beauty?  

HONKKKK!! The horn from the car behind blares, and the fantasy that ruled your mind about the City of Angels fades away. Turns out, sitting in traffic isn’t the best time for your imagination to run wild. 

The heart of the Claremont Village is home to one of many Metrolink train stations. This Metrolink in particular runs from the Claremont station to both the L.A. Union Station and to LAX or the Los Angeles International Airport, which as all Webbies should know, are two very popular destinations among students. Students and faculty would only have to pay a small price for the many benefits of public transportation, which is exactly why Webb should start utilizing rail transportation for trips to Los Angeles as often as possible.  

One of the most frustrating aspects of traveling by car is traffic. If there was a way to avoid the pain of sitting in a slow-moving and seemingly never-ending line of cars without having to worry about being late to your destination, would you not take the opportunity? By utilizing the Metrolink, faculty and students can do just that. 

The hustle of getting to LAX via shuttle or van is not preferable, especially when students are required to leave three to four hours before their flights take off, but it’s easily avoidable! With the constant demand for transportation to LAX before a break begins, Webb must take into consideration a more convenient option for students.  

“I would say about 25% of students that used to go to LAX are now going to Ontario airport because of the ease of transportation and the time it takes to go to LAX versus Ontario airport,” said Nathan Silva, Student Services Coordinator.  

However, the pain of L.A. car travel doesn’t only affect those catching a flight, as many of Webb’s weekend runs offerings travel to L.A. requiring students to wake up earlier to avoid traffic. 

“On one of the runs I had to wake up at five to avoid rush hour, otherwise it would be really frustrating to have to wait in a car for so long just to get to the destination late.” said Petrina Ong (‘24).  

 The idea of waking up so early for what’s supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing weekend run is not convenient, so what can train travel do? 

The amount of travel time that taking a train can reduce is worth the 10-dollar fee. Just by inputting the given time in the distance calculator that the Metrolink offers on its website, it is easy to see how short the train ride will be compared to Google Maps’ estimated time of arrival for your destination of choice via car. For example, to get to Union Station in Los Angeles it only takes 54 minutes on the Metrolink, whereas traveling in a car can take up to two hours from Claremont to LAX. A round trip takes an hour and a half as opposed to three long hours by car. This way, students can catch a train in the afternoon and sleep in on weekends while avoiding the traffic on the way to their destination.  

The experience of train travel has been romanticized in books and film for as long as it has existed. While the Metrolink may not be Hogwarts express, it is nearly as great as the media makes it out to be.  

“I think train travel would be really cool,” Emily Berg (‘24) said. “I have never been on the Metrolink before, and I feel like it’s the pinnacle of the Los Angeles experience. It’s also a big step towards sustainability.” 

Train travel creates a comfortable and smooth journey for all passengers, offering tables and outlets for work to get done, or for a quick snack. Depending on the train line, travelers also get access to the trains Wi-Fi while traveling, so yes, you can safely watch Gilmore girls without taking up the family data plan. 

However, these perks are incomparable to the view you receive with train travel. Since train cars are so high and the windows aren’t blocked by the sight of other cars, you can look out the window and enjoy the sight of the city in all its glory from afar.  

But let us look at the bigger picture. The critical state of the Earth and the environment is a pressing issue in the United States. Considering that preserving the environment is a shared interest for many Webb’s students and faculty, and Rail transportation is the most environmentally friendly way to travel, not including cycling or walking we should make Metrolink more accessible in Webb’s transportation.  

 The tough reality is that 28% of greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, and while that may seem like a relatively small number, that is 1,600 metric tons of CO2! To put those big numbers into perspective, that’s enough to fill up about 18 of your average backyard swimming pools. Less than 3% of that 28% comes from train transportation. Deciding to take the Metrolink instead of our Webb vans to our frequent LA trips will be a huge step toward helping our Earth, and hopefully can inspire others to not only save time but the environment as well. So, hop on the train and bring rail transport to Webb!