Metrolink plans cuts

Trying to close an $11 million to $20 million budget shortfall, Metrolink is considering a plan to raise fares by 3 to 6 percent and discontinue dozens of low-ridership weekend and weekday commuter train lines. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The cuts would come on most of the Southern California rail agency's lines, including those serving the San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley and Ventura County.

The need for cuts is partly fueled by an 11 percent drop in average weekday ridership over the past year, which officials attribute to more commuters losing their jobs and the stabilized cost of gasoline.