Led by Supervisor and Metro board member Hilda Solis, Metro has commissioned a study to determine the cost of adding a Metrolink Station at the base of Rio Hondo College in Whittier linking the nearby Riverside-to-Los Angeles commuter train line.

The cities of South El Monte, Pico Rivera, Whittier, Industry, Montebello and the unincorporated communities of Avocado Heights, Puente Hills and Pellissier Village are part of a new task force examining the feasibility of a station that would serve the college, as well as workplaces including: Fed-Ex, the Los Angeles County Sanitation District Headquarters and the future Puente Hills Landfill Park, Solis said on Monday.

If approved, it would be the first Metrolink station added to the 59-mile line since its inception in 1993. The line carries about 5,100 weekday passengers with stations in downtown Riverside, Pedley, East Ontario, Downtown Pomona, Industry (near Walnut and the 57 Freeway), Montebello/Commerce and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Because there is a 17.5-mile gap between the stations at Brea Canyon Road (Industry) and Flotilla Street in Montebello, the heavy-rail commuter train doesn’t really serve the 60 Freeway corridor, nor the communities in the Whittier Narrows area, Solis said.

Solis was joined by fellow Metro board members Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian, Supervisor Michael Antonovich, L.A. Councilman Paul Krekorian and Lakewood Councilwoman Diane DuBois.

The station would have to be built along Union Pacific tracks, which are used by the Metrolink passenger train. The tracks go very close to Rio Hondo College, said Scott Johnson, a spokesperson for Metrolink. One location being considered is near the intersection of Workman Mill Road and Rose Hills Road, he said.

The county’s planning office and the staff of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will meet with the communities involved to assess whether a station could be built and at what cost, Johnson said.

A new coalition, EnviroMetro, made up of members of San Gabriel Mountains Forever, the Wilderness Society and other groups, said a train stop would help more people enjoy Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, the new landfill park being planned by the county, and the park being built at the old duck farm in Bassett on the west side of the 605 Freeway.

It would also connect to the San Gabriel River bike path — giving commuters another alternative to driving on a freeway.

“Someone on that train could get on their bike and go down the bike path and get to their house in Pico Rivera or Lakewood,” said Belinda Faustinos, a member of EnviroMetro.

Adding a Metrolink stop near the congested 605/60 interchange may help move some single-occupant cars off the two freeways, Solis said.

“What better way to alleviate congestion than by using that (train) as a way to allow people to commute to Rio Hondo College, or pay a visit to Whittier Narrows or the Puente Hills Landfill Park,” Solis said. “It should alleviate congestion, so trucks can run on those major freeways.”

Solis said many students drive to Rio Hondo and the college’s police and fire academies; a train station would give them a different option. “The station would enhance and further improve access to public transportation for our students, staff, faculty, visitors and local residents,” wrote Teresa Dreyfuss, college president, in a prepared statement.

Solis said adding a station to Metrolink is just one part of a transportation fix for the region. The other half would include extending the Gold Line light-rail line from East Los Angeles to either South El Monte at Whittier Narrows or to Whittier. However, she said she was not happy to learn Metro expects that project to break ground in 2029, with completion set for 2035. Adding a stop on Metrolink may be a quicker project, but the area needs both heavy and light-rail, she said.