Granite Scores $24M Metrolink Upgrade Project

Granite Construction is moving ahead on a key upgrade to Southern California’s Metrolink commuter rail system, taking on improvements at the Perris South end of the State Route 91 and Perris Valley Line in Riverside County.

Watsonville based Granite has been awarded a $24 million contract to modernize the Perris South Metrolink Station and Layover Facility, according to a Dec. 9 news release. The project is intended to improve service reliability and accommodate rising commuter demand at the eastern terminus of the line. Funding is provided through a mix of local and state sources, including California’s Measure A sales tax and a $25 million grant from the state Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program.

The 24 mile Perris Valley Line opened in 2016, connecting Perris with Downtown Riverside and onward to job centers across the greater Los Angeles region. Developed to relieve congestion on Interstate 215, the corridor serves an area with some of the longest commutes in Southern California, according to the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

Ridership on the line increased 22 percent year over year in 2024, averaging 2,098 weekday riders and ranking among the five fastest growing routes in Metrolink’s 547 mile system.

The Perris South station currently operates as a single track terminus, limiting train movements and creating service bottlenecks. Granite’s scope will convert the facility into a higher capacity hub capable of supporting bidirectional peak service.

Planned work includes construction of a second passenger platform and more than 1,100 feet of new track, allowing two trains to load and unload simultaneously. The existing platform will be extended to accommodate eight car trains and upgraded with new canopies, electronic displays, and emergency phones. Additional improvements include a new at grade pedestrian crossing with active warning systems, a fourth layover track, and new switching infrastructure to improve overnight storage and operational flexibility.

The project builds on Granite’s growing rail portfolio in the Inland Empire. The company opened a new Ontario office last year and recently completed Metrolink’s Moreno Valley and March Field station expansion, located about 13 miles from Perris South.

Construction is expected to begin early next year, with completion slated for 2028.

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