Southern California’s regional passenger rail provider, Metrolink, celebrated its seventh-annual Customer Appreciation Day on Valentine’s Day. 

Members of Metrolink’s board of directors and local elected officials joined Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle and staff to surprise morning travelers with sweet treats and messages of affirmation at station pop-up events throughout the six-county system. 

Metrolink Appreciation Activations

Activations honoring the “Spirit of SoCal” took place on each of Metrolink’s seven service lines, engaging customers at the Fullerton, Moorpark, Newhall, Riverside-Downtown, and San Bernardino-Downtown stations, as well as historic Los Angeles Union Station.

“Every decision at Metrolink is made with our passengers and local SoCal communities in mind,” said Metrolink Board Chair Doug Chaffee. “Sharing tokens of gratitude with our riders at today’s station events gave us the chance to brighten their mornings while also hearing about their experiences and what they’d like to see from Metrolink in the future.”

In addition to greeting customers at Union Station, Kettle shared a video message highlighting the strength, resilience, and generosity that has underscored the spirit of SoCal following a series of unprecedented wildfires last month.

“Each year for Customer Appreciation Day, I film a short, heartfelt video thanking our riders directly for taking the train,” Kettle said. “This year, reflecting on everything this region has been through and my own family’s firsthand experience of losing our home in last November’s Mountain Fire, it’s more important than ever to connect with the customers and communities we serve and let them know we’re here for them. Southern California is an extraordinary place full of extraordinary people, and together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

Thanking Riders

Metrolink representatives sported “I Heart SoCal” baseball caps while offering words of encouragement and handing out candy favors and Metrolink swag. 

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers served as an official sponsor of Metrolink’s Customer Appreciation Day.