Handing out candy to riders CAD 2025

LOS ANGELES – Today, Southern California’s regional passenger rail provider, Metrolink, celebrated its seventh-annual Customer Appreciation Day. Members of Metrolink’s board of directors and local elected officials joined Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle and staff to surprise and delight morning travelers with sweet treats and messages of affirmation at station pop-up events throughout the six-county system. 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,” Metrolink Board Chair and Orange County Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee said. “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 – a proud lifelong Southern Californian – 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.”

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.

The following Metrolink Board members and local elected officials also participated in Customer Appreciation Day:

• Metrolink Board Second Vice Chair and Camarillo City Councilmember Tony Trembley (Moorpark)
• Metrolink and Orange County Transportation Authority Board Director Tam Nguyen (Fullerton)
• Metrolink Board Director and former Santa Monica City Councilmember Pam O’Connor (Los Angeles)
• City of Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung (Fullerton)
• Staff from California State Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes's office (San Bernardino)
• Staff from California State Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo’s office (Newhall)

Photos from the event are here; b-roll from the event is here