“Smart crossing” technology was added in June 2024 to boost safety near a Metrolink regional passenger rail station in Orange County, Calif., following deployment at seven crossings along the nine-mile Arrow system, which in 2022 launched three DMUs (Diesel Multiple Units) into service between San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif., according to Metrolink, the operator of both systems. In July 2025, Metrolink reported installing the technology at more locations.
The technology, known as the Wireless Crossing Nearside Station Stop (WCNSS) system, “went live” June 1, 2024, at the Del Obispo Street crossing near the San Juan Capistrano Station (scroll down to watch). It was funded using a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant that the Federal Railroad Administration awarded in 2018.
“Specifically, the WCNSS system will eliminate the ‘ghost train’ phenomenon that has plagued San Juan Capistrano residents,” Metrolink reported June 3, 2024. “Previously, on approach to the San Juan Capistrano Station, trains would trigger the safety features at the downstream Del Obispo Street crossing. While the train was stopped at the station, the gate arms would recover—creating a ‘ghost train’ effect—before the safety mechanism was once again triggered as the train left the station.”
WCNSS-equipped crossings communicate in real time with a Metrolink train’s onboard PTC (Positive Train Control) system to ensure safety features remain idle until the train is ready to move through, according to Metrolink.
“Installing WCNSS systems at railway crossings near stations is a crucial step forward that underscores Metrolink’s commitment to enhancing the safety and efficiency of our infrastructure,” Metrolink Board Vice Chair and Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee said in 2024. “Not only will this innovative technology alleviate frustration and improve the safety of San Juan Capistrano residents, but also will benefit communities across Metrolink’s system as it becomes more prevalent.”
On July 10, 2025, Metrolink reported that new WCNSS systems went live in April at the Juniper Avenue crossing in Fontana in San Bernardino County, and in June at the Columbia Avenue crossing just north of the Riverside-Hunter Park/UCR Station in Riverside County and at Moorpark Avenue west of the Moorpark Station in Ventura County. CRISI grants from 2020 and 2018, respectively, funded those installations, according to the agency. Work is now under way in Los Angeles County at the Ramona Avenue crossing near the Baldwin Park Station on Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line.
A total of 52 locations across Metrolink’s six-county network are eligible for WCNSS treatment. The agency said it is “actively seeking funding to expand the technology to all remaining sites.”
