Santa Clarita commuters can breathe a little easier: Metrolink officials held off on cutting regional rail service at their Oct. 23 board meeting, and the current train schedule will stay in place through the end of the year. Any service changes would take effect no sooner than Jan. 4, according to Metrolink.

The proposed cuts were significant: weekend service faced a 67% reduction, and weekday trains on the Antelope Valley Line, which runs through Santa Clarita, would have dropped from 30 to 22.

The lifeline came Oct. 21, when Metro, the line’s local operator, announced it would seek a $20 million state grant through the Flexible State Rail Assistance fund. The North County Transportation Coalition, which represents Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita, sent a letter urging the state to approve it. “We cannot build ridership and take cars off the road by reducing Metrolink commuter rail service, especially at a time of high gasoline prices,” the coalition wrote.

The reprieve is not final. Metrolink’s public hearing on its proposed operating budget - which still includes the cuts - is now set for its Nov. 13 board meeting. The agency has cited lower-than-projected revenue, declining state and federal funding, ongoing mechanical and reliability problems, and ridership still below pre-pandemic levels.