Southern California regional rail operator Metrolink has launched Metrolink Safe Ride, a mobile app that lets riders report non-emergency safety and security issues at stations and onboard trains directly to the agency's Security Operations Center.

Supplier ELERTS powers the app, which is separate from Metrolink's existing ticketing-focused Metrolink Mobile App. Safe Ride is available now through the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Using the app, riders identify the type and location of an incident, provide details and — when safe and appropriate — attach photos. The reports reach the Security Operations Center in real time, giving dispatchers location-verified information about suspicious activity, unsafe conditions and other non-emergency issues. Riders who do not have the app can still report concerns by calling or texting the SOC.

The app effectively adds thousands of onboard observers to Metrolink's security apparatus at minimal marginal cost, converting passenger sightings into actionable SOC alerts rather than relying solely on cameras, sensors and staff patrols.

"Our riders see our system from a perspective that no camera, sensor or employee can capture," said Metrolink Board Chair Doug Chaffee. "Metrolink Safe Ride makes it easier for riders to share what they see directly with our Security Operations Center, strengthening the connection between our riders and the teams working around the clock to support the safety and security of our system."

The launch coincides with See Tracks? Think Train® Week, running September 21–27, and aligns with Rail Safety Month, held annually in September in California. Throughout the month, Metrolink says it is reinforcing its year-round safety commitment through station activations, school and community outreach, and customer and employee education programs.

Metrolink is also continuing its partnership with Streets Are For Everyone's SAFE Around Trains Challenge after an inaugural campaign in 2025. The program gives high school students resources and the opportunity to research, plan and produce short educational videos promoting safety around trains, railroad crossings and passenger zones. Metrolink provided participants with comprehensive safety training and supervised access to designated filming locations and rail equipment.

The app launch builds on a longer record of technology deployment at the agency. Metrolink became the first passenger railroad in the United States to implement Positive Train Control across its entire network in 2015. In 2023, it introduced an Earthquake Early Warning system integrated with the U.S. Geological Survey's ShakeAlert®, which can automatically stop or slow trains operating on Metrolink-owned tracks when seismic activity is detected.

Metrolink has not disclosed target adoption figures or reporting-volume expectations for Safe Ride. The app's effectiveness will depend on rider uptake and the SOC's capacity to triage incoming reports alongside existing phone and text channels — metrics the agency has yet to publish.

If adoption reaches meaningful levels across Metrolink's six-county network, the crowdsourced reporting model could provide transit agencies elsewhere with a low-cost template for extending their security reach, and Metrolink says the tool forms part of its year-round commitment to system safety.