Constructed on part of the old Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Redlands Loop, originally built on the late 1800s, is Metrolink's newest service: Arrow (named as an homage to the Inland Empire's famous Arrowhead, a naturally occurring image of an arrowhead found on the face of one of the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, consisting of light quartz, supporting a growth of short white sage, with this lighter vegetation appearing in sharp contrast to the surrounding chaparral and greasewood, and creating an nearly perfect arrowhead shape, visible for miles around, and an important landmark for centuries as a symbol of the San Bernardino Valley to the Native Americans and, later, to the pioneers and settlers that followed).
Opened on October 24, 2022, this nine-mile (14 mk) line connects Metrolink's San Bernardino downtown station with Redlands' University station. This line has five stations and is single track, with a two-mile long passing siding in the middle to allow east and westbound trains to meet on their journeys. A fleet of three Stadler FLIRT3 diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars operate on the Arrow, with two in service at any given time, operating as an extension of the carrier’s San Bernardino Line.
DMU 3402 is seen arriving in San Bernardino with 11,503-foot (3,506 meters) San Gorgonio Mountain looming in the distance, and passing another southern California icon – a cell tower disguised as a pine tree – along with a few palm trees. (San Bernardino, California – February 15, 2024)
