NO RUSH IN JUDGMENT; METROLINK WINS RACE VS. TIME, CAR.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

Metrolink made its case for a stress-free commute Thursday morning by pitting three trains against three motorists who battled traffic on the Southland's freeways to Union Station.

If the results were predictable, Donald Patterson, who began his race from the Simi Valley station, was surprised by the data provided by the EKG heart monitor he attached to his body before departing.

``When I was in traffic, even though I felt relaxed, my heart was going faster. That's strange because I didn't feel like I was too stressed. But my heart was just going,'' said Patterson, 26, a Metrolink employee whose travels took him along the Ronald Reagan and Golden State freeways.

Metrolink spokesman Peter Hidalgo said the trains from Simi Valley and Irvine won the race by 9 minutes. A train from Rancho Cucamonga edged out its opponent by 2 minutes.

``The biggest obstacle we have is the perception of the safety and security of your car,'' he said. ``But the people who take our trains say hands down that it's better to take the train because of the value of the less stressful commute and the reliability.''

To contrast the experience of the motorists, Metrolink representatives rode to Union Station by train with a typical commuter; none wore heart monitors.

Simi Valley resident Jerry McLeroy, a project manager for the Los Angeles Unified School District, was chosen by Metrolink's Michael S. Leasher moments before the 7:35 a.m. train departed for the one-hour journey.

McLeroy said he began using the commuter trains after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake wreaked havoc on local freeways.

``It's a worry-less commute,'' he said. ``Sometimes I'll have to drive because I need my car. But it's no fun to drive downtown, especially during rush hour.''

McLeroy, 54, said he normally reads the newspaper during the train ride or plans his workday. He has few complaints about the trains.

``I would pay more money if I could have a more comfortable seat. The seating arrangements don't give enough leg room for us tall folks,'' said the 6-foot-2-inch McLeroy. ``But that's a minor thing, relative to the total experience.''

Before becoming a Metrolink employee last month, Patterson said he was a Metrolink commuter. He converted more than two years ago, while working for the city of Glendale, and these days usually hops aboard a commuter at Chatsworth for his trip to the Metrolink offices in downtown Los Angeles. He was chosen for the drive after efforts to find a Simi Valley train rider willing to drive downtown failed.

When reached on his cell phone about 8:20 a.m., Patterson had hit a wall of traffic on Interstate 5 in Burbank. Although he listened to the radio in his Acura, he said he missed the train commute, which allows him to study for a master's degree in public administration.

``The most frustrating part is it's kind of a waste of time to be sitting here,'' he said.

Dan Durazo, 36, a marketing-communications executive who drove his Infiniti on the Santa Ana Freeway from Irvine, said he accepted the challenge because he was confident that he would beat the train.

``I fully expected to beat it, because it makes stops,'' he said. ``I was even going above the speed limit and I still couldn't beat the train.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1-2--Color in Simi Edition only) (Photo 2 ran in Simi Edition only) Above, Don Patterson, a Metrolink employee, gets hooked up to a heart-rate monitor for a race against a train from Simi to downtown L.A. on Thursday. At left, Patterson, who reported his heart rate went up driving the freeway, gets ready to leave the station and go on to lose to the train by 9 minutes. Metrolink also won two other Southland races Thursday.

(3) (Ran in Simi Edition only) Train commuter Jerry McLeroy, left, and Metrolink employee Michael S. Leasher prepare to board.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News