CALIFORNIA - About seven to 10 times each month, Art Brown hops on a Metrolink train.

As a member of the commuter rail's five-county governing board, he usually carries a bag imprinted with the word "Metrolink." Brown says he does it to attract comments from other riders on the regional service.

"It was mostly service-oriented," said Brown, an appointed member whose primary public office is mayor pro tem of Buena Park and who serves on other transit boards. " 'When are we going to add more cars, when are we going to have a bar car?' They want more trains and they want them to run later."

That Brown takes the train as often as he does makes him unique among the 11 voting members of the Metrolink board. The rest only ride occasionally and some live miles from the nearest station. None is an everyday rider.

In September, Metrolink experienced the deadliest crash in its 16-year history. A train filled with commuters failed to stop at a warning light and collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train. Twenty-five people died and 135 were injured.

In recent days, some Metrolink passengers interviewed by The Times questioned whether board members who use the line so infrequently can fully appreciate the concerns that daily riders have about operations and safety.