Pacific Surfliner
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The Pacific Surfliner is a designator for Amtrak passenger trains serving communities on the coastline of southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. On the northernmost part there is one train per day in each direction, on the Los Angeles to San Diego section a little less than one train per hour. Bus services are available between Los Angeles and Goleta during hours when that part of the track is in use by freight trains. The route is named after the surf line.
Because neither San Diego nor Goleta is equipped with a roundhouse or a turntable, trains running on the Pacific Surfliner are arranged so that the last car (the cab car) is one equipped with engineer controls, so that the train can be operated in either direction, allowing for a quick turnaround. This is known as a "Push-pull" configuration. Before the cab cars were used on the line, the trains were wyed in San Diego for their return trip. The design of Los Angeles Union Station causes the train leave Los Angeles facing the opposite direction that it entered. The locomotive is at the rear of the train, "pushing" the train from Goleta to Los Angeles. At Los Angeles, the train "backs into" the station, and, upon departing the locomotive "pulls" the train to San Diego. The entire trip from San Luis Obispo to San Diego is 371 miles (597 kilometers), and takes eight and a half hours. Much of the Pacific Surfliner's scenic route follows the Pacific coast.
Pacific Surfliner trainsets usually consist of a EMD F59PHI locomotive, a business class car, a cafe car, 2 coach cars, and a baggage car equipped with engineer controls. During holiday seasons or days of heavy usage extra cars may be added. Except for one train, all the trains that run the Pacific Surfliner route consist of double-decker cars that are similar to, but not the same as, Superliner cars. Most cars are equipped with 120v power outlets for laptops or other electronic devices. All Amtrak California trains, including the Pacific Surfliner, use the same design of cars. The Pacific Surfliner trains are painted in a blue and silver livery that is unique to this line.
The Pacific Surfliner is usually on time. The last train south (Train 796) may held up to one hour if Train 11 (the Coast Starlight) from Seattle is delayed.
Though operated by Amtrak, the Pacific Surfliner is primarily financed through funds made available by the State of California Department of Transportation and is operated under the Amtrak California brand.
Under the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, and later under Amtrak until the late 1990s, this same service was called the San Diegan.
Stations served
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- San Luis Obispo
- Grover Beach
- Guadalupe
- Lompoc - Surf
- Goleta
- Santa Barbara
- Carpinteria
- Ventura
- Oxnard
- Camarillo
- Moorpark
- Simi Valley
- Chatsworth
- Van Nuys
- Burbank Airport
- Glendale
- Los Angeles
- Fullerton
- Anaheim
- Santa Ana
- Irvine
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Clemente Pier
- Trains 583, 785, 566, 768 only
- Oceanside
- Solana Beach
- Old Town
- Trains 785, 587, 591, 564, 566, 768, & 796 only (Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays)
- San Diego
External links
- Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner page (http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256322013&ssid=132)