There seems to be some new rugged seating on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners. The carpets were brand new and I immediately noticed these RED knobs everywhere. They have upgraded some of the seats to a very simple but rugged design. I've say at a number of seats in the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners where the tray tables were broken and sloped downwards. This new design is very simple and very rugged. The tray table just folds out from the seat in front of you with solid supports. Much less delicate than the prior design. The carpets in the car were all new and the seats seemed to be much more solid and durable. Same goes for the foot rest. These new ones seemed rock solid.
About half of the car that I was riding in had these new rugged seats. This car also appeared to have new carpet throughout. There were still a number of the older more fragile seats in the car in which I was riding. All the seats in the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners now have electrical outlets for charging your laptop and cell phone, etc.
While you are viewing this page, I'd like to also mention about the long distance Amtrak Coach Cars that are featured on many of the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trainsets. Many of the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trainsets have a long distance Amtrak Coach Car added to them. There are so many people riding the Surfliners that more cars are really needed in every trainset to handle the passenger load. But as of this date, not enough Surfliner Cars exist. Instead, Amtrak has been adding in Coach Cars that are normally used on their long distance trains.
These long distance Amtrak Coach Cars are the MOST COMFORTABLE of all the cars on the entire train, including being quite superior to the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Business Class Cars! If you pay extra to ride in business class (which can be quite a premium), you will get free coffee, a free snack pack, newspaper, or even a glass of wine. But the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Business Class Cars in no way measure up to the comfort and legroom you will find in the Amtrak Long Distance Coach Car! Save your money and just find that car on your train. It doesn't cost any extra! Everyone can ride in it! It is often the least occupied car on the train as many people thing it is some sort of "premium car" and don't realize they are allowed to just sit there! If you ride in this car, you will have a more comfortable and superior experience than those paying extra to ride in Business Class. Just pay for your own wine and newspaper. What Amtrak charges you to upgrade to Business Class is far more than what your wine and newspaper will cost (and who really wants the snack pack anyway?). Plus, you will be riding in the most comfortable car on the entire train, far superior to the Pacific Surfliner Business Class Car!
Most but not all of these Amtrak Long Distance Coach Cars used on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner route have been converted to have electrical outlets at every seat, but not all of these cars have been converted to provide AC at every seat yet as of this writing.
