Amtrak San Diegans - Photographs, travelogues, accommodations, and other information about train travel on the Amtrak San Diegans route.
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SanDiegans.com
Amtrak San Diegans
Trains #500's & #700's
www.trainweb.com/routes/route_sd.htm
Photographs, travelogues, accommodations, and other information
about train travel on the Amtrak San Diegans route.
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS TOTALLY OBSOLETE
AND IS BEING KEPT FOR HISTORIC PURPOSES ONLY!
The Amtrak San Diegan Route Name has been replaced by the Amtrak Pacific Surfliners.
The equipment, timetable, and services are different than what is listed below.
Trains numbered in the 500's only operate between San Diego and Los Angeles,
though they may connect to buses that operate north of Los Angeles. Trains
numbered in the 700's operate all the way from San Diego all the way up to
either Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo.
There are three Amtrak California Cars trainsets used on the
Amtrak San Diegans as well as numerous Amfleet and Horizon cars.
The three Amtrak California Cars trainsets make three northbound runs
in the morning and three southbound runs in the late afternoon. Some
of the runs go all the way to Santa Barbara. A trip to Santa Barbara
on these bi-level Amtrak California Cars can be quite comfortable and
enjoyable! Large windows on the upper level make the view all that
much more pleasurable.
Click here for more information
and photographs of the exterior and interior accommodations
of the Amtrak California Cars.
Most of the San Diegan trains have Cafe Car service where sandwiches, snacks,
souveniers and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are sold. The Amtrak
California Cars usually have the new Cafe Car with "Bistro" and full table
service available.
Some Additional Information From
Amtrak California Timetable
Effective November 10, 1996
San Diegan Route
San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara - Ventura
Los Angeles - Orange County - San Diego
Try Upgrading to Custom Class on your next San Diegan trip.
For a modest extra charge, you get a reserved seat, free coffee, tea or
juice, and a newspaper. Call Amtrak for more information. (Steve's comments:
Custom Class is usually an extra $9 each way. For that, you get to sit in
the Custom Class car which is usually the car right in front of or right
behind the Cafe Car. It is positioned in a way that you will not have the
traffic of people in the other coach cars going through your Custom Class
Car. For that $9, you get unlimited free coffee, juice and a newspaper.
The seats are pretty much the same size as the seats in regular coach, but
you get more leg room. Biggest advantage that most people see is that you
escape the commotion of kids and other passengers constantly moving up and
down the aisles at stations and to get to the Cafe Car. In the Amtrak
California Car Express Trains, the Custom Class is quite a bit better. They
use a long-distance Superliner Coach Car for the first class passengers
instead of an upgraded Amfleet or Horizon car. The Superliner Coach cars
are designed to provide maximum comfort on long-distance train trips and
are ideal for an upgraded Custom Class. On the Amtrak California Car Express
Trains, the regular coach seats barely recline at all. Thus, if you want
lots of leg room and reclining seats on an Amtrak California Car Express
train, then Custom Class is the only way to go. I usually like to stick
with regular Coach on the Amtrak California Car Express Trains because the
regular coach cars have very large tables, some with electric outlets for
laptop computers, and they also have several single seats with a guaranteed
good view out the window! On the Amtrak California Car Express Trains, you
have a clear choice to make between which type of seating you would like.
Custom Class and Regular Coach is quite different. On the Amfleet and
Horizon San Diegans, Custom Class and Regular Coach seating is almost
identical.
San Diegan Services:
Amfleet and Horizon Fleet No Smoking.
Custom Class Service -- Deluxe reserved coach service.
Service charge applies. Complimentary coffee, tea or juice and newspaper.
Coach Service -- Reclining seats, no reservations necessary.
Cafe Service -- Sandwiches, snacks and beverages.
Checked Baggage Service -- Available only on some trains.
Express San Diegan Services:
New Amtrak California Cars and Locomotives No Smoking.
Custom Class Service -- Deluxe reserved coach service.
Service charge applies. Complimentary coffee, tea or juice and newspaper.
Coach Service -- Reclining seats, no reservations necessary.
Cafe Service -- Sandwiches, snacks and beverages.
Checked Baggage Service -- No checked baggage, except from
San Diego, Solana Beach, Oceanside, Santa Ana or Fullerton to Los Angeles
only on Train 771 for passengers traveling on Train No. 14.
Coast Starlight Services:
(continuation of San Diegans 511 & 571 north of Los Angeles)
Superliners No Smoking. Reservations Required (except for local
travel between Los Angeles and San Diego, or intermediate points on Train
511).
Sleeping Cars -- Deluxe, Special, Family and Economy Bedrooms.
First Class Service includes complimentary meals, morning wake-up service
with a newspaper and coffee, tea or orange juice. Los Angeles - Seattle
Pacific Parlor Car -- (Sleeping Car Passengers only) -- Lounge
with Library, Games, Hospitality Hours and Snacks. Los Angeles - Seattle
Coach Service -- Reclining seats. San Diego - Seattle
Dining Car -- Complete meal service. Los Angeles - Seattle
Sightseer Lounge Car -- Sandwiches, snacks and beverages.
Los Angeles - Seattle (cafe service available northbound from San Diego
to Los Angeles).
Checked baggage service -- At all staffed stations except Richmond.
Amtrak ThruWay Bus Service
No Smoking. Wheelchair Accessible (reservations for wheelchair passengers
must be made 24 hours in advance).
Deluxe reclining seat motor coaches offering guaranteed connections to
and from Amtrak trains. No reservations necessary.
NEW AMTRAK STATIONS ON THE CENTRAL COAST
Grover Beach -- Beginning November 10, 1996, travelers on the
San Diegans have a new station stop between San Luis Obispo and
Santa Barbara -- the first of several new stops planned for the next year.
Grover Beach serves passengers in the Five Cities area of Grover Beach, Pismo
Beach, Shell Beach, Oceano and Arroyo Grande. The new station features a
passenger shelter in the California Mission Revival style, with graceful
arches and a red tile roof.
The new stop, at Highway 1 and Grand Ave., replaces the former Amtrak bus
stop in Pismo Beach. Grover Beach is served by the Central Coast San
Diegan train, as well as the Central Coast Thruway bus connections.
Carpinteria -- Two daily round trips will provide inbound travelers
the opportunity to spend a day at Carpinteria's State Beach. Outbound
passengers will have a convenient way to head out of town on a weekend jaunt.
Service will begin immediately following the completion on platform
construction early in 1997.
Goleta -- By Spring of '97 the new station at Goleta should be
complete. All San Diegan trains and buses which serve Santa Barbara
will also stop at Goleta. The station will be an easy bike ride for students
attending UCSB, as well as convenient for travelers using the Santa Barbara
/ Goleta airport.
Amtrak Information and Reservations
Call Toll-Free 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245)
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