Hello,does anyone know about Amtraks route into San Francisco?Is it going to
start? and when ? That’s from LosAngeles . Thanks ,Dave Br
They don’t have one from what I know. From LA the only option is the Coast Starlight to an Amtrak Bus. the capitol corridor and san joaquin both offer bus connections and a transfer to Caltrain via San Jose. That said, I think it’s a great idea although I assume they’d need Caltrain’s blessing as well as the freight railroad.
The eventual plan is to extend trains 799/798 into San Francisco.
As far as I understand, this is still in the planning stages with no actual kick off on the books.
OK,thank you for that information…Dave Br
Are trains 799/798 capitol corridor??
No, they are Pacific Surfliners. There is no Capitol Corridor train south of Bakersfield on the planning books that I have heard of.
The plan with these is to run them into 4th St San Francisco one day. I hope I live to see it happen.
It would be nice to see surfliner trains come up the coast to SF… It would definitely be upgrade to the coast starlight or san joquain/bus connecton needed to get to LA.
This might be closer than you think. Amtrak CA just changed the schedule for the southbound train (798?). It used to leave San Luis Obispo at 4:25 PM, about an hour after the Coast Starlight was due. It now leaves at 2 PM, arriving in LA at 8 PM. With the Starlight being so late so often this means they will each have their own little time slot instead of interfering as they often do. It also means that, if it did start in SF, it would depart at about 8 AM
This matches the northbound (799?) times. It leaves LA at 7:30 AM and gets to SLO at 12:45 PM. I figure that, extended to SF, it would get there about 8 PM. These time slots kind of replicate the original Daylight schedules, I believe.
Jack
Very interesting. It doesn’t address the lack of extra cars though. This is really frustrating because Amtrak has so many bad ordered cars it can’t fix, because it doesn’t have the money to fix them… as well as all those excess P40s that they don’t even use.
There would need to be at least one more set of equipment.
Well, hopefully it happens soon! I wonder how they would fit it in w/ caltrain along the peninsula, and if it would make any stops…
This issue has already been decided. Caltrain JPB member Art Lloyd has proposed that this new Amtrak Coast Daylight take an EXISTING Baby Bullet train SLOT. The Caltrain JPB has already OKed this policy. This means that this will create NO NEW Train movements on the Caltrain Peninsula Line. This was news at a RAILPAC meeting in San Carlos about 1 year ago.
OK I just found the RAILPAC report on the San Carlos meeting of October 28, 2006. Yes this was just about 1 year ago to the day:
http://archive.railpac.org/reports/2006/20061028.html
—Daniel
=============================
THE COAST DAYLIGHT
Art Lloyd spoke about the plans for the implementation of the state-sponsored “Coast Daylight” train which will run from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles daily. “I think it will happen as early as 2008,” he said, “if Proposition 1b passes on November 7.” Operating funds for the train are in the 2007-8 Caltrans proposed budget, “the funds are all there, but there are capital improvements that must be made and additional equipment made available… April 30, 1971, was the last SP-operated Coast Daylight,” Mr. Lloyd remembered, “which was replaced by the existing very popular Coast Starlight or as we often know it, the Coast Starlate. There is big demand for the train originating/terminating in downtown San Francisco.” (On time performance of 11/14 has improved considerably in the last month. -RJ)
The new Coast Daylight could use Superliner equipment, which the state of California is negotiating to buy from Amtrak. These are wreck-damaged cars that Amtrak does not have the funds to repair, but again, funds for these cars and their repairs are contingent on passage of Proposition 1b. Currently the train operates with Horizon fleet cars between Los An
[quote user=“daniel3197”]
This issue has already been decided. Caltrain JPB member Art Lloyd has proposed that this new Amtrak Coast Daylight take an EXISTING Baby Bullet train SLOT. The Caltrain JPB has already OKed this policy. This means that this will create NO NEW Train movements on the Caltrain Peninsula Line. This was news at a RAILPAC meeting in San Carlos about 1 year ago.
OK I just found the RAILPAC report on the San Carlos meeting of October 28, 2006. Yes this was just about 1 year ago to the day:
http://archive.railpac.org/reports/2006/20061028.html
—Daniel
=============================
THE COAST DAYLIGHT
Art Lloyd spoke about the plans for the implementation of the state-sponsored “Coast Daylight” train which will run from downtown San Francisco to Los Angeles daily. “I think it will happen as early as 2008,” he said, “if Proposition 1b passes on November 7.” Operating funds for the train are in the 2007-8 Caltrans proposed budget, “the funds are all there, but there are capital improvements that must be made and additional equipment made available… April 30, 1971, was the last SP-operated Coast Daylight,” Mr. Lloyd remembered, “which was replaced by the existing very popular Coast Starlight or as we often know it, the Coast Starlate. There is big demand for the train originating/terminating in downtown San Francisco.” (On time performance of 11/14 has improved considerably in the last month. -RJ)
The new Coast Daylight could use Superliner equipment, which the state of California is negotiating to buy from Amtrak. These are wreck-damaged cars that Amtrak does not have the funds to repair, but again, funds for these cars and their repairs are contingent on passage of Proposition 1b. Currently the train operates with Horizon
Interesting. But they already have some direct competition. A bus service called Megabus runs a redeye from the Bus terminal at LA Union Station to 4th and King in SF. It makes one rest stop, drops passengers in Oakland, and terminates in SF at 4th & King. Fares range from $1 for a very early booking to $35 if booked late. Much as I dislike buses, that fare is attractive if you just want to get there. It leaves LA at 11:30 PM and gets to SF at 6:30 AM. Take a look at megabus.com.
Jack
Forget busses…
Very interesting information. Never heard of the plan to bring back a modern day Coast Daylight.
I’m guessing if this does happen the Coast Starlight might loose a lot of business. All but two of the times I’ve taken the Starlight were to get to San Fran from LA. If there is a direct Surfliner, I’ll be taking that. Although without a diner there’s not much options for lunch other than a snack car. Lunch on the Starlight was always a treat.
Just to add, the existing Amtrak bus connection to San Fran off the Starlight is pretty nice. Thinking back I’m remembering the old Oakland station. Man was that a dump.
Yeah… jack london square is a lot better now… although they route all their SF busses from Emeryville now.
so… any updates on this train yet?
Any updates or new information?
I am sure there are no Capitol Corridor trains planned south of Bakersfield, but perhaps you meant San Joaquins.
It certainly won’t happen in the next six months… probably not in the next year. But, who knows for sure?