GOLETA, Calif. — A 16-day project to replace a Union Pacific bridge beginning Aug. 1 will shut down the route used by two Pacific Surfliner round trips that extend to San Luis Obispo, Calif., as well as Amtrak’s Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight.
Replacement of the 127-year-old La Cañada Honda Bridge over Honda Creek in northern Santa Barbara County will run through Aug. 16. The project is funded by state grants with support from UP, according to a Surfliner press release. Thruway buses to and from Santa Barbara will replace Surfliner train nos. 761 and 779 northbound and nos. 774 and 794 southbound; all trains will terminate and originate at Goleta, Calif., as other round trips do now.
During the track outage, the Coast Starlight will only operate between Seattle and Emeryville, Calif. Southern California travelers headed to or from the Pacific Northwest can only connect with the Oakland-Bakersfield San Joaquins at Martinez, Calif., or utilize a Stockton-Sacramento bus transfers. The only direct Bakersfield-Sacramento San Joaquin round trip misses connections with the Starlight in both directions.
It will take 3 present Starlight sets to cover EMY SEA. The 4th set will be left in LAX. Is Amtrak just going to let the LAX set gather dust or cover units that need extra work from the SWC and Sunset? It probably is too much to hope that the surplus coaches and sleepers could cover a couple round trips for either train for extra capacity?
Will the Starlights have vacancies EMY SEA?
Amtrak won’t use the set at LAX. Just like Amtrak won’t use the FLORIDIAN equipment (cancelled out of CHI on Saturdays July 26 & Aug 2) on the CARDINAL to help move passengers destined for WAS. Nor use the FLORIDIAN equipment (cancelled out of WAS on Sundays July 27 & Aug 3) on the CARDINAL to help move passengers destined for CHI. Amtrak management and operations staff prefers to let equipment sit idle and not assign it to another train route. Not only would end-point passengers from the cancelled trains get to their destinations, via a different route and time, but Amtrak could sell more space to/from intermediate CARDINAL cities, since it’s always sold out with its 2 coaches and 1 sleeper for days and weeks in advance! Amtrak does not have personnel who understand alternate routings and revenue generation.
Prior to 2015 or so, Amtrak would have rerouted the Starlight down the valley and over Tehachapi. It’s unfortunate the current Amtrak folks can’t make that happen now.
This bridge is located on the Vandenberg Air & Space Force Base between SLC-4 and SLC-6. The area is restricted to visitors, so unless there is a webcam involved, no peeking.
Noe that the replacement of the said steel viaduct will result in reduced travel times, increased ridership and service reliability, and lower GHG emissions by removing existing speed restrictions and allowing for future service expansion.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
* Revised Comment *
Note that the replacement of the said steel viaduct will result in reduced travel times, increased ridership and service reliability, and lower GHG emissions by removing existing speed restrictions and allowing for future service expansion… And for the umpteenth time, it is fortunate that Thruway buses exist!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün