Went down to visit a friend today in San Diego. Had wanted to take a trip down the Surfline anyway, so this was the perfect excuse.
Got to Fullerton bright and early at around 6:50 AM for train 564. Was hoping I'd be able to see the Chief, but it was running multiple hours late. Printed my ticket as a souvenir and then went to the cafe for some breakfast, which was delicious. Train arrived at 7:41, and I was glad to see I was far from the only passenger boarding. I was struck by how smooth the trip was. I knew the Surfline's rails were pretty good, but the entire ride was really smooth and I was impressed. The trip down to San Diego was speedy, we were actually on time (or a few minutes early even) the entire way down. While along the beach, I was a bit sad to see overcast, it was pretty hot today and I was hoping for some sunshine, but oh well. The train wasn't packed full, but there were still plenty of riders comfortably spaced throughout which I was glad to see. and the seat next to me remained empty the whole trip. The conductor was on the older side and very cheerful, he seemed to really enjoy his job. I overheard him on call with Amtrak trying to upgrade a passenger to business. The LSA wasn't as great. She didn't make a single announcement till around Solana Beach, and when I went in to get a coffee (before Oceanside) she was sitting at a table talking on the phone. I didn't want to interrupt her so I waited till after Solana Beach to get it. When I did, she was pretty unenthusiastic about service, but did have a speaker and was playing music (which made for a nice environment). Ended up getting off in Old Town for a very quick transfer to the Blue Line, but overall really nice ride.
After spending the day in San Diego, I went down to Santa Fe station on the Blue Line and got there around 6:20. I love Santa Fe station, I think it's awesome how it's an old relic of the past surrounded by modern towers, and the vibes are excellent. I did use the restroom there, and you are required to show your Amtrak ticket to get the code (I was tempted to show my August ticket on the CZ to see if the attendant would accept it, but just showed my Surfliner ticket). The restroom was fine, not great though. One thing I don't like about Santa Fe station is how they handle boarding. The lining up, in my opinion, is stupid. Just let us go onto the platform like most other major stations. Started boarding a bit past 6:45 for our 7:01 departure.
The crew on this train handled things a little interestingly. In San Diego, they only boarded coach through cars 3 and 4. The Cab Car gangway was blocked off, and remained so for the entire trip. They quickly glanced at tickets while we boarded, but didn't actually scan any tickets until after departing Oceanside, over an hour later. And for the first half of the trip (Until San Juan Capistrano I believe), they only opened the door in the Cafe Car (maybe the business class car too -- unsure). Anyways, boarding went along (I think it would go better if all doors were used to board instead of just a few) and we departed on-time. I was hoping to sit in the Cab Car to hear the horn well, but since that wasn't possible I found a good window seat closet to the front of the second car. This train, like the other one, seemed pretty full. The LSA on this made an announcement pretty early on, which was great. At Solana Beach, I decided I wanted to go get a bite to eat. I was disappointed to hear that they didn't currently have the Pizza (a long-time favorite of mine on Amtrak), so I went with the tamale which wasn't bad at all. The Surfliner has a survey you can fill out for $2 dollars off of a purchase of $5 or more, so my total was only a few bucks. When I returned to my seat, I found a man and his wife sitting where my spot was (I had left my bag and charger at my seat, hoping it was clear that it was taken). When I said that that was my bag, trying to insinuate that it was also my seat, the guy only said "uh huh," and so I just took my stuff and moved downstairs. My fault for not putting it on the seat and for leaving my seat during a station, but still annoying nonetheless. I moved downstairs as all other windows upstairs were taken. Technically, downstairs is reserved for those with a downstairs ticket and for those with mobility issues, but I doubt anyone with mobility issues was going to climb the stairs in car 3 and move 2 cars down and then climb back down the stairs, and I was right. It remained half empty the whole trip. Anyways, despite losing my seat, the ride was smooth and we were on time or early for most of the trip. When the conductor did come by to check tickets, I did ask if the cab car would be opened, but he misunderstood me and told me the cafe was open, oh well. It was dark outside, and the deep orange on the horizon was nice to see while we sped on. For some reason, after departing Irvine we were crawling for a few minutes, which delayed us slightly. No announcement was made. Ended up arriving into Fullerton a few minutes late. One thing I did notice is that at Fullerton the cab-car doors were open, so a passenger could have boarded in there, but nobody would have known and they wouldn't have been able to walk the rest of the train.
Anyways, I still enjoyed the trip. It was a nice way to spend the day. I hope the Surfliners are able to get up to hourly service. This was a Sunday and there were definitely more people than I was expecting on the train, which is always great to see.
Got to Fullerton bright and early at around 6:50 AM for train 564. Was hoping I'd be able to see the Chief, but it was running multiple hours late. Printed my ticket as a souvenir and then went to the cafe for some breakfast, which was delicious. Train arrived at 7:41, and I was glad to see I was far from the only passenger boarding. I was struck by how smooth the trip was. I knew the Surfline's rails were pretty good, but the entire ride was really smooth and I was impressed. The trip down to San Diego was speedy, we were actually on time (or a few minutes early even) the entire way down. While along the beach, I was a bit sad to see overcast, it was pretty hot today and I was hoping for some sunshine, but oh well. The train wasn't packed full, but there were still plenty of riders comfortably spaced throughout which I was glad to see. and the seat next to me remained empty the whole trip. The conductor was on the older side and very cheerful, he seemed to really enjoy his job. I overheard him on call with Amtrak trying to upgrade a passenger to business. The LSA wasn't as great. She didn't make a single announcement till around Solana Beach, and when I went in to get a coffee (before Oceanside) she was sitting at a table talking on the phone. I didn't want to interrupt her so I waited till after Solana Beach to get it. When I did, she was pretty unenthusiastic about service, but did have a speaker and was playing music (which made for a nice environment). Ended up getting off in Old Town for a very quick transfer to the Blue Line, but overall really nice ride.
After spending the day in San Diego, I went down to Santa Fe station on the Blue Line and got there around 6:20. I love Santa Fe station, I think it's awesome how it's an old relic of the past surrounded by modern towers, and the vibes are excellent. I did use the restroom there, and you are required to show your Amtrak ticket to get the code (I was tempted to show my August ticket on the CZ to see if the attendant would accept it, but just showed my Surfliner ticket). The restroom was fine, not great though. One thing I don't like about Santa Fe station is how they handle boarding. The lining up, in my opinion, is stupid. Just let us go onto the platform like most other major stations. Started boarding a bit past 6:45 for our 7:01 departure.
The crew on this train handled things a little interestingly. In San Diego, they only boarded coach through cars 3 and 4. The Cab Car gangway was blocked off, and remained so for the entire trip. They quickly glanced at tickets while we boarded, but didn't actually scan any tickets until after departing Oceanside, over an hour later. And for the first half of the trip (Until San Juan Capistrano I believe), they only opened the door in the Cafe Car (maybe the business class car too -- unsure). Anyways, boarding went along (I think it would go better if all doors were used to board instead of just a few) and we departed on-time. I was hoping to sit in the Cab Car to hear the horn well, but since that wasn't possible I found a good window seat closet to the front of the second car. This train, like the other one, seemed pretty full. The LSA on this made an announcement pretty early on, which was great. At Solana Beach, I decided I wanted to go get a bite to eat. I was disappointed to hear that they didn't currently have the Pizza (a long-time favorite of mine on Amtrak), so I went with the tamale which wasn't bad at all. The Surfliner has a survey you can fill out for $2 dollars off of a purchase of $5 or more, so my total was only a few bucks. When I returned to my seat, I found a man and his wife sitting where my spot was (I had left my bag and charger at my seat, hoping it was clear that it was taken). When I said that that was my bag, trying to insinuate that it was also my seat, the guy only said "uh huh," and so I just took my stuff and moved downstairs. My fault for not putting it on the seat and for leaving my seat during a station, but still annoying nonetheless. I moved downstairs as all other windows upstairs were taken. Technically, downstairs is reserved for those with a downstairs ticket and for those with mobility issues, but I doubt anyone with mobility issues was going to climb the stairs in car 3 and move 2 cars down and then climb back down the stairs, and I was right. It remained half empty the whole trip. Anyways, despite losing my seat, the ride was smooth and we were on time or early for most of the trip. When the conductor did come by to check tickets, I did ask if the cab car would be opened, but he misunderstood me and told me the cafe was open, oh well. It was dark outside, and the deep orange on the horizon was nice to see while we sped on. For some reason, after departing Irvine we were crawling for a few minutes, which delayed us slightly. No announcement was made. Ended up arriving into Fullerton a few minutes late. One thing I did notice is that at Fullerton the cab-car doors were open, so a passenger could have boarded in there, but nobody would have known and they wouldn't have been able to walk the rest of the train.
Anyways, I still enjoyed the trip. It was a nice way to spend the day. I hope the Surfliners are able to get up to hourly service. This was a Sunday and there were definitely more people than I was expecting on the train, which is always great to see.
