New early morning surfliner san-slo

[awsome1]

Does anyone know when train 761 will start in san diego and run to san luis obispo.any info will be great.thanks

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Strange idea . . .

SAN 422A

LAX 713A/735A

SBA 1019A/1022A

SLO 100P

I don't know if SAN at 4:22am is a great idea. Maybe sell it as a commuter train with slightly cheaper prices?

This would also collide with NB Metrolink 603 on the weekdays (currently departs OSD 5:16A and arrives LAX at 7:20A).

Or you could make 763 go to SLO, but that's only 40 - 50 mins earlier than #14 going north.

Or replace Metrolink 603 with this train, and make it a shared train, like what happens on 768 from OXN to LAX and 761 the other way.

Unrelatedly, it would be nice to make 790/1790 a shared Metrolink/Amtrak train from LAX to OSD as a later evening departure from LA which Metrolink currently doesn't offer (latest dp on weekdays is 6:40pm and weekends it's 4:40pm).

 

[awsome1]

I agree with that.be even a better trip when the talgo equipment arrives

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

I'm assuming it would be faster? Maybe a later departure from all cities while still arriving SLO at 1:00pm? Would be cool.

 

[awsome1]

The cascade's have talgo and run faster .so i am thinking it will run faster

 

[wdscott]

Does anyone know when train 761 will start in san diego and run to san luis obispo.any info will be great.thanks

A quick binary search of ticketing shows a first run of Monday the 7th of November. End points are 4:00 (SAN) and 1:00 (SLO).

Looks like it's still departing LAUS about the same time it originates today.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Huh. I didn't know that this is actually happening. Thanks!

 

[awsome1]

Wow thats cool.sure wish on november 7 it would be running with talgo but it probably wont be

 

[wdscott]

What probably isn't clear in my prior post is this isn't a new train. The existing 761 origination point is being moved south from LAX to SAN.

Does it operate as a Coaster or Metrolink? Haven't checked yet.

 

[wdscott]

Does it operate as a Coaster or Metrolink? Haven't checked yet.

Coaster == nyet. Damn - there's a station near my house.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

It's a regular Amtrak, doesn't stop at the any of the local Coaster stations, only SAN, OLT, SOL, and OSD.

SCHEDULE 761 (weekdays)

SAN 400A

OLT 407A

SOL 437A

OSD 453A

SNC 528A

IRV 544A

SNA 556A

ANA 606A

FUL 615A

LAX 703A/735A

Regular schedule to SLO

SCHEDULE 1761 (weekends)

SAN 440A

OLT 447A

SOL 517A

OSD 537A

SNC 609A

IRV 625A

SNA 636A

ANA 648A

FUL 700A

LAX 730A/750A

Regular schedule to SLO

I obtained these times by trying out different origin & destination stations in the Amtrak ticketing system.

It's nice to see an early morning Amtrak from San Diego. I hope it doesn't get cancelled!

 

[awsome1]

And then hopefully when they get the talgo equipment those times will be a lot faster

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

You seem really enthusiastic about the Talgos! They're not even officially started yet. . .

 

[seat38a]

This is all part of LOSSAN's stated goal of running a train from SD to LA in the morning to arrive before 9 AM into LAUS to make business trips doable for people and also adding another frequency between SD and LAUS. I just did not think it would be so early.

 

[fairviewroad]

It's nice to see an early morning Amtrak from San Diego.

With an 0400 departure, it almost doubles as a late-night departure, too. I suspect on weekdays there aren't too many LAX-area folks who want to stay out that late in San Diego, though. I even checked the Blue Line scheduled on the San Diego trolley to see if it works as a late-night connection for people staying out late in Tijuana...and the answer is, not really. The last n/b departure from San Ysidro is 1258 arriving downtown at 0143. That makes a 2+ hour middle-of-the-night layover at a station which isn't actually open during those hours.

Speaking of hours, the current opening time of SAN is 0445. I wonder if that will change to reflect the earlier departure? Is it possible to board a train at SAN without going through the station building?

Also...where is the equipment for this new early departure coming from? Does one of the current Surfliners deadhead back to LAX in the middle of the night to become 761 departing LAX?

 

[john small berries]

You seem really enthusiastic about the Talgos! They're not even officially started yet. . .

Shiny new things.

Squirrel !!!!!

 

[CCC1007]

It's nice to see an early morning Amtrak from San Diego.

With an 0400 departure, it almost doubles as a late-night departure, too. I suspect on weekdays there aren't too many LAX-area folks who want to stay out that late in San Diego, though. I even checked the Blue Line scheduled on the San Diego trolley to see if it works as a late-night connection for people staying out late in Tijuana...and the answer is, not really. The last n/b departure from San Ysidro is 1258 arriving downtown at 0143. That makes a 2+ hour middle-of-the-night layover at a station which isn't actually open during those hours.

Speaking of hours, the current opening time of SAN is 0445. I wonder if that will change to reflect the earlier departure? Is it possible to board a train at SAN without going through the station building?

Also...where is the equipment for this new early departure coming from? Does one of the current Surfliners deadhead back to LAX in the middle of the night to become 761 departing LAX?

Not that the schedule suggests, so unless there is a deadhead south from lax, there will be a missing set for the morning at san.

 

[fairviewroad]

It's nice to see an early morning Amtrak from San Diego.

With an 0400 departure, it almost doubles as a late-night departure, too. I suspect on weekdays there aren't too many LAX-area folks who want to stay out that late in San Diego, though. I even checked the Blue Line scheduled on the San Diego trolley to see if it works as a late-night connection for people staying out late in Tijuana...and the answer is, not really. The last n/b departure from San Ysidro is 1258 arriving downtown at 0143. That makes a 2+ hour middle-of-the-night layover at a station which isn't actually open during those hours.

Speaking of hours, the current opening time of SAN is 0445. I wonder if that will change to reflect the earlier departure? Is it possible to board a train at SAN without going through the station building?

Also...where is the equipment for this new early departure coming from? Does one of the current Surfliners deadhead back to LAX in the middle of the night to become 761 departing LAX?

Not that the schedule suggests, so unless there is a deadhead south from lax, there will be a missing set for the morning at san.

Checking Amtrak.com, it appears that there is a new s/b LAX-SAN departure that will operate in conjunction with the new n/b departure.

Train 592 departs LAX 8:25 p.m., arrives SAN 11:24 p.m. , appears to be daily.

To me, the new s/b evening run is probably just as significant if not more than the new morning n/b run. I just don't see all that many people trundling down to the San Diego train station at 4 a.m., but an 8:25 p.m. evening departure out of LAX nicely fills a gap in the evening schedule.

 

[seat38a]

It's nice to see an early morning Amtrak from San Diego.

With an 0400 departure, it almost doubles as a late-night departure, too. I suspect on weekdays there aren't too many LAX-area folks who want to stay out that late in San Diego, though. I even checked the Blue Line scheduled on the San Diego trolley to see if it works as a late-night connection for people staying out late in Tijuana...and the answer is, not really. The last n/b departure from San Ysidro is 1258 arriving downtown at 0143. That makes a 2+ hour middle-of-the-night layover at a station which isn't actually open during those hours.

Speaking of hours, the current opening time of SAN is 0445. I wonder if that will change to reflect the earlier departure? Is it possible to board a train at SAN without going through the station building?

Also...where is the equipment for this new early departure coming from? Does one of the current Surfliners deadhead back to LAX in the middle of the night to become 761 departing LAX?

Not that the schedule suggests, so unless there is a deadhead south from lax, there will be a missing set for the morning at san.

Checking Amtrak.com, it appears that there is a new s/b LAX-SAN departure that will operate in conjunction with the new n/b departure.

Train 592 departs LAX 8:25 p.m., arrives SAN 11:24 p.m. , appears to be daily.

To me, the new s/b evening run is probably just as significant if not more than the new morning n/b run. I just don't see all that many people trundling down to the San Diego train station at 4 a.m., but an 8:25 p.m. evening departure out of LAX nicely fills a gap in the evening schedule.

Yes the southbound time is actually a quite a nice fit. Before, it was 7:30ish and the next train 10:20ish and got into SD around 1AM.

 

[trainman74]

Is it possible to board a train at SAN without going through the station building?

Yes, it is.

 

[seat38a]

With the new morning SAN - LAUS train, it actually allows many of us who live along the corridor an option to take the train early morning on the weekends to get to LAX and low priority but even take one of the private rail car public rides. One of the biggest hurdles on the weekends have always been not having an early enough train to get into LA. I see that 761 sched is padded by about 16 min vs the other trains. Weekdays, there is Metrolink, but on the weekends, train 763 on Amtrak has been the only option.

 

[calwatch]

On the other hand, I expect 761 to function essentially as a Metrolink express from South Orange County to Downtown LA for passholders. This may end up increasing Metrolink's Rail to Rail bill, or Amtrak may try to make it a premium service by barring Metrolink riders from using this train. There was talk at LOSSAN about barring Metrolink riders from the 5:10 PM departure because that is slammed with Metrolink monthly pass holders who end up taking seats from Amtrak customers that pay $30+ for the privilege.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Well, except for the weekends. Metrolink OC Line service kinda sucks on the weekends. The first train of the day leaves Oceanside at 8:15 and gets to LA around 10:30 (not connecting to the San Bernardino Line, Antelope Valley Line, or Amtrak 14) and the last train leaves at 4:40 and gets to Oceanside at 6:55, which is way too early in the evening.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Well, except for the weekends. Metrolink OC Line service kinda sucks on the weekends. The first train of the day leaves Oceanside at 8:15 and gets to LA around 10:30 (not connecting to the San Bernardino Line, Antelope Valley Line, or Amtrak 14) and the last train leaves at 4:40 and gets to Oceanside at 6:55, which is way too early in the evening.

It would be nice if Metrolink could expand their schedules. Based on pure route mileage Metrolink would be on the same level as Metra, but the much lower frequencies and less stations makes it seem far behind.

 

[CraigDK]

It would be nice if Metrolink could expand their schedules. Based on pure route mileage Metrolink would be on the same level as Metra, but the much lower frequencies and less stations makes it seem far behind.

Hopefully this doesn't drag this discussion to far afield. On the frequency and number of stations how do the two systems (Metra & Metrolink) compare?