P
pn1
Guest
Last week (on April 4 2016), I made a trip from San Francisco to El Segundo using Amtrak.
Booking from Australia was not a problem and being over 62 I was eligible for a senior rate ticket.
I took the Thruway bus from the "shopping center" stop in Market Street, San Francisco to Emeryville, the train to Bakersfield and the Thruway bus to El Segundo.
The bus from San Francisco to Emeryville was a disappointment. I am used to the V/Line system in Victoria, Australia, which features many train/bus connections. The buses, usually serving quieter rural areas, are provided by contractors and are required to be a high standard.
The bus from San Francisco was certainly not of high standard. A rather tired coach probably 15-20 years old. It arrived 20 minutes late. The only real indication it was an Amtrak bus was the small "Emeryville" destination sign.
The driver was a grumpy old man who said nothing throughout the trip apart from one word "Emeryville" when we arrived at our destination with only a couple of minutes to spare to make the train connection. The driver was lacking any customer service skills. He was grubby in appearance. Several passengers, presumably not regular travelers, were somewhat concerned at the late running and asked the driver "would we make it" (to the train at Emeryville). He ignored them all.
Arrival at Emeryville saw people scurrying across the tracks to the platform. I didn't hear any announcements. I noticed there was no train waiting to used the rest room. Possibly a foolish move because of the time but I made it to the platform as the train arrived. It was a double decker set in push pull mode.
My travelling companion and I took the first available seat, on the lower deck. It was spacious with a table. We later learned that "regular" passengers were expected to sit in the upper deck but, having a senior ticket, and possibly looking mature age, the conductor didn't say anything when he checked our tickets.
The train trip was fine with speedy running and lovely water views in the first half hour or so. I enjoyed the high speed running (by Australian standards). The conductor made very clear announcements and at each station gave the time to the next stop. The cafe was not overly busy and the attendant was very pleasant. It was good to get a free coffee refill, something an Australian traveler would not normally expect.
The Thruway bus connections were well announced by the conductor and we knew exactly what stand to go to after we alighted at Bakersfield. We arrived at Bakersfield about 25 minutes late and the buses were lined up exactly as described by the train conductor.
Our bus to El Segundo was another "oldie" but better than the one in San Francisco. The driver was another person of few words but much better presented than the one in San Francisco and happily loaded our bags into the hold.
Announcements on the bus were few but most passengers knew where they were going. Most alighted at Santa Clarita and we were the last from Burbank. It was a generally fast trip especially the last section between Burbank and El Segundo when we literally "flew" along the freeway.
Choosing El Segundo proved good for us with the motel only two minutes from the bus stop at the Douglas Green Line station. That placed us well to access LAX by public transport for our long flight home to Australia two days later.
I would consider myself a multi modal public transport enthusiast so taking the Thruway option was not a problem. I had previously rode the Coast Starlight route. But the buses were a real disappointment after being used to much higher standards on similar services in Australia.
But I could not complain about the Amtrak train and its conductor and cafe attendant. Well done!
On a future occasion I think I'd prefer taking BART to Richmond and making the connection there, especially if I wasn't carrying luggage.
Booking from Australia was not a problem and being over 62 I was eligible for a senior rate ticket.
I took the Thruway bus from the "shopping center" stop in Market Street, San Francisco to Emeryville, the train to Bakersfield and the Thruway bus to El Segundo.
The bus from San Francisco to Emeryville was a disappointment. I am used to the V/Line system in Victoria, Australia, which features many train/bus connections. The buses, usually serving quieter rural areas, are provided by contractors and are required to be a high standard.
The bus from San Francisco was certainly not of high standard. A rather tired coach probably 15-20 years old. It arrived 20 minutes late. The only real indication it was an Amtrak bus was the small "Emeryville" destination sign.
The driver was a grumpy old man who said nothing throughout the trip apart from one word "Emeryville" when we arrived at our destination with only a couple of minutes to spare to make the train connection. The driver was lacking any customer service skills. He was grubby in appearance. Several passengers, presumably not regular travelers, were somewhat concerned at the late running and asked the driver "would we make it" (to the train at Emeryville). He ignored them all.
Arrival at Emeryville saw people scurrying across the tracks to the platform. I didn't hear any announcements. I noticed there was no train waiting to used the rest room. Possibly a foolish move because of the time but I made it to the platform as the train arrived. It was a double decker set in push pull mode.
My travelling companion and I took the first available seat, on the lower deck. It was spacious with a table. We later learned that "regular" passengers were expected to sit in the upper deck but, having a senior ticket, and possibly looking mature age, the conductor didn't say anything when he checked our tickets.
The train trip was fine with speedy running and lovely water views in the first half hour or so. I enjoyed the high speed running (by Australian standards). The conductor made very clear announcements and at each station gave the time to the next stop. The cafe was not overly busy and the attendant was very pleasant. It was good to get a free coffee refill, something an Australian traveler would not normally expect.
The Thruway bus connections were well announced by the conductor and we knew exactly what stand to go to after we alighted at Bakersfield. We arrived at Bakersfield about 25 minutes late and the buses were lined up exactly as described by the train conductor.
Our bus to El Segundo was another "oldie" but better than the one in San Francisco. The driver was another person of few words but much better presented than the one in San Francisco and happily loaded our bags into the hold.
Announcements on the bus were few but most passengers knew where they were going. Most alighted at Santa Clarita and we were the last from Burbank. It was a generally fast trip especially the last section between Burbank and El Segundo when we literally "flew" along the freeway.
Choosing El Segundo proved good for us with the motel only two minutes from the bus stop at the Douglas Green Line station. That placed us well to access LAX by public transport for our long flight home to Australia two days later.
I would consider myself a multi modal public transport enthusiast so taking the Thruway option was not a problem. I had previously rode the Coast Starlight route. But the buses were a real disappointment after being used to much higher standards on similar services in Australia.
But I could not complain about the Amtrak train and its conductor and cafe attendant. Well done!
On a future occasion I think I'd prefer taking BART to Richmond and making the connection there, especially if I wasn't carrying luggage.
