Just noticed that Amtrak has posted a new schedule for the Surfliners, effective 4/1.
Among the highlights:
*The #599 "express" train LAX-SAN is no more, replaced with a train making all normal station stops with the same departure time from SAN but scheduled to arrive 15min later.
*More trains are stopping at Old Town San Diego now - all but two northbound (#777 and #579) and two southbound (#580 and #562) trains stop there 7 days/week. As always, this will be a discharge-only stop.
*Some trains are now stopping at the stations between Oceanside and San Diego (Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad Poinsettia, Encinitas, Sorrento Valley) that were previously served only by Coaster trains. This is only a few trains - those being the last 3 southbound trains of the night (those being #784, #790/1790, and #796) as well as 2 morning/one night train northbound (#567/#573/#595). These stops are R only northbound and D only southbound, as Old Town is.
*All trains will be stopping at San Clemente Pier on weekends during the summer months (some trains will also make the stop on weekdays as well).
*Different (slower) schedules are used for select trains on weekends during the summer. Given the reference on the cover of the schedule pamphlet to Del Mar, I'd gather that allowing more time to board race crowds is the reason for the schedule change.
Anyway, the changes seem fairly minor, though significant in that they add stops. This of course adds more potential riders, but also slows down the train to the point where it starts to feel like a commuter train. Some of them don't seem to make total sense - if you're going to have 9 of 11 trains stop each way in Old Town, why not have all trains stop in Old Town? Also, while adding a few stops at the intermediate Coaster stations at times when there is no Coaster service makes sense, why make these D/R only?
Has anybody heard more about these changes, or noticed anything else of significance? Surprised I hadn't heard about this sooner - particularly since the use of the Coaster stations means Amtrak is effectively adding new cities/new stations (and with them some new station codes).
Among the highlights:
*The #599 "express" train LAX-SAN is no more, replaced with a train making all normal station stops with the same departure time from SAN but scheduled to arrive 15min later.
*More trains are stopping at Old Town San Diego now - all but two northbound (#777 and #579) and two southbound (#580 and #562) trains stop there 7 days/week. As always, this will be a discharge-only stop.
*Some trains are now stopping at the stations between Oceanside and San Diego (Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad Poinsettia, Encinitas, Sorrento Valley) that were previously served only by Coaster trains. This is only a few trains - those being the last 3 southbound trains of the night (those being #784, #790/1790, and #796) as well as 2 morning/one night train northbound (#567/#573/#595). These stops are R only northbound and D only southbound, as Old Town is.
*All trains will be stopping at San Clemente Pier on weekends during the summer months (some trains will also make the stop on weekdays as well).
*Different (slower) schedules are used for select trains on weekends during the summer. Given the reference on the cover of the schedule pamphlet to Del Mar, I'd gather that allowing more time to board race crowds is the reason for the schedule change.
Anyway, the changes seem fairly minor, though significant in that they add stops. This of course adds more potential riders, but also slows down the train to the point where it starts to feel like a commuter train. Some of them don't seem to make total sense - if you're going to have 9 of 11 trains stop each way in Old Town, why not have all trains stop in Old Town? Also, while adding a few stops at the intermediate Coaster stations at times when there is no Coaster service makes sense, why make these D/R only?
Has anybody heard more about these changes, or noticed anything else of significance? Surprised I hadn't heard about this sooner - particularly since the use of the Coaster stations means Amtrak is effectively adding new cities/new stations (and with them some new station codes).
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