Surfliner schedule change 4/1 - new stops added/trains adding stops

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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).
 
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I noticed that reservations for bikes will be required as of 7/1/13 and cost $5. Most of the coastal connections and times remain unchanged. The schedule is slightly more complicated to read than before as well with additional codes and having schedules that apply during the summer next to those that don't.
 
Why does Amtrak always take until the day before before they post the schedules?

There's a study about the Coaster stops in this document I'm rather surprised that they're doing this, I thought this was still just study level. In fact, I don't recall any mention of this at all in previous documents (presumably it was mentioned at the March 22nd LOSSAN meeting, but I wasn't there at it). They're also no longer making stops at Laguna Niguel or Orange, neither of which had terribly many passengers, but that's not unexpected with only three trains per day, all in the middle of the day.

They don't appear available for reservation on Amtrak.com yet.
 
Yeah, I tried to look for station codes for Encinitas, Sorrento Valley, etc, but couldn't find them. Wish I knew what was going on - I don't see the use of a few random trips like this, particularly when the D/R only restriction means it can't really take on the late-at-work Coaster commuters (which would seem like the obvious reason for having a few trains do this).

Anyway, I can see one big problem occurring - people with Coaster tickets trying to ride the Amtrak trains stopping at these stations. With no advertising of the fact Amtrak is stopping there, people with Coaster tickets may think that Amtrak is making stops for an annulled Coaster train (as this has actually happened before for both Coaster and Metrolink). They'll probably have to make extra announcements to this effect just as they have with Metrolink at times (particularly Angels game days, which bring out lots of irregular train riders).
 
AMTRAK AND NCTD COORDINATION EFFORTS

Nick Freeman (NCTD) shared that as an outcome of the Camp Pendleton ridership estimates; NCTD

is coordinating with Amtrak to develop a new Rail 2 Rail transfer agreement that would coincide

with some Amtrak trains making additional stops at COASTER stations. If agreements can be

reached between NCTD, Caltrans, and Amtrak, this new agreement service could be implemented as

soon as April.

http://www.sandag.org/uploads/meetingid/meetingid_3650_15736.pdf

This is all part of a new Rail 2 Rail program between NCTD and Amtrak. The previous Rail 2 Rail program of a "step up pass" was deemed ineffective, while the pre-2009 practice of just letting Coaster passholders ride any Amtrak train caused capacity and revenue issues. So NCTD and Amtrak identified three specific trains that will accept all Coaster fare media - although, since the RegionPlus Day Pass and Coaster Monthly Pass is on a smart card, Amtrak would need card readers in order to verify fare validity, or require people to use the ticket machine to generate a paper receipt for collection by the Amtrak conductor. This would be similar to the program that allow people to ride Amtrak 761/768 with Metrolink tickets, with the exception that for some odd reason the Coaster only stations are discharge only - the virtual Metrolink trains make all Metrolink stops for boarding and discharge.

And for people that used the existing step up program, the Amtrak monthly pass replaces it since Amtrak tickets are now valid on all Coaster trains. The caveat is that for the few people that used the program, it is a fare increase since the cost of the Coaster monthly pass plus the step up pass was cheaper than the Amtrak monthly pass.

http://www.gonctd.com/userfiles/file/03-21-13-board-rev1.pdf

http://www.gonctd.com/userfiles/file/03-21-13-att8.pdf
 
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Yes, though we still don't have the official word as to implementation - since I still can't even find a station code for these stops, Im a bit puzzled... It may make sense to accept Coaster tickets on some trains, but would it be all Coaster tickets or just monthly passes (Amtrak does the former for some trains and the latter for others on Metrolink).

If they take all tickets on some trains, I could see people buying the cheaper Coaster tickets to ride the Surfliner - perhaps in conjunction with Metrolink. For example, one could use the Metrolink OC line service after Angels/Ducks games at ANA and transfer to #796 at OSD, only paying for a Metrolink ticket and a Coaster ticket (Id probably do that...) Also, Del Mar crowds could do likewise SOL-OLT/SAN. Though the impact may not be that big overall - I doubt many people buy Amtrak tickets for short hops now anyways... I certainly won't complain if they do start taking one-way Coaster tickets on some trains OSD-SAN, though...
 
Would that be a reason to have the "D" and "R" restrictions to try to minimize people just taking short hops? Seems like it is allowing those going to/from Points north of Oceanside to do so without using Coaster and Transfering to help Coaster with capacity and less so for those who are taking short hops.
 
That could be part of it - but in that case, why not make SOL and OSD R only northbound/D only southbound as well? The same arguments apply there as to the new stations... That also doesn't jive with the bit about Amtrak possibly taking Coaster tickets on select trains...

Also, Amtrak still hasn't actually allowed anyone to buy tickets to/from these stations - I haven't even found station codes!
 
I'm hearing on Twitter that they are not yet making the Coaster stops (at least 784 didn't last night) and that there is currently a dispute between Amtrak and NCTD.
 
I just saw that NCTD tweeted that they're still in the process of getting an agreement completed but hope to get it done this month. That would make sense - given that, it likely entails accepting at least some Coaster tickets on Amtrak trains (and the D only/R only might be an error). If they were just stopping at the stations (and not accepting Coaster tickets), I figure the agreement would be trivial.
 
RailPAC is less than thrilled

8th April, 2013Mr. William D. Bronte,

Chief, Division of Rail

Department of Transportation

1120 N Street MS 74

Sacramento, CA 95814

Surfliner: Degrading Intercity Schedules to cover gaps in Commuter Service a bad policy and contrary to State Rail Plan

Dear Mr. Bronte:

RailPAC has campaigned for 30 years for improved intercity passenger rail service in California, and our history began with the Los Angeles to San Diego route. Back in 1980 the schedule for a “San Diegan” was 2 hours and 35 minutes end to end. It has always been the objective to reduce this running time, based on the nationally and internationally proven premise that reduced journey time results in increased patronage. Since 1990 commuter rail agencies have been formed and more trains crowded onto a stressed network. And these commuter rail Boards have viewed the intercity service as a source of cheap seats to fill in the gaps in their own operations. Having just taken out the additional stops in Orange County that were used, unsuccessfully, to cover gaps in Metrolink service we now have a deal in place, negotiated behind closed doors without notice to the LOSSAN Board, and now published in the Amtrak timetable (although not on the Coaster timetable!) to use intercity trains to supplement “Coaster” service. While this may seem superficially to be an attractive idea it is flawed on many counts.

Punctuality and Reliability:

The new schedule results in an increase in journey time to 2 hours and 55 minutes or more for the trains in question, and a total of 13 intermediate stops between Los Angeles and San Diego on an “intercity” train. It may be that one or more of the trains in question are already stopping at one of these stations for a meet. It cannot be that all the trains are now stopping at all the stations for this reason. In any case that should be treated as an indication that the schedule needs to be reviewed and possibly adjusted. We understand that some recovery time can be eliminated. We also know that Amtrak gives themselves 10 minutes grace so that a train arriving at its destination up to 10 minutes late is counted as on time. Amtrak managers may therefore have been able to convince themselves that they can “lose” these delays and pretend that the additional stops will have no impact on the high fare paying Surfliner passenger. We disagree.

While Surfliner punctuality has improved over the past few months (and we congratulate all concerned on the improved performance), 90% on time, given the combination of grace time and recovery time, is still not stellar. Eliminating the opportunity to regain lost time by adding 4 stops on certain trains can only result in reduced reliability and worsening of the consequences of an incident on the line.

Revenue and Lost Revenue:

NCTD and its consultant claims that these additional stops will result in increased revenue to Amtrak. Apparently Amtrak will be paid $4.28 per Coaster passenger boarding. We doubt that these changes will result in a net contribution to the bottom line based on the cost of the stopping and starting a heavy train, and the likely further loss of high fare paying Surfliner passengers. The current published round trip fare between Los Angeles and San Diego is $37, or about 9 Coaster passengers, 12 if Business Class. The consultant claims that Coaster will attract 158 passengers per train presumably based on average loadings of the existing Coaster service. Even if we believe their number, which is dubious given the timing and direction of the Amtrak trains in the program, it would take only 13 more business class passengers to yield the same revenue. Put it another way, you’d need only 115 more coach round trips per day on the whole service, only 5 more Los Angeles – San Diego round trip passengers per train, to yield the same revenue. Study after study both within the USA and overseas has demonstrated the correlation between improved speed and patronage. This proposal reduces speed and decreases reliability and punctuality, and will drive away the business and end point to end point passenger.

Additional Operating Costs:

Our industry technical resources have a computer simulation which indicates a minimum of 5 gallons of additional fuel consumption for each stop/start cycle based on a single locomotive and 6 car trains. In addition there is more brake shoe and door mechanism wear with every stop. Overall they estimate $50 to $100 cost per stop, $200 to $400 per train.

Converting taxpayer funded intercity service to commuter service

The rolling stock and locomotives for the Surfliner were purchased with funds both from the federal government and voter approved bonds for intercity service. This is also true of the cars ordered under proposition 1B to be delivered in the next few years. This new rolling stock is specified to operate at up to 125mph, with business and café cars. Both the existing and new build cars are neither designed nor appropriate for multiple stop commuter service. It could be argued that this proposal represents a misuse and possible illegal diversion of funds from state intercity service to a local commuter agency.

Conformity with State Rail Plan 2013 (Draft)

The proposal goes against the policy for continuous improvement of intercity passenger rail services as expounded in the Draft State Rail Plan (2013). The plan states (p200): The key objectives of the capital investments include….“Improving rail operations by reducing travel times”.

“Me Too” Demands: Orange County, Burbank

This proposal is the camel’s nose in the tent. It’s all too easy for a commuter agency to feel that they can divert resources from an intercity service to provide more options for “their” passengers. What argument can be presented to Orange County and Los Angeles County should they wish to have a similar program? Burbank has a downtown station with parking available and is the hub for more than a dozen bus routes. Why not stop there? Can we imagine Amtrak allowing the Acela to make extra stops to help out New Jersey Transit?

RailPAC’s Recommendation

The future for the Surfliner is with the longer distance passenger. As soon as the San Diegans were extended to Santa Barbara and the average length of journey and fare per passenger increased, so the farebox recovery improved radically. What the Surfliner service needs is a long period of punctual, reliable service, together with low cost route and station specific advertising to maximize high fare patronage. This needs to be followed by continued incremental improvements that reduce journey times. One of the biggest complaints I hear from people who have tried the Surfliner once but don’t want to go again is the number of stops and the overall journey time. We must hold the line and not permit any further deterioration in the competitiveness of the product.

Yours faithfully,

Paul J Dyson

President

Cc: LOSSAN Board, Interested Parties
 
Yes, I saw that they aren't particularly thrilled about the plan - and I think I agree with their logic. While I can see the benefit as a San Diego transit user, as an Amtrak user adding stops will make our trips that much slower. It would definitely be nice to have later trips to/from North County, but coming from LAX or SBA it would get annoying to be stuck on a milk run OSD-SAN to pick up commuter passengers (in the case of #796, arriving around 1am or after...) And I see the point that OC/LA will want in on this too - if they are going to give NCTD all the Coaster stops, why not Metrolink as well?

I saw another article from RailPAC (from about a year ago) suggesting that the reason the Surfliner has actually increased its running time compared to the San Diegans is the fact that they have to use Amfleet/Horizon and Superliner cars and locomotives in some of the consists to have enough for 11 daily round-trips, which slows down boarding/detraining and train acceleration. Evidently, the Surfliner cars they have are only enough for 9 round-trips, and they use the national stock to fill in the gaps.

If that is in fact the case, it would seem better to cut the lowest-performing 2 trips, run all-Surfliner equipment on the remaining 9 frequencies (without any Coaster or Metrolink stops that aren't full-service Amtrak stops already) with a shorter scheduled runtime, and perhaps use the other equipment to run a Coast Daylight SD-SF and/or an SD-SF overnight run (where time is less of an issue). Then Coaster/Metrolink could use the remaining slots to fill in the service gaps and better coordinate their services (by either having a jointly-operated train as has been discussed, or better-coordinated cross-platform transfers at Oceanside (a la the SEPTA-NJT "Trenton Shuffle" on the East Coast).

In any case, it does seem like they've at least done some schedule changing that should make one Metrolink-Coaster transfer easier to do. Metrolink train #609 will (as of 4/22 Metrolink service changes) depart Oceanside at 3:26pm, which gives more time to connect from Coaster #651 (arrives at Oceanside at 3:19pm) than the current 3:21pm departure. I successfully made the transfer from 651 to 609 on the current schedule a couple months ago, but a few extra minutes would make it far less stressful and chancey (as it stands, you have to really run for the connection - and if you miss it, there is no other northbound Metrolink that day going all the way to LA...)
 
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To the comments about the Acela making stops to help out NJT...the off-direction stops at Metropark come to mind, but I think the more valid comparison is Amtrak making certain stops on weekends to act as "backup" for SLE and MARC at those times.

On cutting trips: There's a reason that CA joined in with that big bilevel order. Some of this is just a matter of "running the clock" until those cars get delivered. Also, cutting those trips would probably mean axing the last trip of the day...and trips in that sort of slot tend to serve a rather valuable role both as "coverage" for folks who miss the previous train (and who might not make their round trip if such was not available) and handling long-evening commuters.

On the Surfliners in general: Frankly, these (and the Hiawathas...and the Capitol Corridor) drop into a sort of netherworld between commuter trains and intercity trains. Really, they're more in the vein of the longer-haul commuter trains running out of New York (and that used to run out of Philadelphia but that got cut back over the years), or in the vein of the Keystones for that matter. Amtrak has a nice hatful of routes like this (the three I listed earlier, plus NYP-ALB and BON-POR). Basically, it's routes between 100 and about 150 miles (and let's be honest, the Surfliners are in no small part two such corridors spot-welded together at LAX).

Shifting gears, let's pause for a moment and ask a rhetorical question: What if VA added an additional RVR-WAS Regional (let's pull 172 out of a hat since it vaguely fits between VRE304 and VRE306), but threw most of VRE's stops on it (and managed to heap another stop or two south of FRE as well)? I don't think this would be awful (though packing those stops onto all the Regionals would probably be a bit much, I'll agree), and it would probably generate a nice bit of coin for Amtrak Virginia while relieving some stress on the VRE (which is equipment-stressed at the moment).
 
Yeah, the Surfliners are kind of an odd beast in between a longer corridor train and a commuter train. People seem to use them (particularly the SAN-LAX segment) for commuting (between intermediate cities such as SOL-IRV, as well as all the way to LAX) as well as day trips. I most commonly use it for sporting events and other day activities in LAX/ANA, and generally find myself on the late #796 heading back (so yes, I agree that the late trains are important even if they tend to carry less passengers).

The LAX-SBA/SLO segment may be a bit different, in part because its frequency is a lot less than SAN-LAX (though it does operate alongside the Metrolink Ventura County Line OXN-LAX). Though the same could probably be said about some of the Regionals - and those probably see similar turnover in NYP to what is experienced in LAX with the Surfliners going further north/south. The South Shore Line is kind of a reverse example - a similar-length run being operated as a commuter train.

In any case, it may make sense to try and keep these trains specialized - with Amtrak serving more as the "express", and Metrolink/Coaster serving as the "local". Though not in the sense of the since-discontinued Surfliner express (which skipped large staffed stations like Santa Ana and Fullerton) - just in the sense of only making the current Amtrak stops. Also, it would be nice to see more coordination between Metrolink/Coaster/Amtrak - though in the case of the first two, it may seem to make more sense to just merge Coaster into Metrolink (and perhaps the rest of NCTD into San Diego MTS - though that's straying from the topic of rail...)
 
What would seem to make the most sense to me (and this is just my opinion, nothing more) is having Amtrak run the "express" (as you said it, not in the sense of the botch-up that was the Surfliner Express) and the local agencies handle the "local" during most hours. I guess the question is what to do in those off-hours where there's demand for service...but not enough to actually justify running both services at higher frequencies.

And of course, there's a second issue: Since CA is now completely "paying for the party" with the Surfliner, they get to choose the music (or, rather, the stops and frequencies). In an ideal world, they'd just inter-operate some Coaster/Metrolink trains through, but I think that's politically less-than-easy (or at least, more difficult than messing with the Surfliners). And, as I noted, there's the issue of the off-hour services as well, where it might ultimately end up just being easier to punt a lot to the Surfliners.
 
Yeah, I can see where this would make sense from that perspective - for late night and midday service, there just isn't as much demand, and it may make more sense to have one "milk run" train that does everything instead of having separate Amtrak/Coaster/Metrolink trains with lots of empty seats during off-peak times. Since NCTD does dispatch (and I believe owns the track) OSD-SAN, I figure they perhaps have some leverage to get Amtrak to do this - and for them, its definitely cheaper than adding frequencies (and the necessary rolling stock and crew). Not necessarily the best for Amtrak passengers who wouldn't benefit from the new stops, but certainly cost-effective.

In any case, its probably a wash for me - I'm not particularly excited about #796 arriving later (I take that train frequently from LA or Anaheim), though as a San Diego transit user I could see myself using it to return from a quick day trip to North County (and having said trains as an option for the cost of a Coaster ticket may make me do that more often). In fact, I've used Amtrak trains for that purpose before (OSD-SAN or SOL-SAN) - while they are more expensive than Coasters, they run when the Coaster doesn't and are still way cheaper than a cab (and way faster than taking local buses that whole distance).

They should hurry up and either start making the stops or abandon the plan, though - as of now, they're running on the revised schedule but not actually making said stops! I've seen some tweets to the effect that the train is sitting at OSD for 10 min waiting for the scheduled departure...
 
Shifting gears, let's pause for a moment and ask a rhetorical question: What if VA added an additional RVR-WAS Regional (let's pull 172 out of a hat since it vaguely fits between VRE304 and VRE306), but threw most of VRE's stops on it (and managed to heap another stop or two south of FRE as well)? I don't think this would be awful (though packing those stops onto all the Regionals would probably be a bit much, I'll agree), and it would probably generate a nice bit of coin for Amtrak Virginia while relieving some stress on the VRE (which is equipment-stressed at the moment).
I don't live in Cali and don't have an opinion about it, but in response to your provocative question about Virginia, no, I don't think it makes sense from an operational or revenue perspective. Remember, VRE is subsidized by the local governments in its compact. Every trip is subsidized, and that includes VRE ticket holders on the Amtrak trains. From what I recall when I used this corridor frequently, the equipment types and operational characteristics are very different. VRE is set up to make frequent stops and serve commuter patrons, whereas the Amtrak trains take a long time to stop, load, and pull off, and have a different operational picture on the inside which would complicate fare collection (to say the least). Furthermore, would VRE be subsidizing these riders or would would the riders be paying real fares, which would be quite a bit higher? Finally, slots on this line are limited by CSX operations. VRE would love to operate more service on this line, has in fact worked with the state to upgrade the line to support more service in the future, but does continue to be constrained by the fact that this is a busy freight main line.
 
The other thing is that Amtrak stops are not as quick as commuter stops. You're accelerating and decelerating a heavier train, and station dwell time is longer than on the commuters because of fewer doors. At those hours, the more efficient thing would be to run evening express buses on I-5, which is just a few minutes away from all of the stations and is not congested after 7 pm. But heaven forbid someone take a bus.
 
Shifting gears, let's pause for a moment and ask a rhetorical question: What if VA added an additional RVR-WAS Regional (let's pull 172 out of a hat since it vaguely fits between VRE304 and VRE306), but threw most of VRE's stops on it (and managed to heap another stop or two south of FRE as well)? I don't think this would be awful (though packing those stops onto all the Regionals would probably be a bit much, I'll agree), and it would probably generate a nice bit of coin for Amtrak Virginia while relieving some stress on the VRE (which is equipment-stressed at the moment).
I don't live in Cali and don't have an opinion about it, but in response to your provocative question about Virginia, no, I don't think it makes sense from an operational or revenue perspective. Remember, VRE is subsidized by the local governments in its compact. Every trip is subsidized, and that includes VRE ticket holders on the Amtrak trains. From what I recall when I used this corridor frequently, the equipment types and operational characteristics are very different. VRE is set up to make frequent stops and serve commuter patrons, whereas the Amtrak trains take a long time to stop, load, and pull off, and have a different operational picture on the inside which would complicate fare collection (to say the least). Furthermore, would VRE be subsidizing these riders or would would the riders be paying real fares, which would be quite a bit higher? Finally, slots on this line are limited by CSX operations. VRE would love to operate more service on this line, has in fact worked with the state to upgrade the line to support more service in the future, but does continue to be constrained by the fact that this is a busy freight main line.
1) VA actually has one more slot that's not in use because of equipment issues. I'm not sure if the slot is FRE-WAS or RVR-WAS (or technically either/or given what is likely a negligible operational difference for CSX).

2) I would presume that it would operate as a Regional-with-step-up tickets. Which, as you point out, turns into an interesting revenue "game" (since the state, IIRC, also puts in part of the revenue for the VRE...but keeps profits from the Regionals as of October). I have very little doubt that at least some of the black ink on the Regionals comes from VRE's budget.

3) A note about the situation with Regionals: VRE either has looked at or has carried out a price cut for the step-up tickets in an attempt to "shake out" extra capacity. Unfortunately for them, there's no Regional near peak hours.

4) Another note: Back when the Meteor came through at just after 5 AM, it was picking up a modest number of commuters to WAS and beyond at RVR (the times I did this on a weekday, there were a couple of guys in suits waiting with me). When it slid back to 4:35, this traffic evaporated (as it was too blasted early)...so there's a market to be had from RVR, even if it's small (though to be fair, it's not like the last Regional of the evening is jammed at RVR). And I can't help but wonder how many folks on the packed 304/306 trains (IIRC those are the most crowded morning trains) would put down an extra $5 some mornings not to be stuck in an SRO situation.
 
I'm going to add a post instead of editing above. It looks to me like 171/172 would make a workable extension pair that would time out nicely: 172, as noted above, comes between two packed VRE trains while 171 comes in the midst of four crowded afternoon ones (303, 305, and 309 seem to be at capacity while 307 is saved from this by its longer consist). 171 arrives in WAS at 4:12, so you could dispatch it right ahead of 307/the 4:40 VRE departure (with just the L'Enfant-ALX-WDB-QAN-FRE stops) or shortly behind it (with an extra pad and additional stops).

Also of interest is that evening VRE ridership averages about 200 riders more than morning ridership, and that's even with a packed round of loading at L'Enfant Plaza (and quite a few boardings at ALX as well) on at least 125.
 
From TO it looks like they are going to start the virtual Coaster trains October 7. It will make all stops and not just discharge or receive passengers. Not sure how they are going to read passes considering that they are on the Compass smart card.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=95n5oleab&v=001Xb0L0r5qCg09tM2F6LGBxV-_SBGVuBcqvKG688ZUyxRMGxuoOdH_sIpN_q2fhywYerBrDcp73g-2aNE8VEaS3vFCBQrBqtzJsv7z27KHrHY%3D
Timekeeping and fare collection could get real interesting (read troublesome) for awhile, especially northbound. From The Coast News (local newspaper/website):

Amtrak’s Surfliner poised to stop at more Coaster stations - https://thecoastnews.com/2013/09/amtraks-surfliner-poised-to-stop-at-more-coaster-stations/

"Coaster riders with any valid fare can board the Surfliner and travel between the coaster stations at no added cost, according to [North Coast Transit District marketing rep Frances] Schnall. But Coaster passengers heading north of Oceanside will have to buy a separate Amtrak ticket — either online, through Amtrak’s mobile app or on the train.

"While Coaster tickets are accepted on Surfliner trains, NCTD and Amtrak have different policies. Namely, Coaster tickets are not valid for reserving or transporting bicycles on Surfliners. Bicycle reservations require buying an Amtrak ticket on those trains.

"A study from NCTD, in partnership with Amtrak, predicts that the Surfliner will gain an additional 1,700 county passengers on average each week as a result of the deal.

"Some details of agreement haven’t been released. But what’s known so far about the cost structure: Amtrak will be reimbursed for Coaster riders that board the Surfliner. NCTD, along with SANDAG, will pay Amtrak $4.28 per passenger riding the entire distance between Oceanside and San Diego, and less for shorter lengths."

Contradicting the Coast News account, a commenter at Trains News Wire (so who knows..) says, "The stops southbound will be to discharge only at Coaster stops. Northbound to receive only. So no local passengers between existing Coaster stops."
 
This just seems like laziness on the part of NCTD and, to a lesser degree, Metrolink. They lose passengers to Amtrak this way, and then they can start cutting trains. A better idea is to time their trains so that people on longer commutes can transfer quickly and easily from one system to the other, by coordinating timetables better.

If they insist on hobbling the Surfliners like this, I think perhaps Amtrak should consider running the Starlight all the way to/from SD, with very limited stops, so that people can (a) connect more easily to cross-country trains and (b) have at least a couple of options for a quicker ride between SD and LA. The HSR won't be connecting these cities any time soon.
 
The Starlight can't run to SAN, because there's no facility to service the trains there.

The real issue is that the line doesn't have much capacity left for added service. There's too much single track, and it's hard enough to slot the existing trains through with enough slack to prevent things from melting down should a train wind up a few minutes late. Expanding double track will help, but that's going to take a while.
 
Frankly, it sounds like Amtrak is going to get screwed by this at peak hours. $4.28 for an Oceanside-San Diego ticket is far less than the $18 Amtrak currently gets for that run. In off hours, that's not a bad deal ($4.28/seat is better than an empty seat), but at peak hours with an SRO train that's an issue.
 
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