Pacific Surfliner Price Increase This Friday - Sunday

Generally, the California trains have stable pricing. Prices do not fluctuate as they do on many of the other trains. When I was checking prices to go down to San Diego, it looks like prices have been increased from Friday - Sunday for the Easter Weekend. The increase is not very much but this is the first time I have noticed a price difference on the Surfliner. Do they do this more all the major holidays? The increase is nothing as terrible as what the airlines and hotels do for special occasions and Holidays but still annoying.

The Surfliners are normally unreserved, which means they have one single fare. During certain periods (such as around holidays), they are reserved trains, and are priced using buckets, meaning there are 5 different fares. This weekend is a holiday period.

This is the reason you see a fare increase.

The proletariat are outraged! How dare the People's Revolutionary Railroad Collective (AmFlot) raise prices!

the_traveler said:

The Surfliners are normally unreserved, which means they have one single fare. During certain periods (such as around holidays), they are reserved trains, and are priced using buckets, meaning there are 5 different fares. This weekend is a holiday period.

This is the reason you see a fare increase.

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I think it's only reserved during Thanksgiving or Christmas but still a flat rate price, just a higher one. There's a similar unreserved price increase for the 4th of July weekend.

On any reserved trains, the fares are sold in buckets. Only on unreserved trains (such as the Surfliners most days) is there one fare only.

the_traveler said:

On any reserved trains, the fares are sold in buckets. Only on unreserved trains (such as the Surfliners most days) is there one fare only.

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The fare from SAN to LAX is $46 from Friday through Sunday for "1 Unreserved Coach Seat". Same trip today and then from Monday on is $37 for "1 Unreserved Coach Seat". So, by Amtrak's own website, there are indeed "buckets" for unreserved trains. Note that this is also confirmed by amsnag. Maybe not the same 5 buckets that there are for reserved coach - nor are they handled the same way -but buckets none-the-less.

Technically, they should just call it an unreserved ticket because there is no guarantee for a seat.

It's unreserved. So buy the cheapest ticket and ride when you want.

Green Maned Lion said:

It's unreserved. So buy the cheapest ticket and ride when you want.

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If it's during a holiday period, with higher prices, you can be denied boarding or required to pay a supplement on board if you aren't ticketed for that day (most "normal" tickets list exclusion dates within 90 days)...

crew said:

Green Maned Lion said:

It's unreserved. So buy the cheapest ticket and ride when you want.

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If it's during a holiday period, with higher prices, you can be denied boarding or required to pay a supplement on board if you aren't ticketed for that day (most "normal" tickets list exclusion dates within 90 days)...

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And to substantiate Guest_Crew's post, from Amtrak.com (emphasis added):

Unreserved Coach Class Seat

Unreserved Coach Seat Only a few short-distance trains have unreserved coach seating, where tickets are valid on any train unless restricted by the fare paid.

While seating is not guaranteed, unreserved coach seats have most of the features that reserved coach seats have, also designed for passengers to relax throughout their train ride.

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FriskyFL said:

The proletariat are outraged! How dare the People's Revolutionary Railroad Collective (AmFlot) raise prices!

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Why shouldn't the proletariats of California be outraged? It was the proletariat tax payers of California that paid for many of the equipment and also fund the operation of the trains. Somewhere along in the past, I'm sure the proletariat tax payers of California also paid for the tracks when LOSSAN bought it from BNSF / Union Pacific. PS in California, it is called the People's Revolutionary Railroad Collective California (AmFlot California)

Amtrak doesn't set prices to anything other than what Caltrans or LOSSAN JPA tells it to.

Paulus said:

Amtrak doesn't set prices to anything other than what Caltrans or LOSSAN JPA tells it to.

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Just Caltrans at this point. Until the Interagency Transfer Agreement is signed the LOSSAN JPA is an agency with no control over anything. Same situation for the San Joaquin and the SJJPA.