Checked baggage on Pacific Surfliner

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Steve, are you referring to Pacific Surfliner? If so, would you like the topic title changed?
 
I do not know the answer for sure, but it appears that the Pacific Surfliner has checked baggage. It seems logical that you could check it through from LAX to SAN if your ticket is multi-city from LAX-SOL-SAN.

Hopefully a local will chime in with something more definitive than my guess.
 
While my experience with checked baggage is limited, my experience has been that baggage at Amtrak is a decidedly low-tech operation. Everything was done manually, with the employee selecting a tag with the preprinted station code or writing it down. If you can persuade an Amtrak employee to do it, it will work. It's not as if they're limited to segments spelled out on the ticket (like airlines). Of course your baggage is going to arrive before you do, but they'll just stash it in the baggage room until you pick it up.

Should be no problem I'd think.

My question is what would happen if a passenger presented a ticket for baggage but for whatever reason didn't get on. When I checked in baggage on Amtrak, there was only a glance of the ticket to make sure it was the right train/date/origin/destination. Airlines these days are so freaked out that they'll take someone's luggage off the plane if they notice that person didn't board.

And then there's the issue with the Pacific Surfliner being an unreserved train (most of the time). I'm wondering if they'll even check to see an old ticket has been used (or still valid) before accepting baggage. Is this the only unreserved route with baggage service?
 
BCL said:
While my experience with checked baggage is limited, my experience has been that baggage at Amtrak is a decidedly low-tech operation. Everything was done manually, with the employee selecting a tag with the preprinted station code or writing it down. If you can persuade an Amtrak employee to do it, it will work. It's not as if they're limited to segments spelled out on the ticket (like airlines). Of course your baggage is going to arrive before you do, but they'll just stash it in the baggage room until you pick it up.

Should be no problem I'd think.

My question is what would happen if a passenger presented a ticket for baggage but for whatever reason didn't get on. When I checked in baggage on Amtrak, there was only a glance of the ticket to make sure it was the right train/date/origin/destination. Airlines these days are so freaked out that they'll take someone's luggage off the plane if they notice that person didn't board.

And then there's the issue with the Pacific Surfliner being an unreserved train (most of the time). I'm wondering if they'll even check to see an old ticket has been used (or still valid) before accepting baggage. Is this the only unreserved route with baggage service?
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I think the Hiawatha could be another.
 
Hiawatha has it and I've abused it to save on paying for a luggage locker in Chicago. Was heading up to MKE in the evening but checked in the morning and my baggage was waiting for me.

On SubwayNut layover station visits (for points runs and to increase the number of stops on my website ) I've checked my luggage through and made a stopover. The best was when I went from Buffalo to Syracuse with a stop in Rochester Empire Service to Maple Leaf. In Rochester I was planning to just spend the $4 to day check my bag while I went to the Eastman Museum but the agent said no, I'll check it on the Lake Shore (stopping between the two trains) and I picked it up (from a slightly confused ticket agent) in Syracuse.
 
Pacific Surfliner's used to carry checked baggage. Why are they not now? Something to do with covid-19 I suppose. I'm planning a trip for the fall of 2021. What will be the likelihood that these trains will be carrying checked baggage then?

jb
 
As of October 28th 2020, checked baggage service on the Surfliners was suspended until further notice. This partially has to do health and safety, but also with the staffing reductions at some Stations along the route due to pandemic related funding issues. As of now, there is no projected timeline for the return of Checked Baggage.
 
Oops! Guess it always pays to do a dummy booking before relying on what's in the timetable. And then hope the dummy booking gives the correct information.
 
Is checked baggage still suspended on the Surfliner? The “advisories” page linked above doesn’t mention it any longer but I can’t find any conclusive information online. I would love to be able to check in some luggage for a trip later this week but not sure if it’s an option yet. Thanks.
 
I wouldn’t be shocked if this ends up never coming back. Amtrak seems content to not offer checked baggage service on corridor trains elsewhere (such as Michigan), so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Surfliner does the same. Though this might be a state decision, so perhaps CA could be persuaded to change their mind. It is a shame - there really should be checked baggage at all major stations, at least on trains that connect to long-distance routes.
 
thully said:
I wouldn’t be shocked if this ends up never coming back. Amtrak seems content to not offer checked baggage service on corridor trains elsewhere (such as Michigan), so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Surfliner does the same. Though this might be a state decision, so perhaps CA could be persuaded to change their mind. It is a shame - there really should be checked baggage at all major stations, at least on trains that connect to long-distance routes.
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I think it is a state decision, and I am confident that checked baggage will make a return, just not sure when. When I used to railfan at Fullerton almost every train (if not every train) had checked luggage getting on or off, so it was fairly used. They also don't need a baggage car for each train set as the baggage area is in the cabcar, which means if they get rid of it that space will just sit empty.
 
Baggage is returning. There are both vacancies for baggage persons on both west coast and NEC BOS - ALX. That would indicate on the NEC more than 65 - 67. San Diego is hiring one as well. all the way to SEA.
 
Very small list of stations. I hope they're able to expand checked bags to Solana Beach, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano, and Anaheim
 
With the exception of Anaheim, these were the only Surfliner stations that offered baggage service pre-pandemic.

Solana Beach could probably benefit from baggage service, though, given the number of boardings at that station.
 

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