Passenger Trains > Surfliner Express 563 First Run Story

http://www.trainweb.org/chris/surfex.html


Enjoy,


Chris

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One correction to your story Chris, regarding the Nuclear
plant at San Onofre, it is known as the
Dolly Parton National Monument!!
Mike

Just watched the new Amtrak schedule for the 563 on one of San Diego local news stations.
Nice set of pics!

Thank you so much for the nice comment.


Chris

I to take a ride on Pacific Surfliner 563. I boarded in Oceanside as Chris Did. Chris,I saw you and Steve on the platform. I didn't have a chance to say hi as the train was arriving.
My take on 563 was the train looked full as it arrive in Oceanside. At Irvine about 20-30 got off. At Anaheim About 10-20 people got off. But as we arrived in Los Angeles my car looked empty as you can see in my picture. We arrived on time at LAX. I do hope this Express service is a success but why start a Northbound express when there's no Southbound service, yet?

Juan Cornejo
Hacienda Heights, CA

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>I do hope this Express service is a success but why start a Northbound express when there's no Southbound service, yet?

I agree there should be a Southbound Express too, but I'm sure Amtrak wants to see 1st how well the Northbound Express does before they add a Southbound Express!

With this schedule change, what has become of 763 that continued on to Santa Barbara and was the guaranteed connection for the Coast Starlight?

Railrev Wrote:
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> With this schedule change, what has become of 763
> that continued on to Santa Barbara and was the
> guaranteed connection for the Coast Starlight?


Nothing, 763 still runs out of San Diego at 6:10 AM, and terminates in Goleta at 11:55 AM. 563 runs behind it on the 7:05 slot out of San Diego, and once the Starlight returns to its original schedule later this Spring 563 will also become a guaranteed connection to #14.

johnnyremixx Wrote:
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> I do hope this Express service is a success
> but why start a Northbound express when there's no
> Southbound service, yet?


The ridership was about normal for 565, maybe about 25-30 off from when I've worked it, but that could be a day to day occurance too.

As far as a southbound train, from what I understand a southbound express was in the cards but none of the agencies involved could agree on which schedule should be converted to an Express schedule, thus the decision was made to just run the Northbound train and see how it did before furthering those negotiations. It's possible if the Northbound train is reasonably successful that a southbound train will be added in the Fall to round out the pilot program, but that's up to the management and the politicians.

Not to change the subject....but MAN they keep the equipment clean out there!

2720 Wrote:
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> One correction to your story Chris, regarding the
> Nuclear
> plant at San Onofre, it is known as the
> Dolly Parton National Monument!!
> Mike


Were these also used in the first "Naked Gun" movie, when Frank Drebin's reminiscing about his ex?

yes, they are also movie stars. :-)

dave, out.