Passenger Trains > Schedule change notes.

With the new schedule Nov 8, the Coast Starlight will stop at Burbank Airport,1042 am northbound, 815pm southbound. No local passengers handled.

No other time changes on Starlight.

Train 6 will depart Emeryville 910am, operating 40 minutes earlier though to Chicago.
No change on train 5.

Train 314 will leave Kansas City at 815 am, 45 minutes later, in order to provide a connection from train 4,the Chief, in place of waiting until 4 PM at Kansas City. Long overdue.

===With the new schedule Nov 8, the Coast Starlight will stop at Burbank Airport,1042 am northbound, 815pm southbound. No local passengers handled.

===No other time changes on Starlight.



Slight changes at Simi Valley and Van Nuys also to accommodate the new stop.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/10 08:15 by Ptolemy.

At some point people will have to stop calling it the Coast Starlight Express.

< Train 6 will depart Emeryville 910am, operating 40 minutes earlier though to Chicago. >

Well that is just great for SLC, 330am. Obviously an attempt to cut misconnect budget despite loss of more SLC business in a state where Amtrak is poiltically incorrect.

The Southwest Chief is leaving 30 minutes early at both ends. Train 3 will be on its normal schedule west of La Junta and Train 4 will minutes of its normal schehule east of Kansas City.

Chris

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> < Train 6 will depart Emeryville 910am, operating
> 40 minutes earlier though to Chicago. >
>
> Well that is just great for SLC, 330am. Obviously
> an attempt to cut misconnect budget despite loss
> of more SLC business in a state where Amtrak is
> poiltically incorrect.

If they pushed the departure at CA back to noon, that would make the SLC departure about 6.30 in the morning, which is better, But, it would push the Denver arrival back towards 11pm, which is much worse than 7pm for a bigger market. And, it would push arrival in CHI back to 6pm, missing or tightening some current eastern connections like the Capitol Limited.

One solution could be to originate a new train in Las Vegas, with a noon arrival in SLC, then running east for an early morning arrival in Chicago

Also, note that trains 5/6 California Zephyr and 11/14 Coast Starlight will now stop at Richmond, CA (RIC).

BART, the local/regional subway for the San Francisco area, has a terminal station within the same complex as the Amtrak platform at RIC. This will make for convenient local transit connections to/from the north and east via 5/6/11/14, effective Nov. 8.

reindeerflame Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> At some point people will have to stop calling it
> the Coast Starlight Express.


That has never been its name.

The Richmond stop always made a lot of sense to me if you could handle your luggage onto BART. Bus connections to BART and SF from Emeryville were ok but train to train is much better.

The Richmond station had somewhat of an appearance of unsafeness, but where doesn't? Having been in the middle of a knock-down fist fight deboarding our cruise ship at Ft. Lauderdale two weeks ago I have decided that the grimy city industrial neighborhoods were our customers often are, is much safer.

David

Yeah, long distance trains through the area will stop at Richmond, CA as well, management was out with the Zephyr and starlight doing a "dry run" with the crews to figure out train spotting yesterday, and I'm sure today too. Additionally the Starlight was supposed to get pushed back to a 10:30am departure from LA with the same schedule from Oxnard north due to not having to meet a Metrolink train north of VNC which I guess was deleted from the schedule. So despite adding a stop the running time will be 15 mins shorter, supposedly.

bwb6df Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also, note that trains 5/6 California Zephyr and
> 11/14 Coast Starlight will now stop at Richmond,
> CA (RIC).
>
> BART, the local/regional subway for the San
> Francisco area, has a terminal station within the
> same complex as the Amtrak platform at RIC. This
> will make for convenient local transit connections
> to/from the north and east via 5/6/11/14,
> effective Nov. 8.

I am in agreement about Richmond being the best for making transit connections, assuming the baggage issue isn't a problem. It is a relatively simple transfer to BART at that station, to BART trains going to Fremont, San Francisco or the San Francisco Airport (or, if direct trains are unavailable on that day, using BART transfers). I will say that I like to frequent the Richmond station during daylight hours if at all possible. Not sure if that actually makes any real difference, but it makes me feel better.

mundo Wrote:
-
> Train 314 will leave Kansas City at 815 am, 45
> minutes later, in order to provide a connection
> from train 4,the Chief, in place of waiting until
> 4 PM at Kansas City. Long overdue.


Big time, wonder how manny connecting passengers just decided to either rent a car or take The Dog to their destinations instead of waitin' until 4PM for the connecting train! I know they lost a lot of patronage no thanks to what they had for a couple of years now from No. 4 in KC!

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> reindeerflame Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > At some point people will have to stop calling
> it
> > the Coast Starlight Express.
>
>
> That has never been its name.


Well, it's what many people call it.

And the LDTS used to stop at Richmond....classic Amtrak, do something, stop doing something....10 years later, start doing the same thing again! It seems like nobody thinks these things through!

Normally #14 usually has to wait for a Metrolink Train at
Woodley. And would have to for another Metrolink and even
Amtrak Train #774 near Simi Valley.

Also I just looked the newly posted schedule that is already
available on line. Before it took about 25 to 30 between LAX & VNC.
It will be interesting to watch and see how well Bob Hope-BUR stop
will do.

Jaanfo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, long distance trains through the area will
> stop at Richmond, CA as well, management was out
> with the Zephyr and starlight doing a "dry run"
> with the crews to figure out train spotting
> yesterday, and I'm sure today too. Additionally
> the Starlight was supposed to get pushed back to a
> 10:30am departure from LA with the same schedule
> from Oxnard north due to not having to meet a
> Metrolink train north of VNC which I guess was
> deleted from the schedule. So despite adding a
> stop the running time will be 15 mins shorter,
> supposedly.

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/10 15:49 by GP25.

NO WAY you will ever find me trying to connect to a BART train at Richmond at 10,1030P. Ever been there? That place scares the Hell out of me. Besides, why would you ride 14 to RIC to connect to San Francisco? The Starlight has a dedicated bus over the Bay at OKJ anyway! I find that a LDT stopping at every nook and cranny to be annoying. If people are going to travel a significant distance, they can drive a bit to a station, rather than prop up a flag stop every 12 miles or so. Ridiculous, IMO.

scooter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Besides, why would you ride 14 to RIC to connect
> to San Francisco? The Starlight has a dedicated
> bus over the Bay at OKJ anyway! I find that a LDT
> stopping at every nook and cranny to be annoying.
> If people are going to travel a significant
> distance, they can drive a bit to a station,
> rather than prop up a flag stop every 12 miles or
> so. Ridiculous, IMO.


Well BART doesn't only go to San Francisco. It a also provides service elsewhere in the East Bay and Richmond is the only option for a direct connection. People may not ride 14 to Richmond to get to San Francisco, but people from San Francisco might use the connection when traveling northward (yes I know its "eastward" on the SP).

Dave

I don't get it. Why add the Airport stop to the Starlight when Van Nuys is only five miles away? I can't see anyone making any connections at the time of night #11 gets there, and it would have to be an awfully early flight from wherever to catch #14. Sure seems like a waste of time from the outside looking in.

irhoghead Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't get it. Why add the Airport stop to the
> Starlight when Van Nuys is only five miles away? I
> can't see anyone making any connections at the
> time of night #11 gets there, and it would have to
> be an awfully early flight from wherever to catch
> #14. Sure seems like a waste of time from the
> outside looking in.

A couple of possibilities: (1) Parking, (2) Transit connections

John Gezelius
Tustin, CA

I smell politics having a hand in this.

Burbank airport just announced some improvements that could attract rail customers.

New auto rental facilities, additional parking, talk of a moving sidewalk between terminal and the rail station. Maybe some one on this board can provide the details that were just voted on.

Richmond station recently got some improvements, so that may be whats behind that station too.

From the cost point of view, talk has been, be nice to cut out the trans-bay bus transfer.
Capital Corridor has been pushing this, so if that happen, then the costs to Amtrak for their trains could rise on a per person basis.

Sad to think that public is being told by politicians how great high speed will be, yet take a very successful train and add more stops, when in fact it had more then enough stops already.

Parking is a joke at Bob Hope Airport Train Station.
All the vehicles you see parking at the Station. Are
the employees of the Airport, Airlines, TSA, etc.

You have to take a shuttle from a parking lot to the platform.
And depending on the lot. You have to pay from $9 per day to $30.
Depending what lot you use. And what type of vehicle you using.

As for Local Transit Connections. You only have one main Bus line (Line 165)
that directly serves the Station. And you have to walk a to access
the other bus lines at Hollywood way & Empire (Line 94). Or to Hollywood
Way and Thornton (Lines 222 794 & 169 weekend service only).
And right now. LA's MTA and Metrolink doesn't really have good connections between them.

Maybe if and when they build the new Transit Center. The Transit connections would improve.
But I wouldn't hold my breathe on it.





john1082 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> irhoghead Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I don't get it. Why add the Airport stop to
> the
> > Starlight when Van Nuys is only five miles away?
> I
> > can't see anyone making any connections at the
> > time of night #11 gets there, and it would have
> to
> > be an awfully early flight from wherever to
> catch
> > #14. Sure seems like a waste of time from the
> > outside looking in.
>
> A couple of possibilities: (1) Parking, (2)
> Transit connections

Jerry Martin
Los Angeles, CA
Central Coast Railroad Festival