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Coast Starlight

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Coast Starlight
Coast Starlightcrossing theSanta Ynez Riveras it drains into the Pacific Ocean nearSurf, California,2019
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
LocalePacific Coast
PredecessorCoast Daylight,Cascade
First serviceMay 1, 1971
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Annual ridership338,017 (FY23)Decrease-4.2%[a][1]
Route
TerminiSeattle,Washington
Los Angeles,California
Stops28
Distance travelled1,377 miles (2,216 km)
Average journey time35 hours, 21 minutes[2](southbound)
34 hours[2](northbound)
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)11, 14
On-board services
Class(es)Coach Class
Business Class
Sleeper Service
Disabled accessTrain lower level, all stations
Sleeping arrangements
  • Roomette (2 beds)
  • Bedroom (2 beds)
  • Bedroom Suite (4 beds)
  • Accessible Bedroom (2 beds)
  • Family Bedroom (4 beds)
Catering facilitiesDining car,Café
Observation facilitiesSightseer lounge car
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stockSuperliner
Track gauge4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed40 mph (64 km/h) (avg.)
79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)BNSF,SCAX,SDRX,JPBX,UP

TheCoast Starlightis along-distancepassenger trainoperated byAmtrakon theWest Coast of the United StatesbetweenSeattleandLos AngelesviaPortlandand theSan Francisco Bay Area.The train, which has operated continuously since Amtrak's formation in 1971, was the first to offer direct service between Seattle and Los Angeles. Its name is a combination of two priorSouthern Pacific(SP) trains, theCoast Daylightand theStarlight.

Duringfiscal year(FY) 2019, theCoast Starlightcarried 426,029 passengers, an increase of 2.0% from FY 2018.[3]In FY 2016, the train had a total revenue of $40.5 million, a decrease of 1.4% from FY 2015.[4]

History

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Background

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Before the formation of Amtrak, no passenger train ran the entire length of theWest Coast.The closest equivalent was theSouthern Pacific Railroad(SP)'sWest Coast,which ran via theSan Joaquin Valleyfrom Los Angeles to Portland from 1924 to 1949, withthrough carsto Seattle via theGreat Northern Railway(GN).

By 1971, the SP operated just two daily trains between Los Angeles and theSan Francisco Bay Area:the Los Angeles–San FranciscoCoast Daylightvia theCoast Line,and the Los Angeles–OaklandSan Joaquin Daylightvia theCentral Valley.The SP also operated the tri-weeklyCascadebetween Oakland andPortland, Oregon.TheBurlington Northern Railroad(BN) andUnion Pacific Railroadranthree daily round tripsbetween Portland and Seattle. TheSanta Feran theSan Dieganbetween Los Angeles and San Diego.

Amtrak era

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TheCoast Starlightat Tacoma in 1974
TheCoast Starlightin the Cuesta Hills above San Luis Obispo in 1985

The Seattle–San Diego route was initially left out of plans for Railpax (laterAmtrak) until protests from politicians in California, Oregon, and Washington.[5]With the start of Amtrak operations on May1, 1971, a single train began running between Seattle and San Diego. The unnamed train (#11/12) ran three days a week; on the other four days, another unnamed train (#98/99) ran between Oakland and Los Angeles.[6]On November 14, Amtrak extended the Oakland–Los Angeles train to San Diego, renumbered it to #12/13, and renamed itCoast Daylight.The Seattle–San Diego train became theCoast Daylight/Starlight(#11-12) northbound andCoast Starlight/Daylight(#13-14) southbound.[7]Both trains were cut back from San Diego to Los Angeles in April 1972, replaced by a thirdSan Diegan.[8]On June10, 1973, Amtrak began running the combinedCoast Daylight/Starlightdaily for the summer months.[9]Positive response led to Amtrak to retain this service, and theCoast Daylightname was dropped on May19, 1974.[8]

An additional train, theSpirit of California,ran the section of the route between Sacramento and Los Angeles on an overnight schedule from October25, 1981, to September30, 1983.[10]From November10, 1996, to October25, 1997, through coaches were transferred between theCoast StarlightandSan Dieganat Los Angeles.[11][12][13]

TheCoast Starlightoriginally used the Southern PacificWest Valley LinebetweenTehamaandDavis.That route included a stop atOrland,[14]but bypassed Sacramento. On April26, 1982, the train was rerouted viaRosevilleon the Southern Pacific Valley andMartinez Subdivisions,with stops added at Sacramento,Chico,andMarysville,[15]per request from the state.[16][10]In 1999, theCoast Starlightwas rerouted onto the more direct ex-Western PacificSacramento Subdivision between Marysville and Sacramento, with the Marysville stop closed.[17]

Ridership declined by 26% between 1999 and 2005 as freight congestion and track maintenance on theUnion Pacific Railroadreduced theCoast Starlight's on-time performance to 2%, which Amtrak characterized as "dismal." By mid-summer in 2006 delays of 5–11 hours were common. Critics dubbed the train theStar-late.[18]During early summer 2008, theCoast Starlightwas relaunched with new amenities and refurbished equipment. In July 2008, refurbished Pacific Parlour cars returned to service as part of the relaunch. This was much anticipated, due to the success of Amtrak's relaunch of theEmpire Builder.BetweenFY2008 and FY 2009, ridership on theCoast Starlightjumped 15% from 353,657 passengers to 406,398 passengers.[citation needed]Operating conditions on the UP improved as well; by May 2008 on-time performance had reached 86%.[19]

Service was suspended north of Sacramento for a month in 2017 after a freight derailment damaged a bridge nearMount Shasta, California.[20]

Amtrak Coast Starlight 14 northbound to Seattle passing Moorpark, California on Dec 27, 2018
The southbound Coast Starlight passes through a horseshoe curve north of San Luis Obispo

On February24, 2019, the southboundCoast Starlightstruck a fallen tree nearOakridge, Oregonafter a rare heavy snowstorm. The train was stranded for 36 hours before tracks could be cleared for a Union Pacific locomotive to tow the train back toEugene–Springfield.[21]

From October1, 2020, to May24, 2021, daily service was reduced to three trains per week due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22][23]On May24, 2021, as part of its post-COVID service restorations, Amtrak restored theCoast Starlightfrequency to daily service in both directions.[24]

In late June 2021, theLava Fireseriously damaged a Union Pacific trestle on theBlack Butte SubdivisionbetweenKlamath Falls, OregonandDunsmuir, California.[25]As a result, theCoast Starlightwas initially split into two segments: Seattle to Klamath Falls and Sacramento to Los Angeles with a bus replacement service filling the gap between Klamath Falls and Sacramento.[26]However, on July2, 2021, it was announced that service would be discontinued between Seattle and Sacramento until July14, 2021, withAmtrak Cascadesreplacing service for passengers booked between Seattle and Eugene. Through service resumed on July15 using overnight buses between Sacramento and Klamath Falls, and full-route train operation resumed on August23.[27]

A resurgence of the COVID-19 virus caused by theOmicron variantcaused Amtrak to reduce the frequency of this route to five-weekly round trips from January to March 2022.[28]

Trains began running over thePoint Defiance Bypassbetween Tacoma and DuPont, Washington starting on November18, 2021.[29]

Future improvements

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The 2018 California State Rail Plan, prepared byCaltrans,outlines a number of planned improvements to rail infrastructure in the state of California.[30]The plan was updated in 2023.[31]In 2022, theCalifornia Transportation Commissionapproved $7.5 million for the construction of a new station inKing Cityto improve access to the region,[32]including nearbyFort Hunter LiggettandPinnacles National Park.[33]There is also a proposal in the Capitol Corridor Vision plan to improve the right-of-way shared by theCapitol CorridorandCoast Starlightbetween Oakland and Martinez.[34]The proposal would re-route the train from along the shores ofSan Pablo Bayand theCarquinez Straitto a new tunnel through Franklin Canyon and a right-of-way next toCalifornia State Route 4that would reduce the trip time by several minutes.

Route

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Coast Starlightroute map

Except for two sections, most of theCoast Starlightroute is on former Southern Pacific lines now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. TheCoast Starlightruns over the following lines:

TheCoast Starlightis occasionally diverted between Oakland and Los Angeles via theCentral ValleyandTehachapi Passdue to track work or service disruptions on the Coast Line. These rerouted trains are popular withrailfansbecause they use theTehachapi Loop,which has not had regularly-scheduled passenger trains since 1971.[36][37]

Stations

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AmtrakCoast Starlightstations
State/Province City Station
Washington (state) Seattle Seattle King Street
Tacoma Tacoma Dome
Lacey Olympia–Lacey
Centralia Centralia
Kelso Kelso
Vancouver Vancouver
Oregon Portland Portland
Salem Salem
Albany Albany
Eugene Eugene–Springfield
Chemult Chemult
Klamath Falls Klamath Falls
California Dunsmuir Dunsmuir
Redding Redding
Chico Chico
Sacramento Sacramento
Davis Davis
Martinez Martinez
Emeryville Emeryville
Oakland Oakland–Jack London Square
San Jose San Jose Diridon
Salinas Salinas
Paso Robles Paso Robles
San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara
Oxnard Oxnard
Simi Valley Simi Valley
Van Nuys Van Nuys
Burbank Burbank Airport-South
Los Angeles Los Angeles Union

Ridership

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Traffic by Fiscal Year (October–September)
Ridership Change over previous year Ticket Revenue Change over previous year
2007[38] 343,542 - $29,171,278 -
2008[38] 353,657 Increase02.94% $28,117,404 Decrease03.61%
2009[38] 432,565 Increase022.31% $32,637,793 Increase016.07%
2010[39] 444,205 Increase02.69% $37,404,114 Increase014.6%
2011[39] 426,584 Decrease03.96% $39,997,952 Increase06.93%
2012[40] 454,443 Increase06.53% $40,826,562 Increase02.07%
2013[40] 479,522 Increase05.51% $42,786,995 Increase04.8%
2014[41] 459,450 Decrease04.18% $42,150,907 Decrease01.48%
2015[41] 455,845 Decrease00.78% $41,113,114 Decrease02.46%
2016[4] 453,131 Decrease00.59% $40,534,262 Decrease01.4%
2017[42] 439,000 Decrease03.11% - -
2018[3] 417,819 Decrease04.82% - -
2019[3] 426,029 Increase01.96% - -
2020[43] 258,200 Decrease037.2% - -
2021[44] 189,593 Decrease026.57% - -
2022[45] 352,725 Increase086.04% - -
2023[46] 338,017 Decrease04.2% - -

Equipment

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ALC-42 Charger locomotives on theCoast Starlightin May 2023

TheCoast Starlightuses double-deckerSuperlinerI & II equipment, including a Sightseer Lounge car that has floor-to-ceiling windows to view the passing scenery. Baggage is placed in one of Amtrak's new Viewliner II single-level baggage cars or in designated coach-class cars. TheCoast Starlighttypically uses twoGE P42DCorSiemens ALC-42locomotives.[47]While the length of the train varies, in 2011 the "peak" consist comprised a baggage car, Transition sleeper, three sleeping cars, Pacific Parlour Car, dining car, Sightseer Lounge, and four coaches.[48]

Prior to February 2018, theCoast Starlightwas unique in that it included a first-class lounge car called the "Pacific Parlour Car".The cars were BuddHi-LevelSky Lounge cars, built in 1956 for theSanta Fe'sEl Capitanservice. Called a "living room on rails", the Parlour car offered several amenities to first-class sleeping car passengers including wireless Internet access, a full bar, a small library with books and games, an afternoon wine tasting, and a movie theater on the lower level. Sleeping car passengers could also make reservations to dine in the Parlour car, which offered a unique menu not offered in the standard dining car.[49]In February 2018, in a cost-cutting measure, Amtrak retired the Pacific Parlour Cars, citing the move as "part of Amtrak's ongoing work to modernize its fleet of equipment."[50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership"(PDF).Amtrak. November 27, 2023.RetrievedNovember 30,2023.
  2. ^ab"Amtrak Timetable Results".amtrak.RetrievedDecember 13,2021.
  3. ^abc"Amtrak FY19 Ridership"(PDF).
  4. ^ab"Amtrak FY16 Ridership & Revenue"(PDF).Amtrak.April 17, 2017.
  5. ^Barr, Robert A. (March 22, 1971). "Seattle train service to be cut".The Seattle Times.p. A1.
  6. ^Amtrak Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service.National Railroad Passenger Corporation. May 1, 1971. p. 26 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  7. ^Amtrak Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service.National Railroad Passenger Corporation. November 14, 1971. p. 68 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  8. ^abGoldberg 1981,pp. 16–17
  9. ^Amtrak All-America Schedules.National Railroad Passenger Corporation. June 10, 1973. p. 41 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  10. ^abVurek, Matthew Gerald (2016).Images of Modern America: California’s Capitol Corridor.Arcadia Publishing. p. 7.ISBN9781467124171.
  11. ^Staff (January 1997). "Scanner".Trains:25.
  12. ^Amtrak National Timetable: Fall/Winter 1996/97.Amtrak. November 10, 1996. p. 42 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  13. ^Amtrak National Timetable: Fall/Winter 1997/1998.Amtrak. October 26, 1997. p. 52 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  14. ^"Amtrak National Train Timetables".The Museum of Railway Timetables.Amtrak. October 25, 1981. p. 50.RetrievedMay 23,2020.
  15. ^"The Coast Starlight".The Museum of Railway Timetables.Amtrak. April 25, 1982. p. 46.RetrievedMay 23,2020.
  16. ^Rail Passenger Development Plan: 1984-89 Fiscal Years.Sacramento, CA: Division of Mass Transportation, Caltrans. 1984. p. 29.OCLC10983344.
  17. ^Amtrak Timetable: National: Fall 1999/Winter 2000.Amtrak. October 31, 1999. p. 53 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  18. ^Geiger, Kimberly (August 8, 2006)."Coast Starlight Losing Its Luster".San Francisco Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2015.RetrievedAugust 8,2006.
  19. ^Engle, Jane (June 11, 2008)."Amtrak's Coast Starlight Train Classes Up Its Act".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2008.RetrievedJuly 4,2008.
  20. ^Sailor, Craig."Amtrak resumes Coast Starlight service from Seattle to Los Angeles".Bend News Tribune.RetrievedMay 19,2017.
  21. ^Held, Amy (February 26, 2019)."183 Amtrak Passengers Rescued After 36 Hours Stranded In Oregon Amid Heavy Snow".NPR.
  22. ^Lazo, Luz (June 16, 2020)."Amtrak is ending daily service to hundreds of stations. Blame the coronavirus pandemic, the railroad says".Washington Post.RetrievedJune 5,2021.
  23. ^Jorgenson, Dawn (May 27, 2021)."Amtrak is resuming a dozen long-distance trips, all across the country".KSAT.RetrievedJune 5,2021.
  24. ^"With Increased Demand and Congressional Funding, Amtrak Restores 12 Long Distance Routes to Daily Service".Amtrak.March 10, 2021.
  25. ^"UP service disrupted by fire, weather".Trains.RetrievedJuly 3,2021.
  26. ^"SERVICE DISRUPTION: Coast Starlight Train 14 departing Los Angeles (LAX) on 7/1 will operate as a bus between Sacramento (SAC) & Klamath Falls (KFS) missing stops at CIC, RDD, & DUN due to wildfires in the area. For reservation assistance please call or text 1-800-USA-RAIL".Twitter.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2021.RetrievedJuly 3,2021.
  27. ^"Coast Starlight to resume full-route operation Aug. 23 (corrected)".August 14, 2021.
  28. ^"Amtrak to decrease service on most routes Jan. 24 to March 27".Trains.RetrievedJanuary 26,2022.
  29. ^abSailor, Craig (November 18, 2021)."Amtrak resumes service on Point Defiance Bypass route where 3 died in 2017".The News Tribune.RetrievedNovember 18,2021.
  30. ^Caltrans (September 2018).2018 California State Rail Plan: Connecting California(PDF)(Report).RetrievedOctober 27,2018.
  31. ^Caltrans (March 2023).2023 California State Rail Plan(PDF)(Report).RetrievedApril 29,2024.
  32. ^"Press Release: California Transportation Commission Reserves Funding for King City Multi-Modal Transit Center".City of King(Press Release). March 23, 2022.RetrievedJune 2,2023.
  33. ^Cronk, Ryan (March 7, 2019)."King City train station becoming reality after state approves funds".The King City Rustler.RetrievedJune 2,2023.
  34. ^CCJPA (November 2016).Capitol Corridor Vision Implementation Plan(PDF)(Report).RetrievedOctober 27,2018.
  35. ^abcdefghiSMA Rail Consulting (April 2016)."California Passenger Rail Network Schematics"(PDF).California Department of Transportation.
  36. ^"Amtrak to detour Coast Starlight over Tehachapi Loop".Trains News Wire.February 22, 2013.
  37. ^Meyer, Steven (June 22, 2018)."Railroad buffs from far and wide ride the Loop".The Bakersfield Californian.
  38. ^abc"Amtrak Fiscal Year 2009, Oct. 2008-Sept. 2009"(PDF).Trains Magazine. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 30, 2013.RetrievedNovember 8,2020.
  39. ^ab"Archived copy"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 8, 2012.RetrievedJuly 30,2012.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. ^ab"AMTRAK SETS RIDERSHIP RECORD AND MOVES THE NATION'S ECONOMY FORWARD"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 24, 2020.
  41. ^ab"Amtrak FY15 Ridership & Revenue"(PDF).
  42. ^"Amtrak FY17 Ridership"(PDF).
  43. ^Luczak, Marybeth (November 23, 2020)."Amtrak Releases FY 2020 Data".Railway Age.New York: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc.RetrievedFebruary 18,2020.
  44. ^"Amtrak Route Ridership FY21 vs. FY19"(PDF).Amtrak.RetrievedApril 19,2022.
  45. ^"Amtrak Route Ridership: FY22 vs. FY21"(PDF).November 29, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 29,2023.
  46. ^"Copy-of-FY23-Year-End-Ridership.pdf"(PDF).Amtrak Mediacenter.
  47. ^Franz, Justin (March 6, 2023)."Amtrak ALC-42s to Make Appearance on 'Coast Starlight' Next".Railfan & Railroad Magazine.RetrievedJune 6,2023.
  48. ^Amtrak 2011,p. 42
  49. ^Amtrak."Pacific Parlour Car Northbound Menu"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 30, 2014.RetrievedOctober 26,2018.
  50. ^"Amtrak Advisory | Coast Starlight Parlour Car Removed".amtrak.Archived fromthe originalon February 2, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 1,2018.

Notes

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  1. ^Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Veary, Bruce (July 1986). "After the Daylight: Today's Coast Line".Trains.Vol. 46, no. 9. pp. 26–46.ISSN0041-0934.
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