First, tentatively , when are the two trains to initiate service ?
Secondly, between which two cities will the Coast Daylight run ?
Approximately what kind of time schedule will the Coast Daylight follow ?
Lastly, should the new time schedules be available next week ?
Posted by MattAtTrainWebDotCom (Member # 14) on :
No tentative date has been set yet for the Crescent Star. Amtrak wants it this year, but I doubt the KCS will have enough time to upgrade their track before 2002. And although the cities along the route want the train badly, I don't believe any platforms are ready yet.
The Coast Daylight won't be as hard to initiate. It would be use the two spare Surfliner trainsets the State of California ordered, which should arrive before the beginning of the summer. This train would run San Diego-San Francisco, making many local stops San Diego-San Jose. It would travel both directions approximately 2-3 hours ahead of the Coast Starlight. This train's backers want it to start in October, but it all depends on negotiations with UP, Metrolink, and Caltrain for the timeslots. But definitely watch for this train first.
------------------ -Matthew J. Melzer matt@trainweb.com
It is scheduled for an October 2001 startup, but the report says that will only happen if everything goes right the first time. If Surfliner equipment cannot be obtained in time they may use Horizon cars as an interim measure. I can hardly wait, since it will run through Monterey County just 20 miles from home.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
Hey Matt, good to hear about any new service Amtrak can put together. We'll just try to forget about the LCL joke. I did notice you put the Coast Daylight 2-3 hours ahead of the Coast Starlight. On the northbound run that would put it out of San Diego around 4AM. Sounds like an ungodly departure time to me. Not to say Amtrak hasn't done other things as bad or worse. Sometimes the suits back in Philly seem to have their heads in the sand. What I think would be a better plan would be to have the Daylight leave San Diego on a schedule that would allow arrival in to LA about the time of the Starlights 9:30 departure. The Starlight could depart early evening arriving SanJose around 7Am, Oakland around 8:30Am & Sacramento some time before noon. The schedule of the Starlight would basically be the same as now just 12 hours later along the whole route. Overnight from San Diego & LA to the Bay Area & then overnight from the Bay Area to Seattle. I think the South bound would work great 12 hours later too. Oh well, opinions are like uhh...belly buttons, everyone has one. Yours Reggie
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Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Reggie, The planned Coast Daylight service will run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, (not San Diego) as SP did it in the pre-Amtrak days. I believe the southbound train is intended to connect with the Surfliner for San Diego passengers, but there is no immediate plans for a northbound connection because of the early start time.
The Daylight will run about three hours earlier than the Starlight. At San Jose it will diverge from the Starlight route and travel up the Peninsula into downtown San Francisco. It will also stop in a few cities not served by the Starlight.
Here's the proposed timetable (24 hr. clock)Southbound times on the left, Northbound times on the right:
7:20 San Francisco 19:20 7:44 Millbrae 18:57 8:06 Palo Alto 18:38 8:18 Mountain View 18:27 8:38 Santa Clara 18:18 8:45 San Jose 18:10 9:21 Gilroy 17:21 9:52 Pajaro 16:50 10:24 Salinas 16:26 11:12 King City 15:30 12:18 Paso Robles 14:24 13:33 San Luis Obisbo 13:22 13:56 Grover Beach 12:41 14:14 Guadalupe 12:23 16:26 Santa Barbara 10:26 17:11 Oxnard 9:26 17:46 Simi Valley 8:56 17:59 Chatsworth 8:38 18:16 Van Nuys 8:21 18:34 Glendale 8:03 19:00 Los Angeles 7:50
A stop in Soledad may be offered in the future.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 04-24-2001).]