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I've talked some friends into taking the train to Seattle. However they booked south through SAS instead of CHI and the Empire Builder. Do they have a reasonable chance of making the northbound Coast Starlight from the Sunset Ltd on the same morning?
Kairho Member # 1567
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Amtrak tries very hard to make the connection. On my trip last month, the Sunset Ltd westbound was about 2 hours late. They offloaded the Coast Starlight connecting pax at Ontario and took them to (I believe) San Luis Osbispo to connect.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Joe - I would definitely NOT recommend that connection. I have been tracking the Sunset for a few months now, since I will be making a similar connection in a couple weeks, but I will not be heading N from Los Angeles until the day after I arrive on the Texas Eagle/Sunset -- I would suggest you do as I am doing and stay overnight in L.A. before heading north. The Sunset/Eagle has been running very very late into L.A. recently. If you try a same-day connection, as Kairho stated, you will very likely be bussed from some point E of Los Angeles to some point N of Los Angeles, and there is a good chance you may miss some of the oceanside scenery on the Coast Starlight.
reggierail Member # 26
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Don't try it. Spend a day in LA & you won't have to worry about the connection & possible bus ride. There's a hotel about 2 blocks from the station, Metro Plaza, I believe it's now a Days Inn. Last I heard it's about $70-80 per night. It's close to Olivera St. & Chinatown & a short trip to other LA attractions. Better safe than sorry.
Reggie
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Konstantin Member # 18
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I will agree with the rest of the comments. Stay in Los Angeles for an extra day. If you try to connect to the Coast Starlight, you may be in for a long bus ride instead of a train ride.
One thing I might do is this: Take the Sunset Limited into Los Angeles and then take a Pacific Sufliner up the coast and get off somewhere such as Santa Barbara. The next day, get on the Coast Starlight. It still takes an extra day, but at least this way you can stay overnight somewhere other than downtown Los Angeles.
------------------ Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale) www.geocities.com/evrr
Konstantin Member # 18
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I will agree with the rest of the comments. Stay in Los Angeles for an extra day. If you try to connect to the Coast Starlight, you may be in for a long bus ride instead of a train ride.
One thing I might do is this: Take the Sunset Limited into Los Angeles and then take a Pacific Sufliner up the coast and get off somewhere such as Santa Barbara. The next day, get on the Coast Starlight. It still takes an extra day, but at least this way you can stay overnight somewhere other than downtown Los Angeles.
------------------ Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale) www.geocities.com/evrr
BTrain Member # 1687
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I've heard a few stories about passengers from both the SWC and Sunset being bused from "someplace east of Los Angeles" and taken to Bakersfield to catch a San Joaquin to Sacramento to catch the Starlight. There's very little layover in Bakersfield and Sacramento this way. But, as mentioned you miss the entire coastline-which I've heard many-of passengers in Bakersfield gripe to no end about (for good reason).
The only plus to this route is more train riding, less bus riding/no hotel stay.
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