The familiar choo-choo of trains travelling up and down the coast between Goleta and San Luis Obispo has come to a halt this week after storm-related damage shut down the region’s primary rail line.
The damage occurred Tuesday morning, January 5, when an excavator working to clear debris along the tracks near Arroyo Quemada fell into an eroded section of rail bed, compromising the line, injuring a worker, and forcing a full closure. As of Thursday afternoon, Union Pacific Railroad said repairs were still underway, with no estimated timeline for reopening.
“Crews are still on site, repairing the railroad track as safely and as quickly as possible,” Jill Micek, Union Pacific’s manager of communications and corporate relations, told the Santa Barbara Independent on Wednesday afternoon. “At this time, we do not have an estimated time of reopening.”
Union Pacific did not respond to follow-up questions regarding impacts to freight shipping, passenger service schedules, or when additional updates might be provided.
The closure affects the region’s primary coastal rail corridor, which consists largely of a single set of tracks running along the Santa Barbara coastline. The line carries Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight passenger service, as well as Union Pacific freight traffic, making it a critical transportation artery for both travelers and shipping.
Amtrak alerts indicate that Pacific Surfliner service remains suspended between Goleta and San Luis Obispo, affecting their two daily round trips. Amtrak has deployed connection buses to bridge the gap while repairs continue.
As for northbound Coast Starlight trains, their scheduled travel between Los Angeles and Emeryville have been canceled, as have southbound trains originating in Seattle that would normally pass through the corridor. Amtrak has not announced when full service is expected to resume.
The rail shutdown follows a series of storms that saturated soils along the Gaviota Coast, triggering erosion, debris flows, and infrastructure damage. Santa Barbara County fire officials said the area beneath the tracks near Arroyo Quemada had been “washed out by flood waters” when the excavator fell approximately 10 feet into the compromised rail bed.
The operator sustained minor injuries and was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Until repairs are completed and safety inspections finalized, trains will not pass through the corridor. Union Pacific said it will provide updates as work progresses, though no timeline has been set.
