October 2025 came and went without the much-heralded new train service through Santa Barbara County that was supposed to add a north- and southbound Metrolink train. Instead, a similar service is now being proposed through Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, the Santa Barbara County Association of Government (SBCAG) directors learned on January 15.
SBCAG’s Aaron Bonfilio explained that during summer 2025, the Los Angeles–San Diego train agency LOSSAN learned that a switch to Metrolink would require a whole new set of agreements with the owner of the railroad tracks: Union Pacific (UP). But, because UP was in the middle of buying the Norfolk Southern — a deal that would connect the company from the West Coast to the East Coast — the earliest the company could begin to review any agreements was in the first quarter of 2026.
That delay had a domino effect at LOSSAN, which had received a $27 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration early last January. The funds were to restore train service back to pre-COVID pandemic levels, the managing director for LOSSAN, Jason Jewell, told the SBCAG board. That included a new train set coming from Northern California — new rolling stock that LOSSAN could use to expand Pacific Surfliner service to Goleta and San Luis Obispo, providing added transportation for the World Cup, said Jewell.
The current proposal is a northbound train that would leave L.A. Union Station at 5:13 a.m. and stop at Santa Barbara at 8:11 a.m.; the southbound train would depart San Luis Obispo at 12:12 p.m., going through Goleta at 2:33 p.m. and Santa Barbara at 2:57 p.m. Each train would make the usual stops at smaller stations such as Guadalupe, Bonfilio said.
Jewell added that this is only a one-year pilot project, while future service depended on funding through the state budget or Washington, D.C. The local agencies, SBCAG and the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), would contribute a combined $2 million for the year, generally split 50/50, said Bonfilio. In Santa Barbara, the funds come from Measure A, a transportation-specific sales tax measure passed in 2008 by 79 percent of Santa Barbara County voters.
Subject to LOSSAN’s approval, the contemplated fare prices are $150 for a monthly pass and $50 for a 10-ride ticket, which is a subsidized, reduced ticket price. For added flexibility, the tickets may be used aboard the VCTC Coastal Express bus service that runs regularly between Santa Barbara and Ventura.
This vision of new train times is not a done deal. Bonfilio noted that approval from the state is needed and that the final negotiated plan will likely come back to SBCAG in February. It would take a few months to implement the program, the longevity of which will depend on whether more people take the train. To that end, a full marketing plan directed toward residents and employers is in the works.
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