The last time a morning commuter train passed through Santa Barbara, it was wiped out by the COVID pandemic in 2020. “We are closer than we have been in years on finally delivering that train,” said Whitney Rush of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) almost six years later, on February 19. Her agency authorized spending $1.1 million — to be matched by Ventura County Transportation Commission — and to conduct final negotiations with LOSSAN, the agency that runs Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, to get the new rail service running.
If all goes as planned, by late April or early May, the new peak-service train passing through Ventura at 7:11 a.m. should arrive in Carpinteria at 7:37 a.m., Santa Barbara at 7:56 a.m., and Goleta at 8:11 a.m.; currently the train doesn’t arrive in Goleta until 10 a.m. The return train would leave San Luis Obispo at 12:12 p.m. and be back at Los Angeles Union Station by 5:50 p.m., roughly 12 hours after it started out. The main commuter return times of 4:25 and 6:30 p.m. out of Goleta remain.
The previous attempt at a commuter train was hailed with enthusiasm but so plagued with delays that it was remarkable when the train arrived on time. At the SBCAG meeting, County Supervisor Joan Hartmann asked if reliability would improve. Rush replied that the new train was leaving Los Angeles one hour later than the previous train, avoiding some of the conflicts with freight. “We have assurances from all the host railroads that this one will be significantly more reliable,” she said.
The train will run seven days a week, 365 days a year, bringing in an estimated $2.3 million in fares. Tickets and passes will be subsidized for 10-day and monthly passes, as will special $50 train passes through employers. With both Santa Barbara and Ventura agencies involved, outreach to both communities and employers would take place, Rush said. She added that plans were also in the works for “last mile” transportation, including free shuttles to employer sites, a BCycle electric rental bike trial in downtown S.B., and bicycle lockers in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and Goleta.
Whether the added morning train will stick this time depends in large part on funding and almost as much on ridership. Santa Barbara, Ventura, and LOSSAN will fund the initial year, but subsequent years’ funding depends on the state budget for rail.
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