Amtrak Coast Starlight Train Journey LA To Seattle June 2025 UPDATED Day 2 and Arrival at Seattle

[disneedee]

We arrived on time at 7.30pm, which for Amtrak is amazing.

FOR SURE!!

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

We arrived on time at 7.30pm, which for Amtrak is amazing.

FOR SURE!!

I was in my hotel room by 8.00pm , which I did not expect at all

 

[citruscurtis]

The route up Cachuma Pass was also amazing and something else you can't see any other way.

Truly amazing truly amazing... I have boarded 9 trips and this is still the highlight of my trip:

1. The horseshoe curve is the largest in the world
2. Nine tunnels the most in the shortest stretch of track record

And now the best part... leave your seat and go downstairs and stand at the door window...the sensation of riding a surf board... flying.... skiing... you are the edge of the massive canyon.. looking for deer coyote fox and eventually higher than the hunting raptors and if in spring flowers in your face

 

[bcla]

I've booked the Coast Starlight for (I think) 10 one-way trips. Some of them were just day trips. Some I found an alternate means to get home, such as commuter rail or other public transit.

First time was just me and the kiddo, who I booked for free as an "infant". Let's just say they were a little bit lax on enforcement. The joke I heard from Amtrak conductors was that often they see the same "one year olds" for four years. For those who haven't booked that way, an infant has to be reserved, isn't named on the reservation, and doesn't necessarily get a seat. However, the conductors will know and whenever I booked that I had no issue. If there was room the conductor would block off a seat anyways.

We had some fun in the dining car, although sometimes the lateness of arrival meant that the breakfast hours were over. Our first trip was Richmond, California to San Jose. Got there during breakfast hours and there were no reservations for the dining car.

Some of the day trips were interesting. Did Emeryville to Salinas round trip once by myself. The family was visiting relatives so I was at home alone and wanted to do something. Had about 6 hours in Salinas and visited the Steinbeck Center. After that I didn't really have that much to do but just walked around town, watched a movie, got something to eat, and got home. The trains were more or less on time.

I do remember once I made the mistake of not getting on the train after being confused by a PA announcement of where to wait to board. Another family (heading to LA) missed it too. We ended up talking to an Amtrak employee about what to do and they suggested getting a quick Uber ride to Oakland, where they had something like 30 minutes waiting time. I've been there and it can be longer because that's where the southbound train stocks up on food. I think once it was delayed because of "private varnish" (a private railcar) being attached for the ride to Los Angeles. But in this case the family did that because they were headed to LA and their luggage was checked in. We didn't really care because it was just an excursion trip. I ended up just canceling my reservation and rebooking with a later train-bus trip to Salinas and the Coast Starlight on return. We theoretically only had about 2 hours in Salinas, but then I checked the status of the return trip and it was way delayed. Found out that some train hit someone near LA and they stopped all passenger trains for several hours. So we had time to do a lot of stuff in Salinas, where they had this informal parade of classic cars. Ended up going to the station where it was further delayed. I think it was something like 3.5 hours late.

One time I was just playing around with the Amtrak app and thinking about booking something. Then I saw that with their rewards program (Amtrak Guest Rewards) I could book a bedroom for 0 points. I was thinking what the heck and booked a round trip Emeryville-Salinas. If it was real that would have included breakfast (which was only available for those with rooms after COVID) but I couldn't find an email confirmation for the reservation. Turned out to be a fairly well known bug in the Amtrak reservation system. I posted about it here:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/bedroom-bookable-for-zero-points.82301/#post-967113

The last time I took the Coast Starlight was actually with the kiddo. It wasn't a day trip per se, but we wanted to go on a fun trip, just the two of us. Emeryville to Santa Barbara on the Coast Starlight, with the return trip via bus and train. The train was about an hour late to Santa Barbara, so we weren't quite sure what we were going to do with maybe 3 hours. It was actually plenty of time but we felt kind of rushed.

It was really odd as I booked it as one round-trip reservation. Typically a bus ride has to be accompanied by a train "segment" because of some law. Several bus operators (like Greyhound) objected to competing with state subsidized transportation, where it's technically "Amtrak California" providing subsidized bus service. The bus was from Santa Barbara to Oakland, followed by a short train ride from Oakland to Emeryville. That didn't really make sense because the bus also stopped in Emeryville. But I guess the programming forced the extra train ride even thought technically it didn't have to include that extra train segment. We just got off in Emeryville and nobody cared.

I've taken alternate means to LA/OC. The Coast Starlight is considerably nicer, but takes a slower path. I've gone south through Bakersfield on the San Joaquin with a bus that connected south - apparently all the way to San Diego. The train had no paid food service at all, with no cafe car because of budget concerns. They did have free snack boxes just lined up on a table. The most common route between the Bay Area and Southern California was the bus to/from Santa Barbara that connected with the Pacific Surfliner. I had to improvise after the 2022 Southwest Airlines meltdown and ended up booking the last ticket for Emeryville-San Luis Obispo-Los Angeles. That was kind of fun. There was heavy traffic and the bus driver skipped the normal meal stop at the McDonald's in King City to make time. We did arrive well before the train. On the train, I asked a conductor if that was considered really crowded, and she said that it the most crowded she'd ever seen it on the day after Christmas.

There are other Amtrak bookable routes along the length of the Coast Starlight route. Amtrak Cascades goes I think as far south as Eugene, Oregon. Some of their trains also got to Vancouver, BC. And they also have some bus services. I think the furthest Amtrak California buses go is Chico, or perhaps Redding? I thought of doing that once to Chico on the way to maybe Portland. But the Coast Starlight arrives in Chico after midnight.

I think one of the more interesting ways the Coast Starlight operates is when Union Pacific is doing maintenance work and the train is routed through the Tehachapi Loop (which skips over a lot of stops). It's usually only used by freight trains. But it's really cool.

 

[bcla]

We arrived on time at 7.30pm, which for Amtrak is amazing.

FOR SURE!!

I've encountered assorted delays on the Coast Starlight. The joke was that it was delayed (typically by freight traffic) and that it was the Coast Star Late. There used to be a train operated by Southern Pacific called the Daylight, which was the companion to the Coast Starlight. It actually started in San Francisco at the site of the current Caltrain commuter rail station. I suppose if Amtrak brought it back in some capacity, they could nickname it the Coast Day Late.

Theoretically dispatch (operated by the freight railroads) is supposed to give priority to passenger rail by law, but in practice they don't typically get it. There have been attempts to fine freight railroads for delays to passenger rail, but the federal government hasn't been able to collect.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I just recently took the San Joaquin line to Livermore. I had booked the train to Santa Barbara to pick up my son's car for the summer but DS wanted to spend some time with his grandfather in the Bay Area before heading to Europe with his friends - meaning the car was up there, not in Santa Barbara. I looked into flying but, short notice, it was pricey - but the train wasn't. That put me on a bus, LA to Bakersfield, train, Bakersfield to Stockton, Bus, Stockton to Livermore. That sounds awful on a lot of accounts but it was great! The bus left on time to the minute from Union Station, the train was really nice, and the bus from Stockton to Livermore was also nice. I had a row of seats to myself the entire trip. as @bcla said, the train only provided snacks - wish I had known that, but they were included. Note to Amtrak; a food truck serving grab-and-go meals in Bakersfield would have been a huge hit.
I could go on and on about how dumb the HSR is they are building along this line is but will keep it to this; of the CAHSR is ever completed, Bakerfield to Madera, it will be only marginally quicker than the service the way it is now. Yes, the CAHSR would take 1.5 hours to get to Madera, but the current train gets you all the way to Stockton in 4 hours - a full hour on the road closer to Livermore. Yes, the plan is to discontinue the San Joaquin line once CAHSR is open. That will be a big loss IMHO.
One last note; if you want to go to Yosemite, this is the way. You can take a train to I think Merced, and that will take you to a bus that goes all the way to the valley floor. That is SOO much easier than driving! Search YouTube - we were watching a video on it over the w/e and will definitely do that on our next Yosemite trip.

 

[citruscurtis]

One last note; if you want to go to Yosemite, this is the way. You can take a train to I think Merced, and that will take you to a bus that goes all the way to the valley floor. That is SOO much easier than driving! Search YouTube - we were watching a video on it over the w/e and will definitely do that on our next Yosemite trip.

... what do you know about the light rail to Lancaster

And seats to your self is great...I want to remember that the Cascade
In the Pacific Northwest I had no seat partner.. but not sure...if so not stimulus conversation

On North bound starlight between San Luis and Jack London I had great conversations...San Luis always got seatmates so that our trip north after Sacramento was empty again

 

[bcla]

as @bcla said, the train only provided snacks - wish I had known that, but they were included. Note to Amtrak; a food truck serving grab-and-go meals in Bakersfield would have been a huge hit.

The deal is that it's costing them less money to provide those complimentary snack boxes than it would to provide a cafe car and attendant. Food service generally loses money for Amtrak and always has.

Food trucks are kind of tricky. And the biggest issue would be that once a train arrives for a bus, the bus generally leaves pretty quickly if everything is on schedule. I think most passengers at Bakersfield are on a bus connection. I have heard of some Amtrak stations known for having a "tamale lady" selling tamales out of a cooler. I think the ideal locations are where there's a lot of "dwell time" such as a cafe/dining car restocking food.

As far as food goes on the Coast Starlight, the cafe car can be interesting. All they do is reheat in a convection oven or provide hot water for instant noodles, so they can serve anything at any time. When I came south from Seattle, I got the burger. Kind of a sad burger, but it is what it is. I do remember the announcement that all breakfast items (the cheapest on the cafe menu) were sold out around 6 PM.

 

[bcla]

... what do you know about the light rail to Lancaster

And seats to your self is great...I want to remember that the Cascade
In the Pacific Northwest I had no seat partner.. but not sure...if so not stimulus conversation

On North bound starlight between San Luis and Jack London I had great conversations...San Luis always got seatmates so that our trip north after Sacramento was empty again

I remember being on the Coast Starlight and I honestly never said a word to guy sitting next to me. If we needed to move we just gestured to indicate leaving the seat or whatever. But that was more or less uneventful. I do recall he forgot a phone charger in the outlet, but he left early to exit and there was a long line of passengers trying to get off.

If you're asking about Lancaster, that's not light rail per se. The train service they have is the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line from Los Angeles Union Station to Lancaster.

https://metrolinktrains.com/globala...e/metrolink_av_line_schedule_october_2024.pdf

 

[bcla]

One last note; if you want to go to Yosemite, this is the way. You can take a train to I think Merced, and that will take you to a bus that goes all the way to the valley floor. That is SOO much easier than driving! Search YouTube - we were watching a video on it over the w/e and will definitely do that on our next Yosemite trip.

For those taking it bus service isn't Amtrak specific. It's a subsidized service called YARTS (Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System). Most of the passengers aren't from Amtrak, but Amtrak provides a substantial part of their revenue where the drivers can accept Amtrak tickets where the bus has been booked. It is possible to book the bus rides separately and I think purchase tickets on the bus.

https://www.yarts.com/

https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/publictransportation.htm​

​

Bus service is available to Yosemite Valley (and, during summer, to some other areas of the park) from cities throughout California and the rest of the United States.​

• Amtrak provides a combination of train and bus service to Yosemite Valley. Amtrak also provides limited service to White Wolf and Tuolumne Meadows daily during July and August (weekends only during June and September). Amtrak service beyond Merced (including Yosemite) is provided by YARTS.
• Greyhound provides bus service to Merced, where you can transfer to YARTS to continue to Yosemite Valley. YARTS also provides limited service to Crane Flat, White Wolf, and Tuolumne Meadows daily during July and August.

 

[citruscurtis]

https://metrolinktrains.com/globala...e/metrolink_av_line_schedule_october_2024.pdf

You are correct about conversation on 4 South bound out of PDX.. I had no conversation.. and they were all sketchy men ...on the last trip had a hard working seat attendant and she put all Los Angeles passengers in one car, last car and we all had window seats and the left side of the car was empty till emmerville... because the car was empty.. I had my first fun trip with other passengers.. I shared what was ahead and told new riders when to go observation car... never had a seat mate... which has always been the case south of Sacramento.. but San Luis seems to have better quality citizens that board.... and railrat have info that train staff would not give... I had to calm several passengers that sunset limited would wait for us

 

[bcla]

You are correct about conversation on 4 South bound out of PDX.. I had no conversation.. and they were all sketchy men ...on the last trip had a hard working seat attendant and she put all Los Angeles passengers in one car, last car and we all had window seats and the left side of the car was empty till emmerville... because the car was empty.. I had my first fun trip with other passengers.. I shared what was ahead and told new riders when to go observation car... never had a seat mate... which has always been the case south of Sacramento.. but San Luis seems to have better quality citizens that board.... and railrat have info that train staff would not give... I had to calm several passengers that sunset limited would wait for us

Most of my Amtrak experience was commuting to work for a few years on Capitol Corridor. I've seen my fair share of stuff, although almost never anything all that dramatic. I was stuck on a train that ran over someone on the tracks, but that's not unusual. Once Amtrak Police came through with sniffing dogs. Not sure what they would have done, although I recall they're legally considered federal law enforcement, and marijuana possession is still a violation of federal law.

Can't say I've ever really seen too many sketchy people on the Coast Starlight. The guy I saw next to who I didn't talk to wasn't sketchy. He and I just weren't talkative. I had plenty of conversation at the dining car. I do recall overhearing someone on his phone on one Coast Starlight ride talking about the "bud" he was bringing to Santa Barbara. I guess he was lucky that Amtrak Police didn't come through with their dogs.

The worst I ever saw was on the Pacific Surfliner. Several groups were boarding on the weekend going northbound to Santa Barbara, where there are a lot of wineries and breweries. But a couple of these passengers were already rather intoxicated and loud. Don't recall if they got off before they got kicked off or if they just quieted down and made it to Santa Barbara.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Well if we are sharing passenger stories

I was in roomette 2, which is next to the stairs. As a result when I had my door open sounds and voices carried up the stairs as everyone was getting on at LA Union Station.

This all kicked off when they first got on the train. There was a family , elderly parents and an adult son. I heard raised voices so I took interest. The family had a paid for 2 people to be in a sleeper room and a coach ticket for one person. But all 3 were in the room. The raised voice was the adult son arguing with the room attendant as she said that the coach passenger could not be in the sleeper carriage. The adult son said he and his mom were in the sleeper and the dad had the coach ticket. But it sounded like the father was reluctant to leave.

Then it went quiet so I assumed it had all been sorted out and the train started moving.

As we went through the urban areas of LA to head towards the coast, more raised voices. It sounded like the son and mother were fighting. That the son had told the father to hide in the toilet but he had been seen by the room attendant. The plan was to have all 3 in the room but pretend like there was only 2. But they had been found out and now one of them had to leave. He keeps shouting "but I cant sleep sitting up, dad can sleep anywhere so it doesn't matter to him"

The raised voices drew the room attendant back to them. This time the room attendant was trying to match the names on the tickets to the people, to find out which person should not be there. It turns out that the son is the one named on the coach ticket and the father named on the sleeper carriage ticket. But the son wants the father to go to coach. and the mother was arguing with the son, telling him to leave instead.

This time the room attendant called the conductor back. I guess the conductor was trying to calm things down but all I heard was the son shouting, "you dont understand I cant sleep sitting up" over and over. Then he was trying to say it was a mistake, that the names had got mixed up in the booking.

Things calmed down again and then it was time for my lunch reservation.

After lunch, I saw the son eating on his own in the other end of the dining car, near the observation carriage. I knew it was him, as I recognized his voice when he was talking to Daisy the server.

As I previously said I then spent the afternoon in the observation carriage listening to the talk by the national parks people. There was an announcement, I guess by the conductor for a male passenger to collect his luggage from the dining car.

I guess what had happened was that when he left to eat lunch, the conductor removed his luggage from the room and brought them to the dining carriage. And then once he was in the dining carriage they wouldn't let him back into the sleeper carriages.

I was still in the observation carriage when he walked through into the coach carriage with his bag. He was not a happy camper, was still loudly proclaiming to the world that he couldn't sleep sitting up and that he wasn't going to stay, that this was ridiculous he was getting off at the next station.

I dont know what happened after that, but it was an interesting insight to the issues the train staff face. Im sure its a regular thing, coach passengers in the sleeper carriages, people thinking they will get away with it.

 

[citruscurtis]

Don't recall if they got off before they got kicked off or if they just quieted down and made it to Santa Barbara.

On my last trip south a lady was part of our Los Angeles empty car and the gathering we had to share who we were and so forth on the crest of the cascades as we were stopped for a lengthy time. well the lady was kinda off... fretting about stuff... well..30 minutes north of 5:30 am Sacramento the train stops under an overpass and out the window are emgervncy vehicles and we watch the lady being carried off on a gureny ... evidently Amtrak uses that spot often...it looked so easy

 

[bcla]

On my last trip south a lady was part of our Los Angeles empty car and the gathering we had to share who we were and so forth on the crest of the cascades as we were stopped for a lengthy time. well the lady was kinda off... fretting about stuff... well..30 minutes north of 5:30 am Sacramento the train stops under an overpass and out the window are emgervncy vehicles and we watch the lady being carried off on a gureny ... evidently Amtrak uses that spot often...it looked so easy

Oh - in some parts of the country they'll just stop in the middle of nowhere and call up the local police/sheriff if Amtrak Police (or perhaps other railroad police since they're usually on freight rail lines) are unavailable. Sacramento at least is close enough to civilization. Imagine someone being put off at a siding in the middle of Nowheresville, Nebraska or maybe Arizona.

 

[bcla]

Well if we are sharing passenger stories

I was in roomette 2, which is next to the stairs. As a result when I had my door open sounds and voices carried up the stairs as everyone was getting on at LA Union Station.

This all kicked off when they first got on the train. There was a family , elderly parents and an adult son. I heard raised voices so I took interest. The family had a paid for 2 people to be in a sleeper room and a coach ticket for one person. But all 3 were in the room. The raised voice was the adult son arguing with the room attendant as she said that the coach passenger could not be in the sleeper carriage. The adult son said he and his mom were in the sleeper and the dad had the coach ticket. But it sounded like the father was reluctant to leave.

Then it went quiet so I assumed it had all been sorted out and the train started moving.

As we went through the urban areas of LA to head towards the coast, more raised voices. It sounded like the son and mother were fighting. That the son had told the father to hide in the toilet but he had been seen by the room attendant. The plan was to have all 3 in the room but pretend like there was only 2. But they had been found out and now one of them had to leave. He keeps shouting "but I cant sleep sitting up, dad can sleep anywhere so it doesn't matter to him"

The raised voices drew the room attendant back to them. This time the room attendant was trying to match the names on the tickets to the people, to find out which person should not be there. It turns out that the son is the one named on the coach ticket and the father named on the sleeper carriage ticket. But the son wants the father to go to coach. and the mother was arguing with the son, telling him to leave instead.

This time the room attendant called the conductor back. I guess the conductor was trying to calm things down but all I heard was the son shouting, "you dont understand I cant sleep sitting up" over and over. Then he was trying to say it was a mistake, that the names had got mixed up in the booking.

Things calmed down again and then it was time for my lunch reservation.

After lunch, I saw the son eating on his own in the other end of the dining car, near the observation carriage. I knew it was him, as I recognized his voice when he was talking to Daisy the server.

As I previously said I then spent the afternoon in the observation carriage listening to the talk by the national parks people. There was an announcement, I guess by the conductor for a male passenger to collect his luggage from the dining car.

I guess what had happened was that when he left to eat lunch, the conductor removed his luggage from the room and brought them to the dining carriage. And then once he was in the dining carriage they wouldn't let him back into the sleeper carriages.

I was still in the observation carriage when he walked through into the coach carriage with his bag. He was not a happy camper, was still loudly proclaiming to the world that he couldn't sleep sitting up and that he wasn't going to stay, that this was ridiculous he was getting off at the next station.

I dont know what happened after that, but it was an interesting insight to the issues the train staff face. Im sure its a regular thing, coach passengers in the sleeper carriages, people thinking they will get away with it.

That's only one issue. Obviously they don't want people with guests in the sleepers who don't have tickets to be there. I don't know what happens if people (like families) with multiple rooms try cramming into the same room. The usual thing is to just go to the Sightseer Lounge. But they can have all sorts of issues, especially passenger intoxication. Some people keep others up. I recall hearing about one passenger on the Coast Starlight who was tossed off the train for talking on her phone for hours, including when people were trying to sleep. I've talked a bit on my phone, but generally kept it short and relatively quiet. This incident was in 2011:

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/womans-cell-phone-use-halts-train/​

Train operators called police and stopped the Amtrak train near Salem after complaints from passengers of Beard allegedly talking loudly and causing problems with others on the train.​

​

Police say she had reportedly been on the phone almost continuously since boarding in Oakland, Calif., even though operators had repeatedly asked riders not to use their cell phones.​

​

When officers arrived Beard had calmed down and left the train with them.​

The one time I wish someone had been asked to leave was that ride from Seattle to Emeryville. There were people who met in the Sightseer Lounge and had some common interests. But later one guy came into our coach car after the lights were dimmed and most passengers were trying to sleep. But they kept on talking for over a half hour. I probably should have said something, like make taking it to the lounge.

One advantage to sleepers is that Amtrak allows consumption of personal alcoholic beverages in one's own room. Any alcohol in other parts of the train must be obtained from Amtrak. But I've bought a beer and took it to the Sightseer Lounge or to my seat. That being said, I've heard that conductors can be lax. Had one tell me that she wouldn't punish anyone for sneaking in a beer unless really sloshed.

 

[citruscurtis]

On the Amtrak Northwest Cascade the train actually stopped in the middle of the tracks to let off a man a block away from Salem station...he didn't believe that he couldn't help board his elderly wife... even though told so by speakers and staff...as for Arizona.. every one is exhausted and sleeping... concrete platforms from Palm springs to Maricopa... middle of nowhere to seek assistance... Palm springs is the most isolated... there is nothing... whereas Yuma has a casino on a30 minute sidewalk walk and Maricopa in a dark industrial zone

 

[bcla]

On the Amtrak Northwest Cascade the train actually stopped in the middle of the tracks to let off a man a block away fro Salem station...he didn't believe that he couldn't help board his elderly wife... even though told so by speakers and staff...as for Arizona.. every one is exhausted and sleeping... concrete platforms from Palm springs to Maricopa... middle of nowhere to seek assistance... Palm springs is the most isolated... there is nothing... whereas Yuma has a casino on a30 minute sidewalk walk and Maricopa in a dark industrial zone

California Zephyr through Nevada or Utah can be in some really isolated places. Not where local law enforcement isn't present, but it would monumentally suck to be forced off a train there. There's a reason why so few people live in those areas.

 

[citruscurtis]

The most remote on starlight is chemult Oregon highest point on starlight.. but it's downtown and has brand new platform.... they realign the tracks... so built a nice platform and large parking lot