Pacific Surfliner Connection at LAX Missing

[hmy1]

For at least the past few weeks, I haven't been able to book a reasonable itinerary from San Diego connecting at LAX to any long distance train unless I use the multi-city function. I get some ridiculous multi-transfer itinerary or, worse yet, no trips available for the selected date. I don't know how Amtrak's reservation system works, but it's almost as if it doesn't see LAX as a connection point. Anybody else notice these issues?

Examples:
SAN-SEA: Surfliner to SLO, bus to SJC, CC to SAC, CS to SEA
SEA-SAN: CS to EMY, bus to SLO, Surfliner to SAN
SAN-CHI: Surfliner to TE only, no SWC option
CHI-SAN: Actually works, give me both TE and SWC options, and some CZ options but not involving the CS

I am searching for early next year, so the current track closure in San Clemente is irrelevant.

 

[zephyr17]

Every connection between each city pair has to be manually entered in Arrow, they aren't generated algorithmically, and apparently not even train by train. With the cancellations and "temporary" (1xxx) train numbers for the remaining service, like many connections disappeared and were not manually re-entered. They probably probably won't come back until service is re-established through San Clemente, and normal train numbers return. Also, it will likely take a couple weeks to get them entered. A lot of connections were lost on the Builder at CHI when the Builder's schedule was restrung earlier this summer and it took awhile for them to get put back in the system (not all were due to later arrival).

I am not excusing it, I am merely explaining it. It is largely a system artifact caused by the train cancellations/renumbering combined with the antiquated core system.

The weird routing using Surfliners, buses, Capitol Corridor to pick up the Starlight in Sacramento might be a result of making sure the connections on these state sponsored services were a priority to get established.

Amtrak's systems are old, brittle and rickety and their IT not the best. If I were actually planning travel, I'd use an agent to get your preferred routing. They should be able to tell if a connection is guaranteed even if it is not showing up on the website. Or you could force it through Multi-City, but would be unsure of the guarantee status.