Pacific Surfliner Schedule Change Starting 7/15/11

[hmy1]

I noticed that there is a new Pacific Surfliner timetable that takes effect starting July 15, not a date when they usually make a seasonal schedule change. Every time there's a new timetable, I always have difficulty figuring out what has changed, resorting to a side-by-side comparison between the old and new since the changes are usually minimal. I think I figured out what changed:

The weekend train 590 now departs at 7:45pm instead of 7:15 so that you can connect to it from Train 792 that arrives at 7:15pm. Those who have taken 792 in the past know that you usually miss that connection. Now you'll have a 30-minute buffer. Funny that they left the arrow in the timetable indicating the 792 is still intended to connect to 592 instead of the re-scheduled 590.

Anybody see any other changes?

 

[LA Resident]

I noticed that there is a new Pacific Surfliner timetable that takes effect starting July 15, not a date when they usually make a seasonal schedule change. Every time there's a new timetable, I always have difficulty figuring out what has changed, resorting to a side-by-side comparison between the old and new since the changes are usually minimal. I think I figured out what changed:

The weekend train 590 now departs at 7:45pm instead of 7:15 so that you can connect to it from Train 792 that arrives at 7:15pm. Those who have taken 792 in the past know that you usually miss that connection. Now you'll have a 30-minute buffer. Funny that they left the arrow in the timetable indicating the 792 is still intended to connect to 592 instead of the re-scheduled 590.

Anybody see any other changes?

Assuming 792 is on time at 7:15 on Sat and Sun, which is problematical even though on weekends Metrolink west-bound trains aren't clogging up the Santa Susanna Pass tunnels. And it still won't help passengers on 792 on Friday evenings, who will still need to wait for 592 at 8:30, tho I've been on 792 on Fridays and was so late into LAUS than I needed to catch the 796 Surfliner at 10:10

I hope there aren't any more changes. Every time they tinker with the Surfliner times, they seem to run up against the law of unintended consequences.

 

[bombcar]

I wonder why they didn't just make 792 continue to San Diego.

 

[LA Resident]

I wonder why they didn't just make 792 continue to San Diego.

792/798 (south) and 799 (north) together is the one Surfliner consist that is single-level equipment and runs onlly between LA and San Luis Obispo. If 792/798 ran all the way to San Diego, it couldn't be turned around and operated back to LA in time for the early-morning departure from LAUS at 7:30 a.m.