Questions about Train 11 (Coast Starlight) to Train 2 (Sunset Limited) connection

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J

JoeRids

Service Attendant
Joined
Sep 1, 2013
Messages
151
Hello, I have some questions regarding the SB Starlight to EB Sunset connection at LAX:

1. Amtrak.com lets you book this as a connection, so I assume it is guaranteed. Is this a reliable connection? Does Amtrak have a contingency plan for passengers if the Starlight is late, such as a bus connection from, say, Santa Barbara to Indio or Palm Springs?

2. I will be booking 2 seperete reservations. Will Amtrak still guarantee this connection?

Any intel would be appreciated!
 
One time I was inbound on the Starlight #11, they took the connecting Sunset Limited passengers (those with a guaranteed reservation) off in Santa Barbara and bused them to Palm Springs to connect with #2.
With two seperate tickets for each segment, I don't know how/if that bus would work for you (with you having a seperate ticket, would they honor that? IDK.)
I wasn't part of that connecting group so, I don't know how that worked out.
 
The time I had a connection from the Coast Starlight to the Texas Eagle, the Starlight was delayed between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, and we were too late for any possible bus connection. Fortunately, I had planned my trip with a hotel waiting and a reservation on the Eagle the next day.
 
I was on the Sunset a year ago leaving LA. The Coast Starlight got in a bit after 10 p.m. (our departure time) and they held the train.
That is amazing the connection was only missed once in three months, as stated above, given that the CS takes a day and a half to get down there.
 
Amtrak will guarantee your connection if it's bookable as on one itinerary. They most likely will not guarantee it if you book it as two separate itineraries; the most they can do is notate that you're coming in from another train on one of the itineraries.

This almost happened to me as I booked a separate Surfliner trip connecting to the SL. I originally had 6 hours of layover when the SL schedule shifted to depart three hours earlier due to track work and the Surfliner's schedule was botched because of the cliff erosions in San Clemente. All Amtrak could offer me were notes in the itineraries. Fortunately it didn't come to an emergent situation, but it reiterates a salient point:

If it's important to get on a specific run of the SL, book the CS to arrive the day before and spend a day in LAX. This counts double if you're intending to book separate itineraries at the outset.

I can't remember how many times the CS terminated in EMY or ran really late due to last winter's (and this spring's) weather. There's also a lot of single track between San Jose and Oxnard, and the train can take a three-hour delay for various reasons. Amtrak's been pretty solid on that connection the past three months but it's been perfect weather here. I personally don't expect the weather to be great for operations on the Starlight this winter.

If you do get bussed it may not be to Palm Springs; the SL can skip the station due to sand drifts and high winds as noted in the current Service Alert. You may get bussed to Pomona or Ontario; hopefully you don't get a long bus to Yuma.
 
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allanorn said:
I can't remember how many times the CS terminated in EMY or ran really late due to last winter's (and this spring's) weather. There's also a lot of single track between San Jose and Oxnard, and the train can take a three-hour delay for various reasons. Amtrak's been pretty solid on that connection the past three months but it's been perfect weather here. I personally don't expect the weather to be great for operations on the Starlight this winter.
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Just to clarify ... the single missed connection I stated above did not include times when the train did not reach LAX, as in truncated or canceled. There were 2 of those.

Here is the link to check: ASMAD - Amtrak Status Maps Archive Database - Train Connections History Search
 
caravanman said:
I believe it is essential to book the whole journey on one reservation, in order to get "guaranteed connection" status.
Click to expand...
Depending on how far north you are coming from, you can get off the CS in Sacramento and have a good breakfast and then board the bus to Stockton and take the San Joaquin to Bakersfield and another bus to Los Angeles Union station. You will arrive at LAUS at least 2 hours before the CS arrives.
I have done this train-bus-train-bus-train combo more than once. Another time I (and many others) arrived on the Sunset Limited an hour after the Coast Starlight had departed. We got a bus to Bakersfield and rode the San Joaquin to Martinez and were in MTZ at least 2 hours before the Coast Starlight got there.
 
I was booked on one reservation Portland to New Orleans. We were delayed 3 hours near Salem when the nb starlight hit a pedestrian. The next morning I was directed by Amtrak to get off in Sacramento and take the bus to Stockton and then to Bakersfield on the train and then a bus to LA. Made the connection with no problem. Do not book this as two separate reservations.
 
If you're in a sleeper for either train, then adding padding in LA means having access to the Cosmo Lounge there :)

If you go for the tight connection, then you'll probably tunnel from one platform to another without ever seeing the main part of the station, much less the 1st-class lounge.

Finally, if you do book two separate "trips" hoping to make the tight connection, do NOT check baggage to LA -- You would then need to hustle into the station to pick it up. By the time you do that, it would probably be to late to check it onto the SL, and you might even miss the train entirely.

And then there's the bus-from-SBA scenario -- You might talk your way onto the bus by showing your SL ticket, but your checked luggage would still go through to LA. What a nightmare! So if you book trains separately (perhaps because you want "Bid-Up" to function), then plan on keeping your luggage close to you (no further than the rack downstairs).
 

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