San Bernardino Station

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gswager

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I rode on Southwest Chief on the way back to east from Los Angeles and I noticed that San Bernardino station is closed under construction. Are they going to restore the station?

Few years ago, I used San Bernardino station as arrival station and it was in really bad shape- bathrooms are horrible! Also it had trouble with vandals. I'm hoping if that station will be restore to a nice one.
 
Yep, that's exactly what is going on in San Berdo, restoring the station. It has been boarded up for years, and finally restoration has begun. It will also be used for Metrolink as many of the commuters to LAUS and Orange County start (and end) there each day. I use it weekly.

Wb
 
Allen Dee said:
Also, the proposed LA-Las Vegas trains will also stop there. Anyone have any idea when these trains will start?
Click to expand...
Not any time this year. :( That's part of the agreement between Amtrak and the DOT. I strongly suspect that it will also be part of next year’s agreement.

So unless someone else steps forward (California, Nevada, the Casinos, or some combination of those three) to guarantee that Amtrak will incur no losses on a Vegas service, we won't be seeing it for the next few years. :(
 
I made a recent trip to Las Vegas on Amtrak Thruway buses (Greyhound).

There are major construction projects underway between Victorville-Barstow and Baker-Halloran Summit. There is no way that I would drive an automobile through these 2 long, narrow detours. Highway signs along the way state that the completion of these projects will not occur until 2005.

The proposed train service was supposed to be financed by the state of Nevada. Maybe the casinos will now ante up since they are so empty. Rooms at 4-star hotels are selling for as little as $20.00 a night midweek.

I refuse to make another trip to Las Vegas until the train service starts.
 
Our proposed L.A. to Las Vegas service is not in a good spot. I was at a meeting with Liz O' Donaghue (Amtrak planning-states) over the weekend and she reported that Amtrak national has no interest in starting *ANY* new service this or next year, including the Vegas line. She commented that refurbishing equipment is their primary objective right now and that no new routes will be started (unless they are fully funded by the states) until the national system is stabilized.

So, it's up to California and Nevada. She also brought up that the $28 million spent to add a siding near Cima Hill is now inadequate to run the service because freight traffic on the L.A. to Las Vegas portion of this rail line expanded by multifolds over the last three years, and now more track work will need to be done and more sidings/double track will need to be added before the freight railroads will allow Amtrak or the states to add any passenger service to the line.

:angry:
 
JC

That $28 million that was spent on the Cima Hill double track came from Amtrak national. I am sure that these tracks are currently being used by UP freights. It is not right for the freight railroads to take advantage of Amtrak in this manner.

On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I stayed on the 20th floor of the Union Plaza Hotel. From my window I could see the traffic on the UP line, and it was very heavy, a train every 15 minutes or so. The first thought through my mind was that they could never schedule passenger train movements through this kind of heavy freight traffic.

The only way that we will ever see passenger train service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is to double track the majority of the line east of Yermo. In all probability this will not happen. Bottom line, the UP owes Amtrak $28 million. Good luck collecting it.
 
With the states in budget crisis particularly California, I would not expect any increase in rail funding over current levels until the budget problems are fixed.
 
;) I was interested in the part about the San Berdo station. I was hoping that the L.A.- L.V. run would be reinstated. I'm with Allan Dee, that I won't be driving the run between L.A. & L.V. for a long time until they get the highway fixed. My wife refuses to fly, so I don't think we'll be going to Las Vegas any time soon. Oh well, we'll be saving money. I would also think that the casinos would would to ante up some money to bring back trains to their city.
 
I refuse to go to Las Vegas until train service is started or the highway construction projects are completed.

But I can go to Reno and Tahoe.

Here is my proposed itinerary:

Coast Starlight from Santa Barbara to San Jose.

Cal Train from San Jose to San Francisco.

Overnight in a San Francisco hotel.

BART from San Francisco to Richmond.

California Zephyr from Richmond to Reno.

Overnight in a Reno hotel.

???? from Reno to South Lake Tahoe. (I can get from point A to point B)

Overnight in a South Lake Tahoe hotel.

Amtrak Thruway bus from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento.

Overnight in a Sacramento hotel and a tour of the railway museum there.

San Joaquin train from Sacramento to Bakersfield.

Amtrak Thruway bus from Bakersfield to Santa Barbara.
 
The Zephyr does not stop at Richmond. After Emeryville it stops at Davis, then Sacramento. You could take a Capitol from Richmond to Sacramento then the Thruway Connection to Reno from Sacramento. There is a way to get to Emeryville Amtrak via BART to MacArthur station then the free Emerygoround shuttle that stops within a block and a walk on the bridge over the tracks from the Amtrak station there. Emerygoround has a website and I'm not sure if it runs on weekends but you can look to see.
 
I have family in Martinez and someday hope to take the Silver Service bug over to Capitol bug, then finally onto the Zephyr bug to visit my family. Of course this will most likely occur after I hire out with Amtrak, too expensive otherwise.
 
Ugh, how could I forget Martinez...must be my old age creeping up on me. Better not tell JC, he'd throw something at the train I'm on next time I head down to the Bay Area, especially since he was on the back of the "Making Tracks" newsletter (in case he thought no one would notice) :) .
 
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