Sunset Limited departure times at LAX

[GlobalistPotato]

If I looked back at the old Sunset Limited schedules from the Amtrak era (not SP), the train had a early morning arrival and late night departure at Los Angeles, CA. Similar to what Amtrak proposed in their Sunset Limited plan.

Before the Sunset Limited went on its super-padding schedule in 2005, train #2 departed LAX at 10:30 pm and #1 arrived at 6:40 am. Now of course were those times met? Of course not!

These times were pretty much the same back before the SP meltdown, SO...

Now, I've noticed that most of the critisms of Amtrak's plan for the Sunset Limited are the departure/arrival times at LAX. 5:05 am does seem too early, especially when the previous stop some 20 miles away was made at 3:30 am or something. Yeah. Talk about arriving at 4:00 am!

And some people think that 11:30 pm is too late of a departure time from LAX. I'd have to agree as well.

Personally, I'd go with an arrival time of 6:30-7:00 am and a departure of 10:30 pm. Even though that means the train will be departing all of the stations between LAX and SAS an hour off (one hour earlier for #2 and one/two later for #1).

The schedules are set up the way they are so that the train can connect to the Coast Starlight, have convenient service times at Phoenix and Tuscon, be at SAS in the middle of the night for the switching of the Texas Eagle thru-cars, and serve Houston to New Orleans at a convenient time as well.

Considering that changing schedule times doesn't require any new trains, rent on the Sunset Route, and very little change in terms of capacity, I'd think it'd be the cheapest (read: easiest) part of the Sunset Limited Plan to implement (the other big points of course being getting a daily train, restoring the Sunset East and some other details). UP doesn't need to ask Amtrak for $750 million dollars just to change the train slots.

 

[the_traveler]

I chose 10:30 PM because that at least gives some chance of a connection from the CS southbound! (Yes, I have arrived on time a few times!

) And a 7 AM arrival is not too early and still allows 3 hours of padding for the CS northbound connection!

 

[Shanghai]

I agree with the_traveler.

The connection with the Southbound CS would

avoid an overnight in LA.

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

I haven't voted yet because I just don't know. For example what effect would a change do to other major cities in route.

When I rode the SSL from Orlando it left around 6pm and was due in LAX around 8am. I think we arrived around 10am

Leaving a tourist destination late gives a tourist more time in that city. A business traveler needs to be connected to business schedules. He needs a full work day with the arrival/departure times.

In general I prefer early arrival/late departure time adjusted for reasonable connections to other routes Leaving LAX at 11:30pm would not bother me, but boarding as early as 10pm for sleepers would be nice.

 

[The Journalist]

I think part of the rationale for accepting the early arrival into LAX is that a lot of passengers are coming from other time zones where the time is later and will still be effectively "on" that time when they get in. 6:00 is pretty early, but 7:00 (Mountain) really isn't and 8:00 (Central) isn't at all.