Sunset Limited to LA

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Courtney

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I am planning a trip to Spokane, WA in early November starting from Tucson,AZ. My concern is with the Sunset Limited out of Tucson being late to L.A. and causing me to miss the connection to the Coast Starlight.

Does anyone have experience with this particular route? I don't want to be overly paranoid, but I booked a roomette on the CS and would hate to be late. I have also been checking the status of the Sunset Limited and frankly it seems to run hours late more often than not.

Do most people just count on the Sunset being late and book an extra day? I'm not crazy about staying overnight in L.A., but flight times just don't seem to cooperate either, leaving little time to get from LAX to the station.

Also, can anyone give information on what actually happens when a train is late and someone misses a connection?

This is my first long distance trip and don't want a connection problem to throw a wrench in my whole trip.

Simply put, should I just cancel the Sunset portion or go with the flow?? I am hoping that maybe some of you have had past experiences that could help me feel better about my connections

Thanks!
 
I personally would not worry!

Since this connection is guaranteed, it is Amtrak's responsibility to get you to your destination. Depending on how many are transferring (and there may be many), Amtrak may bus you past LA (such as from Ontario to Santa Barbara) to catch up to the CS. They may even hold the CS to await the arrival of the SL. Or (as a last resort) they may send you to SAC via the connection via Bakersfield.

If you did want to fly, could you get a flight to Burbank Airport?
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IIRC, the CS stops there and the station is right at the airport.
 
My husband and I took the Sunset Limited a couple of weeks ago from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Like you, we were transferring to the Coast Starlight for a trip to Portland and then took the Amtrak Cascade from Portland to Seattle.

I had originally booked the Coast Starlight segment of the trip for the same day we arrived in Los Angeles. After thinking this over a bit ~ and also on the advice of some of the posters here ~ I changed our reservations for the following day. We stayed one night at the METRO PLAZA HOTEL which is located virtually "across the street" from LA's Union Station. We found it to be clean, comfortable and safe, as well as very reasonable at $89/night + tax. We would definitely stay here again if our travels took us through LA's Union Station.

As it turned out, the Sunset Limited actually arrived AHEAD OF SCHEDULE into Los Angeles, so we wouldn't have had any problems making our connection that day ~ about 2 hours after arrival. We enjoyed our one day off the train, however, and had a lovely meal at one of the Mexican restaurants on OLVERA STREET. We also were able to explore nearby CHINATOWN and also enjoyed a WONDERFUL French Dip sandwich at PHILIPPE'S "The Original", which is less than a block away from the Metro Plaza.

When you are in sleeper class, you will be allowed to wait in TRAXX BAR & GRILL for your train to depart, and will be offered coffee, tea, and fruit juices free of charge. You're also able to purchase adult beverages in Traxx. My husband and I enjoyed a Bloody Mary while waiting. An Amtrak representative will be there to check your bags for you. You will also be taken from Traxx to the platform by one of their little "people mover" carts, as it's quite a distance from the lobby ~ just one of the additional little perks to those booking sleeper accomodations. ^_^
 
When I rode it last summer it was actually early into LA. The train has a good on time record. The train to worry about is the Coast Starlight. It has been running late quite often lately. The Sunset has an ontime record of 85.6% for FY2011, second highest behind the Auto Train, which makes no stops. The Coast Starlight is only 73.6% for the year. It's a gauranteed connection so it's Amtrak's responsibility to get you there. When the train is too late for the CS connection they will put you on a bus to Bakersfield to connect with a San Jaoquin train.
 
I've tried to make the connection, too, and have been both successful and unsuccessful. First, know that there is a lot of padding between Pamona and LAX. One time, traveling from CHI (Texas Eagle), we came into LAX about 7:30 am, so way ahead of schedule. Good deal since we were headed to Davis (DAV) on the CS and had a non-refundable hotel reservation in Davis.

Last November, we were just going from Palm Springs (PSN) to Santa Barbara (SBA) via LAX, and the SL was 5 hours late coming into PSN, arriving about 10 am instead of 5 am. So, a good 4 hours late into LAX and the CS was long gone. No real problem as Amtrak put us on a Pacific Surfliner later that day to get us to SBA. Just didn't get to see the whole coast of California in the daylight.

On our 5-hour delayed trip last November, one fellow SL traveler really wanted to make the CS connection, as he would be riding first class (as you will be) on the CS and wanted to enjoy the Pacific Parlour Car. Fortunately, Amtrak was willing to pick up his hotel room in LA and he had the time, so was rebooked to take the CS the next day. Had he needed to keep to schedule, they would have put him on the bus to Bakersfield and then the San Joaquin to Sacramento, where he would have caught up with the CS. Having taken the Amtrak bus to Bakersfield and a San Joaquin north through the Central Valley, I can say that it gives one a good perspective on California agriculture. Of course, you miss the beauty of the California coast. And you miss enjoying the Pacific Parlour Car.

So, if you don't want to risk missing the connection, can afford an extra day, and you really don't want to stay in LA, consider staying farther north out of LA where you can ride the Surfliner and catch the CS the next day. I recommend Santa Barbara, which is a fun place to stop, and you can ready walk to nearby hotels and the beach from the Amtrak station.
 
Just to echo and condense what the previous posters said, here's the rule of thumb:

If you want to guarantee your seeing the Pacific Ocean from the Pacific Parlour car, you'd have to book to depart Los Angeles one day later. You will likely pay a higher fare for this plus your hotel room.

HOWEVER

If you just want to get to your destination and don't mind Amtrak putting you on a train other than the Coast Starlight out of LA in the event of a missed connection, keep your reservation the same as the connection in LA is guaranteed. If you miss the connection, Amtrak will most likely put you on a San Joaquin train out of Bakersfield to connect with the Starlight in Sacramento. As another poster mentioned, you may also be able to talk Amtrak into putting you up for the night in LA if you insist on retaining your first class accommodations.

If it were me, I'd go for the second strategy: keep your reservation the way it is, save yourself some money, and if it looks like you'll miss your connection (and it's more on-time than it is late these days), you can push hard for Amtrak to put you up for the night. Worst case scenario, they just put you on a San Joaquin train to Sacramento and refund you the first class fees between LA and Sacramento.

Rafi
 
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My husband and I took the Sunset Limited a couple of weeks ago from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Like you, we were transferring to the Coast Starlight for a trip to Portland and then took the Amtrak Cascade from Portland to Seattle.

I had originally booked the Coast Starlight segment of the trip for the same day we arrived in Los Angeles. After thinking this over a bit ~ and also on the advice of some of the posters here ~ I changed our reservations for the following day. We stayed one night at the METRO PLAZA HOTEL which is located virtually "across the street" from LA's Union Station. We found it to be clean, comfortable and safe, as well as very reasonable at $89/night + tax. We would definitely stay here again if our travels took us through LA's Union Station.

As it turned out, the Sunset Limited actually arrived AHEAD OF SCHEDULE into Los Angeles, so we wouldn't have had any problems making our connection that day ~ about 2 hours after arrival. We enjoyed our one day off the train, however, and had a lovely meal at one of the Mexican restaurants on OLVERA STREET. We also were able to explore nearby CHINATOWN and also enjoyed a WONDERFUL French Dip sandwich at PHILIPPE'S "The Original", which is less than a block away from the Metro Plaza.

When you are in sleeper class, you will be allowed to wait in TRAXX BAR & GRILL for your train to depart, and will be offered coffee, tea, and fruit juices free of charge. You're also able to purchase adult beverages in Traxx. My husband and I enjoyed a Bloody Mary while waiting. An Amtrak representative will be there to check your bags for you. You will also be taken from Traxx to the platform by one of their little "people mover" carts, as it's quite a distance from the lobby ~ just one of the additional little perks to those booking sleeper accomodations. ^_^
I didn't know this..we just took a sleeper out of Union Station a couple weeks ago and didn't know there was any sort of perk or free drinks...good to file away....
 
The use of the Traxx Lounge only pertains to the Coast Starlight! All other LD Sleeper pax are on their own, but getting a RedCap to take you to the Platform is a great idea! The lines can get long waiting for Coach!
 
Thank you so much! This information has really been helpful. I can't say that a late train and a bus ride would be a fun alternative to a roomette, but I don't think it would ruin the trip either. I am glad I have a flexible schedule, it leaves me options.

Thanks for all the information on the areas around the stations as well!

I am ready to just go with the flow, but the idea of staying in the Santa Barbara area is growing on me! It looks like a great place to spend a day and more in my comfort zone. I have never been to California before, so it would be nice to actually spend some time outside of a train there.

Take Care Everyone!! happy travels.
 
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