On Saturday May 25, 2002, Amtrak started the new weekend Pacific Surfliner service from Los Angeles to Goleta with an around-noon departure back to Los Angeles and after a forty minute layover, continuation to San Diego.
Since there was no connection from Orange County for this service, I elected to drive to Norwalk and rode LA Metro's Green Line to the Blue Line, then the Red Line to Los Angeles Union Station. I arrived at LAUPT about twenty-five minutes early and walked up to the platform finding two Pacific Surfliner trains, one on Track 9 and the other on Track 8. I surmised that Track 8 must be Train 568 as it had no life to it, so I walked around to the other train, the new Train 799, which opened in a few minutes. Across from my platform one track over were Metrolink passengers waiting for a train which would not run and after I told them about the bus to El Monte, they went off to find it.
Mike was my conductor for this round trip and I boarded Pacific Business Class and was joined only by a woman and her all-over-the-place daughter, as well as a couple downstairs. We departed on time as I drank some tea and labelled the slides from my trip to Minnesota a few days ago. It was a very gray morning as we left Los Angeles and passed the location of the under-construction Pasadena Gold Line shops. The engine tracks at the former Southern Pacific Taylor Yard were the emptiest that I had ever seen. We made our stops with few, if any, passengers boarding this new train and ran on-time across the San Fernando Valley then went through the three tunnels as I finished labeling the slides and then enjoyed the view for the rest of the trip.
Simi Valley was next, followed by Moorpark, where we met Pacific Surfliner 772. We arrived at Oxnard early before proceeding to Ventura which was followed by the great coastal-running, always fantastic in any weather. As we entered Santa Barbara early, we met Pacific Surfliner 776. The total passengers aboard our train were 31. After detraining, I said hello to Jack Wilson before going to Bebop Burger for an early lunch then returned to the depot, read the weekend edition of USA Today and did a word fill-in while listening to some music. Before departure, I walked over to Subway for an ice cream cone before Pacific Surfliner 780 arrived from Goleta.
I boarded Pacific Business Class and rested as the early morning caught up with me. We met Pacific Surfliner 765 at Santa Barbara, the Coast Starlight at Ventura and a Union Pacific freight at CP Madera then waited on time at Moorpark before going into the new extended siding, complete with signal bridge at Hassen, where we met Pacific Surfliner 771. It was a quick trip back into Los Angeles, where the train would lay over for forty-two minutes. The total passengers aboard this trip was 75.
My return to Norwalk was on schedule, with the longest wait between trains on each line being three minutes at 7th and Flower and walking onto the Green Line train as it arrived at Rosa Parks. I drove home and despite traffic on Interstate 5, beat Train 780 to Santa Ana by fifteen minutes. It was a great day of train and transit riding.
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