SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The board of directors of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has directed its staff to prepare a formal agreement for commuter rail service between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, following a meeting of the organization on Wednesday, KEYT-TV reports.
The proposal would add an early-morning Metrolink trip for commuters from Moorpark, Calif., to Goleta with five intermediate stops, with a mid-morning return from Goleta that would make the same intermediate stops but continue all the way to Los Angeles Union Station. An existing Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train would provide the afternoon return trip for commuters, as shown in the schedule presented in meeting documents:
The proposed one-year pilot program would cost an estimated $4.4 million, with the costs to be covered by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, and farebox recovery [see “Efforts advance to extend Metrolink service …,” Trains News Wire, May 8, 2024]. There would be options to extend the pilot program for one or two years. Once established for at least three years, the program could become eligible for Federal Transit Administration funding.
The proposed agreement would include the two county agencies, Metrolink, and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, operator of the Pacific Surfliners. If the agreement is approved, the new service could begin as soon as October.
The arrival/departure pattern shown here will not very well serve commuters to Santa Barbara in the AM, nor going home in the evening if they work a fairly traditional 800/900AM-500PM schedule. Getting from the station with a 751AM arrival to places of employment not essentially adjacent will be impossible for anything before 830AM and similarly for anyone whose shift ends at 500PM it will be a long wait until 650PM to board the train.
Of course no schedule can meet everyone’s needs and post-COVID 800AM-500PM is far from the universal work window, but particularly the evening pattern is going to be a stretch for anyone on a traditional work schedule. The 1035AM Goleta-Los Angeles train will strongly appeal to shoppers and sightseers, but obviously it does not truly address commuter needs.
I support added passenger trains on this route–but perhaps some additional equipment might provide the ability to run a better-timed service? Could this be at least a short-term use for some of the Caltrain bi-levels recently with drawn from Bay Area service?