I’ll be at CSUN next week in Anaheim. If you’ll be there, send me a message here and we can say hi.
I avoid flying as much as possible, so I had Amtrak Coast Starlight tickets booked for both trips to and from Los Angeles.
With just 11 days to go, Amtrak told me my southbound train is cancelled because the Union Pacific coast line is being shut down this weekend for maintenance. So, unfortunately going to get in a flying tube this Saturday.
While down there, I’ll be checking out some trains and other public transit I haven’t explored yet.
Some things on my list:
• OC Streetcar - this is a brand new streetcar-ish route in Santa Ana, currently in testing
• K line - two discontinuous segments are now connected at the airport
• A line - recently extended further east to Pomona
• Arrow - the only hydrogen-powered passenger train. I’m skeptical of hydrogen trains, but I want to check it out.
• Various buses, as needed
Somehow, I never used the airtrain at SFO, until today. I’ve always arrived at or departed from my terminal on a bus, or walked through all the terminals between the BART station and my terminal. I didn’t want to figure out how to get to/from the airtrain stations on the upper level. But today I had some extra time to figure it out, and it definitely saved me some time overall.
I spent about 40 minutes wandering around looking for the LA Metro Connector bus. I found it though and got to LAX/Metro transit Center station. There are so many different bus stops and types of buses at LAX. It’ll be much easier to get to the LA Metro trains once the automated people mover is operating.
Since last year, the C line was extended one stop north, so I need to ride it one stop south from the end to regain my completion of the line. Then, I’ll ride the K line north from Aviation/Century.
I’m on the K at Aviation/Century. People including me are confused by C and K trains arriving from both directions on both tracks. A train arrived from the south, and people on it said it was a K, and I got on, but after sitting there for a minute, the train announced it was heading south to Redondo Beach. So I got off, and a northbound K train showed up on the other track.
Overheard two people talking on the E line platform at Expo/Crenshaw:
“I love trains.”
“Me too.”
Now I’ve again ridden the entire current route of the C and K lines. The A line extension remains, for another day. Meanwhile, riding the E to downtown.
Tomorrow my plan is to go to LA Union Station and get on a Metrolink San Bernardino line train, which I will ride for nearly two hours to the other end in San Bernardino. Then, I will attempt to see and ride the Arrow train.
On the B or D (didn’t check which) to Union Station.
On the Metrolink San Bernardino line train.
An Amtrak long distance train pulled into the station while I was waiting.
I guess in LA you can’t avoid being on a highway, even if you take a train. To be fair, BART and VTA light rail have the same problem.
Traveling along the location of this infamous video, where a steam locomotive is in the middle of the highway.
https://youtu.be/xp-b4Ce4Mf4
Santa Fe 3751 (Los Angeles-San Bernardino) Feat. High Speed Pace!
I can see right down into people’s pools in their backyards. It would be cool to be hanging out in your pool and then a train goes by right there.
At Pomona North station, where the A line now ends. I’ll need to come back here to ride that.
One station was Claremont, and the next one was Montclair. 🤔
I made it to San Bernardino Downtown station, and the Arrow train arrived on an adjacent platform a few minutes later. Unlike the San Bernardino line train, which has no level boarding, this one has level boarding at 22 in, and the platform is a bit higher at the station.
Unfortunately, this appears to be a diesel Stadler Flirt, not the hydrogen one. Very smooth ride through industrial areas though.
I got to Redlands - University station. It looks like they’re just running the same physical train back and forth for the 20-min journey, so little hope of seeing the hydrogen train.
Back at San Bernardino Downtown station. The main platform here is 8in above the rails, and the Arrow train platform was built 14 in higher at 22in above rail, so there are two ramps and one set of two steps to get up to the higher platform. .
I rode the Metrolink San Bernardino line train again, westbound this time, and got off at Pomona North station, where it connects to the end of the LA Metro A line. This is one end of the longest tram line in the world. There’s nothing really here. I’m getting on the A.
After passing APU/Citrus College station, I’ve again ridden the whole LA Metro Rail system. Hopefully they’ll add more soon so that I again will not have ridden the whole system.
Riding the LA Metro 45 bus now, just to get a bit across downtown.
Ate some vegan empanadas, then got on the A again to Union Station.
Now I’m on the Metrolink Orange County line train. Wheelchair riders do not get to look out a window.
I got off at Anaheim and got on the Orange County Transit 553 bus to get to the area where CSUN is. Catching buses is usually too frantic to permit taking photos of the bus.
Now I’m on the Orange County Transit 83 bus, headed to the Santa Ana Transit Center, so I can check out the infrastructure of the OC Streetcar. This bus is driving on I-5 in some sections.
Peter Saathoff-Harshfield
