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History of the Coast
Starlight
Before Amtrak, travelers could not travel the
length of the Pacific
Coast without
transferring between trains and various railroads. Service from San
Diego was provided by the Atchison,
Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad. The Southern
Pacific Railroad (SP) operated the full-service Coast Daylight and the Lark
service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. SP also operated the Cascade between Oakland and Portland. Union Pacific, Northern Pacific and
the Great Northern Railroads provided service between Portland
and Seattle. In 1970, the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific railroads merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad.
When Amtrak began operations on May 1, 1971, a
single route was formed to run between Los Angeles
and Seattle (and for a short while, down to San Diego). This unnamed, thrice-weekly was simply
#11 going southbound and #12 going northbound. A Los Angeles
to Oakland
train (#98 northbound and #99 southbound) supplemented this service. Service was also provided between San Diego and Los Angeles
(the San Diegan, now the Pacific Surfliner) and
also between Portland
and Seattle (Mount Rainier/Puget Sound, now Amtrak Cascades).
In the November 1971 timetable, the Los Angeles to Oakland
train revived the Coast Daylight name and was also extended to San Diego under it’s new assigned numbers of #12 and #13. The San Diego
to Seattle
train received its new name, the Coast Starlight, and became #11 and
#14. A few years later, the Coast
Daylight merged with the Coast Starlight to become a daily train. The San Diego
to Los Angeles segment was later dropped,
although for a few years in the min-1990s, the Coast Starlight sent two
through-coach cars down to San Diego
as #511, the last Pacific Surfliner of the
night. These cars returned the
next morning and were re-coupled to #14 to continue to Seattle.
During the Summer of 2008, the Coast Starlight
was re-launched with refurbished equipment, new amenities and a rejuvenated
spirit. The Pacific Parlour cars are unique to the Coast Starlight and offer
first class passengers an alternative dining experience, espresso coffee
service, domed views and an onboard movie theater. Already one of Amtrak’s
most popular routes, the re-launch has spurred a fifteen percent jump in
ridership.
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