Coast Starlight

Coast Starlight crossing theSanta Ynez River as it drains into the Pacific Ocean nearSurf, California, 2019
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Pacific Coast
Predecessor	Coast Daylight,Cascade
First service	May 1, 1971
Current operator	Amtrak
Annual ridership	359,432 (FY 24)  6.3%[a][1]
Route
Termini	Seattle, Washington Los Angeles, California
Stops	28
Distance travelled	1,377 miles (2,216 km)
Average journey time	35 hours, 21 minutes[2] (southbound) 34 hours[2] (northbound)
Service frequency	Daily
Train number	11, 14
On-board services
Classes	Coach Class First Class Sleeper Service
Disabled access	Train lower level, all stations
Sleeping arrangements	Roomette (2 beds) Bedroom (2 beds) Bedroom Suite (4 beds) Accessible Bedroom (2 beds) Family Bedroom (4 beds)
Catering facilities	Dining car,Café
Observation facilities	Sightseer lounge car
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	Superliner
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed	40 mph (64 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owners	BNSF,SCAX,SDRX,JPBX,UP
Route map Show interactive map Legend Amtrak Cascades toVancouver, BC Empire Builder toChicago 0mi Seattle pre-2021 route Tacoma Dome 39 mi 63 km Tacoma closed 2021 Tacoma–Union Station closed 1984 Point Defiance Bypass 72 mi 116 km Olympia–Lacey 75 mi 121 km East Olympia closed 1990 94 mi 151 km Centralia 137 mi 220 km Kelso Empire Builder toChicago 177 mi 285 km Vancouver, Washington swing span across Columbia River WA OR 187 mi 301 km Portland 239 mi 385 km Salem 267 mi 430 km Albany 310 mi 499 km Eugene 432 mi 695 km Chemult 505 mi 813 km Klamath Falls OR CA 610 mi 982 km Dunsmuir 665 mi 1070 km Redding Gerber closed 1972 pre-1982 route 739 mi 1189 km Chico Orland Marysville closed 1999 Capitol Corridor toAuburn California Zephyr toChicago Gold Runner toBakersfield 824 mi 1326 km Sacramento 837 mi 1347 km Davis Gold Runner toBakersfield 881 mi 1418 km Martinez Richmond bypassed 2013 908 mi 1461 km Emeryville Oakland closed 1994 913 mi 1469 km Oakland–Jack London Square 954 mi 1535 km San Jose 1021 mi 1643 km Salinas King City proposed 1119 mi 1801 km Paso Robles 1157 mi 1862 km San Luis Obispo 1274 mi 2050 km Santa Barbara 1310 mi 2108 km Oxnard 1341 mi 2158 km Simi Valley 1358 mi 2185 km Van Nuys 1363 mi 2194 km Hollywood Burbank Airport Glendale bypassed 2005 Amtrak toSan Diego,New Orleans &Chicago 1377 mi 2216 km Los Angeles All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

TheCoast Starlight is along-distancepassenger train operated byAmtrak on theWest Coast of the United States betweenSeattle andLos Angeles viaPortland and theSan Francisco Bay Area. The train, which has operated continuously since Amtrak's formation in 1971, was the first to offer direct service between Seattle and Los Angeles. Its name is a combination of two priorSouthern Pacific (SP) trains, theCoast Daylight and theStarlight.

Duringfiscal year (FY) 2024, theCoast Starlight carried 359,432 passengers, an increase of 6.3% from FY 2023.^[3] In FY 2024, the train made 730 trips and 1 million train miles; it had a total revenue of $49.5 million, and operating expenses of $93.9 million.^[4]

Before the formation of Amtrak, no passenger train ran the entire length of theWest Coast. The closest equivalent was theSouthern Pacific Railroad (SP)'sWest Coast, which ran via theSan Joaquin Valley from Los Angeles to Portland from 1924 to 1949, withthrough cars to Seattle via theGreat Northern Railway (GN).

By 1971, the SP operated just two daily trains between Los Angeles and theSan Francisco Bay Area: the Los Angeles–San FranciscoCoast Daylight via theCoast Line, and the Los Angeles–OaklandSan Joaquin Daylight via theCentral Valley. The SP also operated the tri-weeklyCascade between Oakland andPortland, Oregon. TheBurlington Northern Railroad (BN) andUnion Pacific Railroad ranthree daily round trips between Portland and Seattle. TheSanta Fe ran theSan Diegan between Los Angeles and San Diego.

The Seattle–San Diego route was initially left out of plans for Railpax (laterAmtrak) until protests from politicians in California, Oregon, and Washington.^[5] With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1, 1971, a single train began running between Seattle and San Diego. The unnamed train (#11/12) ran three days a week; on the other four days, another unnamed train (#98/99) ran between Oakland and Los Angeles.^[6] On November 14, Amtrak extended the Oakland–Los Angeles train to San Diego, renumbered it to #12/13, and renamed itCoast Daylight. The Seattle–San Diego train became theCoast Daylight/Starlight (#11-12) northbound andCoast Starlight/Daylight (#13-14) southbound.^[7] Both trains were cut back from San Diego to Los Angeles in April 1972, replaced by a thirdSan Diegan.^[8] On June 10, 1973, Amtrak began running the combinedCoast Daylight/Starlight daily for the summer months.^[9] Positive response led to Amtrak to retain this service, and theCoast Daylight name was dropped on May 19, 1974.^[8]

An additional train, theSpirit of California, ran the section of the route between Sacramento and Los Angeles on an overnight schedule from October 25, 1981, to September 30, 1983.^[10] From November 10, 1996, to October 25, 1997, through coaches were transferred between theCoast Starlight andSan Diegan at Los Angeles.^[11][12][13]

TheCoast Starlight originally used the Southern PacificWest Valley Line betweenTehama andDavis. That route included a stop atOrland,^[14] but bypassed Sacramento. On April 26, 1982, the train was rerouted viaRoseville on the Southern Pacific Valley andMartinez Subdivisions, with stops added at Sacramento,Chico, andMarysville,^[15] per request from the state.^[16][10] In 1999, theCoast Starlight was rerouted onto the more direct ex-Western Pacific Sacramento Subdivision between Marysville and Sacramento, with the Marysville stop closed.^[17]

Ridership declined by 26% between 1999 and 2005 as freight congestion and track maintenance on theUnion Pacific Railroad reduced theCoast Starlight's on-time performance to 2%, which Amtrak characterized as "dismal." By mid-summer in 2006 delays of 5–11 hours were common. Critics dubbed the train theStar-late.^[18] During early summer 2008, theCoast Starlight was relaunched with new amenities and refurbished equipment. In July 2008, refurbished Pacific Parlour cars returned to service as part of the relaunch. This was much anticipated, due to the success of Amtrak's relaunch of theEmpire Builder. BetweenFY 2008 and FY 2009, ridership on theCoast Starlight jumped 15% from 353,657 passengers to 406,398 passengers.^{[citation needed]} Operating conditions on the UP improved as well; by May 2008 on-time performance had reached 86%.^[19]

Service was suspended north of Sacramento for a month in 2017 after a freight derailment damaged a bridge nearMount Shasta, California.^[20]

On February 24, 2019, the southboundCoast Starlight struck a fallen tree nearOakridge, Oregon, after a rare heavy snowstorm. The train was stranded for 36 hours before tracks could be cleared for a Union Pacific locomotive to tow the train back toEugene–Springfield.^[21]

From October 1, 2020, to May 24, 2021, daily service was reduced to three trains per week due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[22][23] On May 24, 2021, as part of its post-COVID service restorations, Amtrak restored theCoast Starlight frequency to daily service in both directions.^[24]

In late June 2021, theLava Fire seriously damaged a Union Pacific trestle on theBlack Butte Subdivision betweenKlamath Falls, Oregon, andDunsmuir, California.^[25] As a result, theCoast Starlight was initially split into two segments: Seattle to Klamath Falls and Sacramento to Los Angeles with a bus replacement service filling the gap between Klamath Falls and Sacramento.^[26] However, on July 2, 2021, it was announced that service would be discontinued between Seattle and Sacramento until July 14, 2021, withAmtrakCascades replacing service for passengers booked between Seattle and Eugene. Through service resumed on July 15, using overnight buses between Sacramento and Klamath Falls, and full-route train operation resumed on August 23.^[27]

A resurgence of the COVID-19 virus caused by theOmicron variant caused Amtrak to reduce the frequency of this route to five-weekly round trips from January to March 2022.^[28]

Trains began running over thePoint Defiance Bypass between Tacoma and DuPont, Washington starting on November 18, 2021.^[29]

The 2018 California State Rail Plan, prepared byCaltrans, outlines a number of planned improvements to rail infrastructure in the state of California.^[30] The plan was updated in 2023.^[31] In 2022, theCalifornia Transportation Commission approved $7.5 million for the construction of a new station inKing City to improve access to the region,^[32] including nearbyFort Hunter Liggett andPinnacles National Park.^[33] There is also a proposal in the Capitol Corridor Vision plan to improve the right-of-way shared by theCapitol Corridor andCoast Starlight between Oakland and Martinez.^[34] The proposal would re-route the train from along the shores ofSan Pablo Bay and theCarquinez Strait to a new tunnel through Franklin Canyon and a right-of-way next toCalifornia State Route 4 that would reduce the trip time by several minutes.

Except for two sections, most of theCoast Starlight route is on former Southern Pacific lines now owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. TheCoast Starlight runs over the following lines:

• BNSFSeattle Subdivision (ex-NP, later ex-BN): Seattle, Washington to Tacoma, Washington
• Sound Transit (SDRX)Point Defiance Bypass:^[29] Tacoma to DuPont, Washington
• BNSF Seattle Subdivision: DuPont to Portland, Oregon
• UPBrooklyn Subdivision: Portland to Eugene, Oregon
• UPCascade Subdivision: Eugene to Klamath Falls, Oregon
• UPBlack Butte Subdivision: Klamath Falls to Dunsmuir, California
• UPValley Subdivision: Dunsmuir to Marysville, California
• UPSacramento Subdivision (ex-WP):^[35] Marysville to Sacramento, California
• UPMartinez Subdivision:^[35] Sacramento to Oakland, California
• UPNiles Subdivision:^[35] Oakland to Elmhurst, California
• UPCoast Subdivision:^[35] Elmhurst to Santa Clara, California
• Caltrain (JPBX) Peninsula Subdivision:^[35] Santa Clara to Tamien, California
• UP Coast Subdivision:^[35] Tamien to San Luis Obispo, California
• UPSanta Barbara Subdivision:^[35] San Luis Obispo to Moorpark, California
• Metrolink (SCAX) Ventura Subdivision:^[35] Moorpark to Taylor Yard, Los Angeles
• Metrolink (SCAX) River Subdivision:^[35] Taylor Yard to Los Angeles Union Station

TheCoast Starlight is occasionally diverted between Oakland and Los Angeles via theCentral Valley andTehachapi Pass due to track work or service disruptions on the Coast Line. These rerouted trains are popular withrailfans because they use theTehachapi Loop, which has not had regularly scheduled passenger trains since 1971.^[36][37]

AmtrakCoast Starlight stations

State/Province	City	Station	Connections
Washington	Seattle	Seattle King Street	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades,Empire Builder Amtrak Thruway Sounder:N Line,S Line Link Light Rail: First Hill Streetcar ST Express,Travel Washington Community Transit,King County Metro
	Tacoma	Tacoma Dome	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades Sounder:S LineLink Light Rail: Greyhound Lines ST Express Intercity Transit,Pierce Transit
	Lacey	Olympia–Lacey	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades Intercity Transit
	Centralia	Centralia	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades Lewis County Transit
	Kelso	Kelso	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades Greyhound Lines RiverCities Transit
	Vancouver	Vancouver	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades,Empire Builder
Oregon	Portland	Portland	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades,Empire Builder MAX Light Rail:Orange Line,Yellow Line,Green Line Portland Streetcar The Bus, Central Oregon Breeze,FlixBus, Pacific Crest Lines,POINT, Shuttle Oregon,The Wave Trimet Bus
	Salem	Salem	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades Greyhound Lines POINT, Shuttle Oregon,The Wave Cherriots
	Albany	Albany	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades POINT Albany Transit System, Benton Area Transit, Linn-Benton Loop, Linn Shuttle
	Eugene	Eugene–Springfield	Amtrak:Amtrak Cascades POINT, Pacific Crest Bus Lines Lane Transit District, Link Lane
	Chemult	Chemult	Pacific Crest Bus Lines
	Klamath Falls	Klamath Falls	POINT, Pacific Crest Bus Lines Basin Transit Service, Crater Lake Trolley, Sage Stage
California	Dunsmuir	Dunsmuir
	Redding	Redding	Amtrak Thruway: 3 Greyhound Lines FlixBus Redding Area Bus Authority, Sage Stage,Trinity Transit
	Chico	Chico	Amtrak Thruway: 3 Greyhound Lines FlixBus Glenn Ride
	Sacramento	Sacramento	Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Gold Runner Amtrak Thruway: 3, 20, 20C SacRT:Gold El Dorado Transit,Sacramento RT
	Davis	Davis	Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor Amtrak Thruway: 3 Unitrans
	Martinez	Martinez	Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Gold Runner Amtrak Thruway: 7 County Connection,Tri Delta Transit,WestCAT
	Emeryville	Emeryville	Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Gold Runner Amtrak Thruway: 99 AC Transit,Emery Go-Round
	Oakland	Oakland–Jack London Square	Amtrak:Capitol Corridor,Gold Runner Amtrak Thruway: 17 AC Transit
	San Jose	San Jose Diridon	Amtrak:Capitol Corridor Amtrak Thruway: 6, 17, 21 Altamont Corridor Express Caltrain VTA Light Rail:Green Line Greyhound Lines Santa Cruz Metro,VTA Bus
	Salinas	Salinas	Amtrak Thruway: 17, 21 Greyhound Lines Monterey-Salinas Transit
	Paso Robles	Paso Robles	Amtrak Thruway: 17, 18, 21 Monterey-Salinas Transit,Paso Express,San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority
	San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Amtrak Thruway: 17, 18, 21 SLO Transit
	Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Amtrak Thruway: 10, 17, 21 Greyhound Lines FlixBus Santa Barbara MTD
	Oxnard	Oxnard	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Amtrak Thruway: 10 Metrolink:Ventura County Greyhound Lines FlixBus Gold Coast Transit
	Simi Valley	Simi Valley	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Metrolink:Ventura County VCTC Intercity Simi Valley Transit
	Van Nuys	Van Nuys	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Amtrak Thruway: 1C Metrolink:Ventura County LADOT DASH,Los Angeles Metro Bus
	Burbank	Burbank Airport-South	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner Amtrak Thruway: 1C Metrolink:Ventura County Burbank Bus,Los Angeles Metro Bus
	Los Angeles	Los Angeles Union	Amtrak:Pacific Surfliner,Southwest Chief,Sunset Limited,Texas Eagle Amtrak Thruway: 1 Metrolink:91/Perris ValleyAntelope ValleyOrange CountyRiversideSan BernardinoVentura County Metro:A Line,B Line,D Line,J Line FlixBus Greyhound Lines Los Angeles Metro Bus,Antelope Valley Transit Authority,City of Commerce Transit,City of Santa Clarita Transit,LAX FlyAway,LADOT Commuter Express,LADOT DASH,Mount St. Mary's College Shuttle,University of Southern California Shuttles,Foothill Transit,Big Blue Bus,Torrance Transit,Dodger Stadium Express

TheCoast Starlight typically uses twoGE P42DC orSiemens ALC-42 locomotives.^[38] The train uses double-deckerSuperliner equipment, including a Sightseer Lounge car that has floor-to-ceiling windows to view the passing scenery. As of 2024^[update], a typical consist has aViewliner baggage car, a transition sleeper, two sleeping cars, two coaches, one coach/baggage car, the lounge car, and a dining car.^[39] As of March 2025^[update], Amtrak intends to add a third coach in May 2025.^[40]

Prior to February 2018, theCoast Starlight was unique in that it included a first-class lounge car called the "Pacific Parlour Car". The cars were BuddHi-Level Sky Lounge cars, built in 1956 for theSanta Fe'sEl Capitan service. Called a "living room on rails", the Parlour car offered several amenities to first-class sleeping car passengers including wireless Internet access, a full bar, a small library with books and games, an afternoon wine tasting, and a movie theater on the lower level. Sleeping car passengers could also make reservations to dine in the Parlour car, which offered a unique menu not offered in the standard dining car.^[41] In February 2018, in a cost-cutting measure, Amtrak retired the Pacific Parlour Cars, citing the move as "part of Amtrak's ongoing work to modernize its fleet of equipment."^[42]

• "PRIIA Section 210 FY12 Performance Improvement Plan"(PDF).Amtrak. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on August 19, 2016. RetrievedDecember 18, 2013.
• Goldberg, Bruce (1981).Amtrak--the first decade. Silver Spring, MD: Alan Books.OCLC 7925036.
• McKinney, Kevin (June 1991). "At the dawn of Amtrak". Trains Magazine.
• Schafer, Mike (June 1991). "Amtrak's atlas". Trains Magazine.
• Zimmermann, Karl (July 2, 2001)."All Aboard! The Coast Starlight". Trains Magazine. Archived fromthe original on November 25, 2005.

• Veary, Bruce (July 1986). "After the Daylight: Today's Coast Line".Trains. Vol. 46, no. 9. pp. 26–46.ISSN 0041-0934.

• Media related toCoast Starlight at Wikimedia Commons
• Coast Starlight travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Coast Starlight – Amtrak

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