The Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® travels along a 351-mile route through San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, announced enhanced protocols to maintain a safe environment for passengers and crews.
It is the second busiest intercity passenger rail corridor in the United States with 26 daily trains and an annual ridership of nearly 3 million.
Now Amtrak offers contact-free travel. When you book your ticket on the website, you will receive an eTicket as a PDF attachment to your emailed receipt. You can also book and retrieve your eTicket in the Amtrak app. Simply open the eTicket on your mobile device and show the QR code to the conductor.
Amtrak has made the decision to only accept credit and debit cards at stations and onboard trains for the health and safety of passengers and crews.
To move between cars, customers can press on the “automatic door open” button with their foot to avoid touching the doors.
All passengers and employees must wear facial coverings that cover their nose and mouth while at stations and onboard trains and buses. Small children who are not able to maintain a facial covering are exempt from this requirement.
Amtrak has increased the frequency of cleaning service at stations and onboard trains to multiple times a day, and in some cases, on an hourly basis. Commonly used surfaces in stations such as handrails, door handles, counter tops, seating areas, and Quik-Trak kiosks are cleaned with EPA-registered disinfectants.
Signage has been displayed at the busiest stations to indicate safe distances in high traffic areas. Trains continue to operate at their normal length, to allow adequate space for social distancing.
At key locations onboard, passengers can now access a variety of cleaning products including alcohol-based hand sanitizer and antibacterial surface wipes. Packaged cleansing towelettes, which were available previously, are also on hand in the Market Café (located in Car 3).
Each train car has a restroom on the upper and lower level with soap and hot water for washing hands.
When the train is approaching a destination, conductors make announcements regarding where and when customers should disembark to minimize crowding at the exits.
“As we do our part to help keep Southern California moving, our priority continues to be ensuring a safe environment for our passengers and crews,” said LOSSAN Agency Chairman Al Murray. “These additional resources are one way we are helping riders feel more confident when they travel by train.”
Crews are also completing the installation of plexiglass barriers in the Market Café on all trains, which provide added protection for customers purchasing food and beverages. While the Pacific Surfliner is operating on a reduced daily schedule, normal train lengths are being maintained to allow plenty of room for social distancing onboard.
Travelers are encouraged to check and adhere to local public health orders in effect for the areas in which they start and end their trip. Customers are encouraged to monitor their health and reschedule their travel in the event they are not feeling well, taking advantage of Pacific Surfliner’s flexible ticketing options.
