ORANGE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 /-- To safely manage travel on the Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® route around the Christmas holiday, reservations will be required on trains that travel between San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. Customers are encouraged to travel only for essential purposes in observation of the statewide stay-at-home order, and to familiarize themselves with local health and safety regulations that may vary by region.
A reservation will be required to travel on Pacific Surfliner trains beginning Wednesday, December 23 through Monday, December 28, 2020, to help manage capacity and allow customers to distance themselves from each other onboard. Additionally, the Rail 2 Rail program will be suspended during this period - monthly Metrolink and COASTER passes will not be accepted onboard Pacific Surfliner trains on these dates.
Amtrak monthly and 10-ride passes may still be used. However, multi-ride ticket holders will be required to confirm each trip (train and date) through the Amtrak RideReserve program on Amtrak.com, the Amtrak app, or an Amtrak agent prior to traveling during the reservation period; thus, ensuring travelers have the safest and most comfortable journey possible.
The Pacific Surfliner remains dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of passengers and crews during the continued pandemic. A number of new safety and cleaning measures have been implemented at stations and on trains. Visit pacificsurfliner.com/safety for additional information.
Tips to ensure a safe and smooth trip:
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Plan Ahead and Book Early: Visit pacificsurfliner.com/holiday to check availability and book tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at Amtrak.com, from Quik-TrakSM ticket kiosks, on the Amtrak app, or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.
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Travel Responsibly: Follow safety measures and any important public health orders in place during your trip and at your destination. This includes wearing a mask at stations and onboard trains at all times, washing hands or using sanitizer often, staying home if you are sick, and traveling for essential purposes only.
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Travel Off-Peak: When searching for travel during the all-reserved period, customers will see a volume percentage next to each trip option so they can get insight into specific trains that are less crowded. The percentage displayed is available in real-time when customers search for their train. These percentage numbers adjust dynamically as more passengers make reservations.
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Cancel If You Need To: Amtrak has waived all change fees for reservations made by December 31, 2020. If you decide that you don’t want to take a trip, and prefer to cancel rather than postpone, please call 1-800-USA-RAIL and speak with an Amtrak agent.
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Check Train Schedules: Check holiday schedules and train status before arriving at the station on Twitter (@PacSurfliners), Amtrak.com, or the Amtrak app.
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Book Travel Electronically: The Amtrak website and app now offer additional digital payment options, including Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, to make it easier to book travel and update reservations. Your eTicket will be delivered to your inbox and is also available in the app. Save it on your mobile device and present it to the conductor upon request.
- If You See Something, Say Something: Report any suspicious activity or unattended items to an Amtrak employee or member of the Amtrak Police Department at (800) 331-0008, by calling 911, or by sending a text to APD11 from a smartphone, or to 27311 from a standard cell phone.
For more information, visit www.pacificsurfliner.com/holiday.
About the Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner®
The Pacific Surfliner travels along a 351-mile coastal rail route through San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, serving 27 stations. It is the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States. To learn more and plan a trip, visit pacificsurfliner.com.
About the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency
The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency is a joint powers authority composed of rail owners, operators and planning agencies along the entire LOSSAN rail corridor. In addition to working to improve passenger rail ridership, revenue, on-time performance, operational flexibility, and safety, the LOSSAN Agency assumed management responsibility for the Pacific Surfliner service in July 2015, following the execution of an interagency transfer agreement with the state of California. For more information, visit lossan.org.
For More Information:
Emilia Doerr, LOSSAN Agency, edoerr@octa.net
Media Contact:
Nicole Freeman, The ACE Agency, nicole@theaceagency.com
