Central Coast Train Passengers Reverted to Bus Rides to Avoid Massive Bridge Project
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The popular coastal train rides through Santa Barbara County have a summer detour, with passengers in some cases getting on a bus.
The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency, which manages the Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® service, says north of Goleta train service is suspended from August 1 through August 16, 2025, due to the La Cañada Honda Bridge Replacement Project. This is on Vandenberg Space Force base property.
Alternative bus transportation is now moving regularly to assist passengers.
The 16-day closure clears the area for the La Cañada Honda Bridge to get rebuilt. It is a 127-year-old steel viaduct over Honda Creek. The bridge is a critical piece on the 351-mile LOSSAN Rail Corridor, which supports passenger rail and freight service through Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.
The work is coordinated by the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and funded by LOSSAN through grants from the State of California and UPRR.
A full environmental review of the area was conducted to make sure the bridge work did not significantly disrupt the habitat in the area.
Passengers at the Santa Barbara train station Tuesday morning said they were aware of the changes and had made alternative plans. That included staying on the bus plan to get to another train stop or having someone pick them up in Santa Barbara to complete their trip. That was the case for a Grover Beach woman who met her mom after she got off the train in Santa Barbara, then headed back up.
Lillian Adams said, “Yes. I normally go all the straight through to Grover Beach.”
Her daughter Denise Leesom drove down 80 miles. “Luckily I am a bus driver myself. Yes!”
One passenger going from Vandenberg to Seattle where he lives had to make his re-routing plans very early in the morning. Robert Donovan said, “I took a commuter bus into Goleta and then a city bus into Santa Barbara, had breakfast at D’Angelos and spent the morning at Stearns Wharf. Now I take an Amtrak bus to Bakersfield, another one to Sacramento and then I finally get on the train and continue in the sleeper car.” He could have flown but loves trains and bus rides. On his return, it will be a drive in his car as he relocates to Santa Barbara County.
This project will provide long-term service reliability for rail passengers. It will also improve efficiency on this critical route for coastal ridership through the Central Coast and up to Seattle on both the Pacific Surfliner and the Coast Starlight trains, as well as the Union Pacific Freight service.
Once finished it will improve reliability and contribute to lower emissions.
LOSSAN SERVICE CHANGES
August 1 through August 16, 2025:
Track Closure: The bridge replacement requires closure of the rail corridor between Goleta and San Luis Obispo, resulting in the suspension of train service from Friday, August 1 through Saturday, August 16, 2025. All trains will terminate or originate in Goleta during this period, with normal service resuming on Sunday, August 17, 2025. Passengers traveling north of Goleta must disembark at the Santa Barbara Train Station and board an available bus connection. All bus connections will be through the Santa Barbara Train Station.
Bus Connections: Alternative bus transportation will be provided between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Bus connections will be available for southbound trains 774 and 794 from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara, and for northbound trains 761 and 779 from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo. The buses will follow Route 17 between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, with stops in UC Santa Barbara, Solvang, Buellton, Santa Maria, and Grover Beach. In addition to these bus connections, Route 17 will operate on its normal schedule and route.
Visit the Pacific Surfliner website for additional information.