Drivers Avoid Traffic by Boarding New Commuter Train Service
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – For many working on the South Coast, their morning commute will no longer involve their personal car anymore. A new train service is offering another set of wheels.
The AMTRAK Pacific Surfliner has started a new morning line from Ventura County cities including Simi Valley, Oxnard and Ventura and the goal is to have the train arrive in Santa Barbara just before 8 a.m. and in Goleta shortly after 8 a.m.
It was on time Monday morning.
Passengers who needed a ride to their business or somewhere close by, were offered a free Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) shuttle.
There were stops to help those working at UC Santa Barbara, the Hollister tech-corridor, Cottage hospital and downtown Santa Barbara government offices.
Many of those workers would normally be driving, and in congestion between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. daily and it is not uncommon for the commute to last more than an hour.
Cottage Hospital employee Rachel Gomez said the ride worked for her on many levels. “First of all it is the green initiative so we are saving the planet. Second of all it is great for my pocketbook and third of all everyone I met was fantastic and what a beautiful way to go to work.”
There are individual passes, weekly passes and a monthly pass which brings the cost down significantly to what Gomez said was, “five dollars from Ventura.”
Another passenger, Ashley Lopez works for the City of Santa Barbara. She says, “I can start my workday on the train, open my laptop, start going through emails as soon as I get on the train.”
It was less stress than driving in unpredictable traffic. Lopez said, “this was good for my mental health. I didn’t have to sit in traffic, it made coming to work way more enjoyable. Then I will take the train back home to Ventura.”
The new train service is part of a bigger picture plan to add the train and also finish with the freeway work to add a lane in each direction.
The train and lane concept has been a long-time goal for transportation officials with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). It has taken a collaboration with AMTRAK, Union Pacific, MTD, Ventura County Transit Commission and Lossan rail corridor agency.
Recently there was a special seminar for employers in Goleta and Santa Barbara to learn about the service, the benefits and to make suggestions that will help encourage ridership.
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