South Coast commuters could see more options as early as this spring under a new agreement that would expand passenger train service through Santa Barbara County.
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments voted last month to approve an agreement with the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN) and the Ventura County Transportation Commission to fund two new daily train routes between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.
The $2,219,240 cost for the Los Angeles-to-Goleta segment will be split evenly, with SBCAG and VCTC each contributing $1,109,620, SBCAG senior transportation planner Whitney Rush told board members. Rush said LOSSAN is funding the service extensions beyond Goleta, and that both LOSSAN and VCTC approved the agreement earlier in February.
“With this board’s approval, it is the last and truly monumental step to make this schedule a reality,” she said.
The expanded service includes a new morning northbound train from Los Angeles through Ventura County, with South Coast stops in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta before continuing to San Luis Obispo. Rush said the train will then turn around midday and head back south, creating a new return trip through the same stops toward Los Angeles.
Unlike traditional weekday commuter trains, Rush said this 12-month pilot program will run 365 days a year, without taking time off for weekends or holidays.
During the meeting, SBCAG Director Joan Hartmann, a county supervisor, asked how the new service would avoid the reliability and on-time performance issues that plagued a previous morning commuter train launched in 2018.
Rush acknowledged that reliability was one of the largest barriers for the 2018 service, but assured the board that the new schedule is designed to avoid those past pitfalls. She explained that because this new morning train runs an hour later than the previous iteration, Union Pacific and other railroads have adjusted their freight schedules, which staff anticipates will result in “significantly higher reliability.”
Vice chair and Buellton Mayor David Silva asked whether SBCAG would track ridership and agency participation during the 12-month pilot program, and whether cost-sharing could expand after the pilot program if other regions are benefiting from the service.
Staff said the goal is for the service to shift to state funding once the pilot program ends, describing the local agreement as a one-year subsidy meant to start the route ahead of schedule. If state funding does not materialize, staff said they would consider seeking contributions from other agencies that benefit from the service.
Pointing to the importance of building ridership, Director Laura Capps, a county supervisor, asked staff for assurances that they would still conduct extensive employer outreach under this new service plan.
Rush responded that the marketing efforts are expanding, and said SBCAG is partnering with VCTC to target commuters at farmers markets and community events in Ventura County rather than relying on Santa Barbara employers to spread the word.
She added that the agencies are also planning a large employer forum and developing a program to offer $50 subsidized train passes to employees.
