In preparation for the upcoming holiday travel season, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner has announced advance reservations and travel schedule adjustments for the Thanksgiving and December holidays.
November Travel Updates
During the Thanksgiving holiday period, Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® trains and connecting Thruway buses will require advance reservations from Wednesday, Nov. 22 through Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. Even though additional train cars and buses will be deployed to increase seating capacity, customers are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and book early to guarantee the availability of tickets.
Travelers will be able to check their baggage from Saturday, Nov. 18 through Tuesday, Nov. 28 at staffed Pacific Surfliner stations, which include San Diego, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo.
During the reservation period, the Rail 2 Rail and Metrolink code share programs will be temporarily suspended, and Metrolink and COASTER passes will not be accepted on these dates. However, Amtrak monthly and 10-ride passes may still be used. If you have an Amtrak monthly pass or 10-trip ticket, you will be required to confirm each trip (train and date) in advance through the Amtrak RideReserve program when traveling between Nov. 22 through Nov. 27, 2023. During this time, 10-Trip tickets can only be used by a single rider at a time.
Although reservations are required, passengers must ride the train listed on their tickets. If travel plans change, customers must adjust the reservation in advance of the scheduled departure. This can be done online at Amtrak.com, by phone at 800-USA-RAIL, or at a staffed Amtrak station.
December Travel Updates
Los Angeles Union Station will temporarily close from December 26 to December 29, 2023, for track and signal upgrades. During this time, the Pacific Surfliner will bypass Union Station and take a historic route along the east bank of the Los Angeles River and through part of the Alameda Corridor. This will be the first time ever that this route is traveled by the service, providing passengers with a unique travel experience. The train schedule will be modified during this period, and alternate travel accommodations will be provided to passengers.
- Shuttle bus connections to and from LA Union Station and Glendale Station will be provided for all 700 series trains.
- Shuttle bus connections to and from LA Union Station and Fullerton Station will be provided for trains 562, 564, 572, 586, 573, 581, 589 and 595.
- Trains 580 and 591 will be suspended.
- Train 587 will also be suspended and replaced with a special train, 589, which will operate one hour later.
Learn more about these travel advisories at pacificsurfliner.com/alerts.
