San Luis Obispo station
San Luis Obispo station is a passenger rail station in the city of San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The station is fully staffed with ticketing and checked baggage services.[5] The present Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad and opened on September 5, 1943.[3] It replaced the original SP depot, located just south of the current one, which opened on May 4, 1894. After the present depot opened, the former depot was then used for freight until it was shuttered in 1968. It was demolished to make room for a parking lot in 1971.
San Luis Obispo, CA | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() San Luis Obispo station in 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 1011 Railroad Avenue San Luis Obispo, California United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 35°16′35″N 120°39′17″W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Union Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Operated by | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | UP Coast Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 side platform, 1 island platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival architecture | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | Amtrak: SLO | ||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | May 4, 1894[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rebuilt | January 1942–September 5, 1943[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Original company | Southern Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
FY2019 | 72,922[4] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Service
The station is the northern terminus of Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and it also serves the Coast Starlight from Seattle, Washington, to Los Angeles. Four Pacific Surfliner trains (two in each direction) and two Coast Starlight trains (one in each direction) serve the station daily.
For most of Amtrak's first three decades, the station was only served by the Coast Starlight, which ran southbound in the afternoon and northbound in mid-morning. In 1995, Amtrak and CalTrans extended the San Diegan all the way to San Luis Obispo. That route had long been a Los Angeles–San Diego service, but had been extended up the Central Coast to provide that region with additional service to Los Angeles. The San Diegan was rebranded as the Pacific Surfliner five years later.
Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, San Luis Obispo was the 27th-busiest in FY2012, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 297 passengers daily.[6]
Platforms and tracks
Main tracks | ■ Coast Starlight | toward Seattle (Paso Robles) |
■ Coast Starlight | toward Los Angeles (Santa Barbara) | |
■ Pacific Surfliner | toward San Diego-Union Station (Grover Beach) |
Central Coast Layover Facility
The station has room for a single Surfliner passenger train adjacent to the station to hold overnight for a morning departure from San Luis Obispo.[7] The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency is planning an expanded facility on the Union Pacific property just south of the station. This property still contains the foundation of the Southern Pacific roundhouse and the pit where the turntable resided until 1994. The proposed layout of the CCLF would require destruction of most of these historic landmarks, and prevent the future rebuilding of the railroad facility for historic and public use. The proposed additional storage and maintenance capacity will also allow a second train to layover and provide for future expansion of service.[8]
References
- Historic Preservation Program Guidelines (Report). City of San Luis Obispo. November 2010. p. 53. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- "Track Changes Being Made for New SP Depot Here". San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune. January 23, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Program to Signalize S.P. Station Opening". San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune. September 4, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2019: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. May 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- "Train Web: San Luis Obispo".
- "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2012, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- Wilson, Nick (March 8, 2021). "SLO railroad area could see major expansion with new train yard. Neighbors aren't happy". The Tribune. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Corey, Tyler (March 10, 2021). LOSSAN EIR for Central Coast Layover Facility. Planning Commission Agenda (Report). City of San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)