Amtrak’s Coast Starlight Adds Simi Valley as Passenger Stop

Amtrak’s Coast Starlight passenger train will stop in Simi Valley beginning Oct. 26, its only stop between Glendale and Oxnard.

An Amtrak passenger platform will be built by the City of Simi Valley on Southern Pacific Railroad-owned land at Los Angeles and Surveyor avenues, said Mike Sedell, Simi Valley’s deputy city manager. The state has agreed to reimburse the city for the $100,000 cost of building the 300-square-foot, open-air platform.

Simi Valley will lease the platform site from Southern Pacific for $12,000 a year, Sedell said.

The train, which travels between Seattle and Los Angeles, will stop in Simi Valley twice daily--at 10:45 a.m. on its way north and 5:50 p.m. on its way south. There will be no ticket counter at the Simi Valley stop because passengers will be able to pay their fare after they board the train, Sedell said.

Simi Valley officials long have encouraged Amtrak to stop in their city because of the area’s increasing population, and Sedell said the city will push for more rail service. Riders from the West San Fernando Valley are also expected to use the Simi Valley stop, he said.

The new passenger platform will include 13 parking spaces and access for the handicapped. The Simi Valley City Council is expected to approve the platform’s final design plans and authorize the city manager to put the project out to bid at its meeting July 21, Sedell said.