San Juan Capistrano May Set Up Shuttle Service to Amtrak Depot

In an effort to alleviate the congestion in downtown San Juan Capistrano’s Amtrak commuter parking lot, city development officials are considering setting up a shuttle service to the depot.

Since August, more than 100 passengers have said they would be interested in the morning and evening park-and-ride service planned for the Capistrano Depot by city and Orange County Transit District officials, said Brian Fisk, community development assistant. Fisk said sign-up sheets have been posted at the depot for interested commuters to choose one of the three designated pickup stops.

Dial-a-Ride has been working with the city to design routes for three vans that could shuttle up to 51 passengers--17 in each van--from satellite parking areas in San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Monarch Beach and Mission Viejo.

At least eight passengers per van are necessary for the service to be self-sufficient, Fisk said. Each commuter would pay $1.60 for the round-trip service from each parking area to the Verdugo Street depot.

The shuttle vans would deliver passengers to the 6:41 a.m. northbound train to Los Angeles and return them to the parking areas after the arrival of the 6 and 7 p.m. trains. John Snodgrass, operations manager for Mark IV Charter Lines Dial-a-Ride division, said at least 150 southern Orange County commuters travel north on the trains daily.

Proposed morning routes for the three van shuttles are:

A 6:18 a.m. stop at the northern Marguerite Parkway entrance to Mission Viejo Mall, a 6:25 a.m. stop at the park-and-ride lot on Junipero Serra Road at Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano and a 6:30 a.m. depot arrival.

A 6:15 a.m. stop at Monarch Bay Plaza in Monarch Beach, a 6:23 a.m. stop at Violet Lantern Street and Coast Highway in Dana Point, and a 6:30 a.m. depot arrival.

A 6:20 a.m. stop at Grant’s Plaza in San Clemente and a 6:30 a.m. stop at the depot.

Fiske said the service is expected to start this spring, as soon as enough passengers commit themselves to the shuttle.

The city also plans to lease 100 commuter parking spaces in a multilevel parking lot under construction at the Franciscan Plaza, across from the station. Commuters will have to pay for the spots.

Fisk said the parking complex--which is scheduled to be completed this summer--and the shuttle vans should alleviate the parking problems.