Amtrak Offers New California Rail Passes

Amtrak has begun selling three new rail passes in California patterned after the popular Eurail passes on the Continent. Similar passes are planned for the Northeast by the end of the year and for Florida next year.

The California Rail Pass allows unlimited train travel in the state on any seven days in a 21-day period. The price is $159 for adults and $80 for children 2 to 15. The pass is good on local trains such as the Pacific Surfliner, which runs between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. It is also good on the California part of the Coast Starlight, which runs between Los Angeles and Seattle. (Sleepers are extra.) It is not good on other long-distance trains, such as the Sunset Limited, which runs between Los Angeles and Orlando, Fla.

The two other new passes, for Southern California and Northern California, allow five days of unlimited travel within a seven-day period in those regions. The price is $99 for adults, $50 for children 2 to 15. They are good on local trains but not on the Coast Starlight or any other long-distance train. The Southern pass is good as far north as San Luis Obispo; the Northern pass is good down to Santa Barbara, according to Cyndi Darlington, senior director of marketing and sales for Amtrak West. Passes can be purchased through travel agents, at staffed Amtrak stations or by calling (800) USA-RAIL..