Amtrak moves its stop from Glendale

Josh Kleinbaum and Jackson Bell

Alex Troffey doesn’t go to Seattle too often. But when he does, he

likes to take the two-day Amtrak train ride, leaving from the

Glendale station.

So, when Troffey decided on a May trip to the Emerald City, he

called Amtrak. This time, he was rebuffed.

The Coast Starlight, one of two Amtrak lines that stops in

Glendale and heads up to Seattle, will cut Glendale out of its route

on April 25 and instead pick up passengers in Van Nuys. The Pacific

Surfliner, a San Diego-to-San Luis Obispo train, will continue to

stop at the Glendale Transportation Center at 400 W. Cerritos Ave.

“Glendale has been a regular stop for years -- years,” Troffey

said. “It’s much easier to board and leave that station -- it has

ample free parking for people living in or near Glendale -- rather

than Union Station [in downtown Los Angeles].”

The move is a logical one for the rail line, since the Van Nuys

station is in a much busier area and has twice as much passenger

traffic, Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain said. The Van Nuys location

also includes station agents and baggage checkers -- which Glendale

does not have -- and better parking, Swain said.

Another factor is that while Surfliner ridership has increased 45%

during the past three fiscal years, the Starlight has dipped 24%,

Swain said. The Surfliner makes 11 round trips weekdays and 12 on

Saturdays and Sundays; the Starlight makes one daily northbound and

southbound stop in Glendale.

“It just makes more sense to have passengers board at Van Nuys

instead of Glendale,” Swain said. “It’s important to have the right

spacing to better serve our customers.”

Travelers who want to connect with the Starlight from Glendale can

take the Surfliner to the Union Station or Van Nuys stops for $3.75,

she said. They can also catch the Metrolink for $4.50, she said.

While Glendale riders will be inconvenienced by the move, it will

better benefit the region, said Richard Silver, executive director of

the Rail Passenger Assn. of California.

“Passengers still have the ability to get to Seattle,” he said.

“The process has just been made more difficult. This is as good as

you are going to get in a bad situation.”

The new Van Nuys stop will be at 7720 Van Nuys Blvd.