San Luis Obispo station

San Luis Obispo station is an Amtrak intercity rail station in the city of San Luis Obispo, California, United States. It has one side platform and one island platform serving the two tracks of the Coast Line.

San Luis Obispo, CA
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 Santa Barbara Subdivision[1]
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Amtrak Thruway: 17, 18, 21 SLO Transit: 3B
Construction
Parking	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial Revival architecture
Other information
Status	Staffed, station building with waiting room
Station code	Amtrak: SLO
History
Opened	May 4, 1894[2]
Rebuilt	January 1942–September 5, 1943[3][4]
Original company	Southern Pacific
Passengers
FY 2023	109,784[5] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Paso Robles toward Seattle Coast Starlight Santa Barbara toward Los Angeles Terminus Pacific Surfliner Grover Beach toward San Diego
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Salinas toward Sacramento Spirit of California Santa Barbara toward Los Angeles Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Santa Margarita toward San Francisco Coast Line Pismo Beach toward Los Angeles Port San Luis Terminus San Luis Obispo – Los Olivos Orcutt toward Los Olivos
Location

San Luis Obispo station is served by four Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (two in each direction) and two Coast Starlight trains (one in each direction).^[6][7]

In Fiscal Year 2023, 109,784 passengers boarded or detrained at San Luis Obispo station.^[5]

History

San Luis Obispo station in September 1987

The present Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad and opened on September 5, 1943.^[4] 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.

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.

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.^[8] 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.^[9]

See also

• City of San Luis Obispo Historic Resources

References

1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 15.
2. Historic Preservation Program Guidelines (Report). City of San Luis Obispo. November 2010. p. 53. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
3. "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.
4. "Program to Signalize S.P. Station Opening". San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune. September 4, 1943. p. 1. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
6. "Pacific Surfliner Timetable" (PDF). Pacific Surfliner. October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
7. "Coast Starlight Timetable" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. July 9, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
8. 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.
9. 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.

External links

Media related to San Luis Obispo station at Wikimedia Commons

• San Luis Obispo, CA – Amtrak
• San Luis Obispo, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)