(The following article by Nathan Welton was posted on the San Luis Obispo Tribune website on January 25.)
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Railway tracks along the Central Coast opened Monday after a weeks-long closure caused by fierce winter storms, but passenger trains still won’t be running for about a month as crews finish additional repairs.
Amtrak has been using buses to get passengers to their destinations.
“We certainly want to thank our customers and the California commuters for their patience and understanding while our operations were impacted by this disaster,” Union Pacific CEO Dick Davidson said in a statement.
The storms caused rock slides and flooding along the tracks on the Central Coast, as well as a large sinkhole in the Gaviota area north of Santa Barbara.
For now, according to track owner Union Pacific, a limited number of freight trains will run. Passenger trains won’t, however, until workers can finish replacing ties and removing mud from the tracks.
That should happen by Feb. 8 south of Santa Barbara, and about three weeks after that for the line north of Santa Barbara.
Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train, which normally runs from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, is currently only operating south of Los Angeles, said Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain.
“We’re anticipating — and it depends on Union Pacific — that the route will open through (the Central Coast) in February,” she said, “but that depends on what Union Pacific is doing because we operate on their tracks.”
Amtrak’s other train that passes through San Luis Obispo County, the Coast Starlight, is also suspended. That train goes from Los Angeles to Seattle but is now only in operation north of Emeryville, near San Francisco.
Union Pacific has said its total loss from the storms could amount to more than $200 million — half of which could come from lost revenue and the other half from repairs. The railway company has an insurance policy, but it has a $50 million deductible.
It was unclear what Amtrak’s loss was, Swain said.
For passengers wanting more up-to-date information on Amtrak’s closures, visit www.amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL.