(The following column by Jane Engle appeared on the Los Angeles Times website on June 11.)
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train, which meanders up the Pacific Coast between Los Angeles and Seattle, has made a big comeback after being sidelined for months by a mudslide that covered tracks in Oregon. Since returning to full service the first week in May, it has spiffed up its perks in first class and added seat-side meal service for coach passengers.
Better yet, the often-tardy train ran on schedule 86% of the time in May, said Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. That beat major U.S. airlines, which logged an on-time rate of less than 74% from April 2007 through April this year, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures. Ridership has soared on the Coast Starlight, which carried nearly 22% more passengers in May 2008 than in May 2007, Graham said. Could it be the gas prices? Or rising airfares?
I toured the train Tuesday before it pulled out of Union Station in Los Angeles to see the latest updates:
Parlour Car: This vintage hang-out for the sleeping-car crowd (shown in photo) has been retrofitted with new air-conditioning. Very welcome, I imagine, in summer when you’re stuck behind a freight train. Also new: The upstairs lounge serves lunch and dinner. Meal seating is limited to 24, so reserve early or go to the regular Dining Car. In the downstairs theater, you’ll find a 50-inch, flat-screen monitor and an updated sound system. Some bad news: Daily wine-tastings are no longer free. It costs $5 to sample four regional wines, paired with four cheeses.
Arcade Room: Once known as the Kiddie Car, it’s now open to everyone and outfitted with video games. Warning: It’s a tight fit.
First-class boarding: Sleeping-car passengers in Los Angeles are served juice and coffee in the station while waiting to board. Then a conductor takes their bags for them and escorts them to their car. “From the time you get here, we wanted it to be a first-class experience,” said Dee Mason, Amtrak’s Oakland-based senior director for product management.
Coach class: Denizens of the cheap seats will find a few improvements. The main change is that you can now order meals delivered to your seat. (Don’t forget to tip.) You can still go to the Dining Car too. Coach-class pillows are bigger, I’m told, and blankets now cost $7.50 instead of $15.