Serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Santa Ana, San Diego, and intermediate points

Amtrak train numbers: Various 500s and 700s

Predecessor railroad train numbers: Santa Fe 70 through 81

On March 27, 1938, the Santa Fe Railway debuted new streamlined equipment, providing two round trips daily between Los Angeles and San Diego, with supplemental service provided by older equipment. The trains were renamed to the San Diegans. By the 1950s, streamlined equipment was providing all service on the route.

By the time Amtrak came along in 1971, San Diegan service was down to two trains a day, with the Coast Daylight/Coast Starlight providing additional service. With funding assistance from Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, the number of San Diegan trains gradually increased. For a brief time, the Metroliner brand was expanded to the West Coast with the brief appearance of the premium limited stop San Diegan Metroliner trains in the mid 1980s.

On June 26, 1988, service was extended north to Santa Barbara, and service was extended further north to San Luis Obispo seven years later.

Due to the extensions and the promise of forthcoming new equipment, Amtrak chose to retire the San Diegans name, with the trains becoming the Pacific Surfliners on May 21, 2000.

Condensed historical timetables (1956):


TRAIN NUMBER        (70)    (72)    (74)    (76)    (78)    (80)
San Luis Obispo Dp  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----        
Van Nuys            -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Los Angeles         7:45A   9:00A  12:30P   4:30P   8:00P  11:15P
Anaheim             -----   9:35A   -----   5:04P   -----  11:50P 
Santa Ana           8:30A   9:48A   1:17P   5:15P   8:45P  12:04A
San Diego       Ar 10:15A  11:45A   3:00P   7:00P  10:30P   2:15A

TRAIN NUMBER        (71)    (73)    (75)    (77)    (79)    (81)
San Diego       Dp  5:30A   9:00A  11:15A   4:00P   6:30P  10:00P
Santa Ana           7:02A  10:34A  12:50P   5:42P   8:35P  11:32P        
Anaheim             7:14A  10:39A   -----   -----   8:45P   -----
Los Angeles         8:00A  11:30A   1:45P   6:35P   9:30P  12:30A
Van Nuys            -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   ----- 
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
San Luis Obispo Ar  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----

Condensed historical timetables (1972):


TRAIN NUMBER        (776)   (778)
San Luis Obispo Dp  -----   -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----       
Van Nuys            -----   -----
Los Angeles         8:00A  10:00A
Anaheim             -----   ----- 
Santa Ana           8:58A  10:58A
San Diego       Ar 10:55A  12:55P

TRAIN NUMBER        (777)   (775)
San Diego       Dp  4:00P   6:45P
Santa Ana           5:48P   8:33P      
Anaheim             -----   -----
Los Angeles         6:55P   9:40P
Van Nuys            -----   ----- 
Santa Barbara       -----   -----
San Luis Obispo Ar  -----   -----

Condensed historical timetables (1979):


TRAIN NUMBER        (770)   (772)   (774)   (776)   (780)   (778)
San Luis Obispo Dp  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----        
Van Nuys            -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Los Angeles         8:30A  10:30A   1:30P   4:45P   5:40P   8:00P
Anaheim             -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   ----- 
Santa Ana           9:21A  11:21A   2:21P   5:36P   6:31P   8:51P
San Diego       Ar 11:05A   1:05P   4:05P   7:20P   8:20P  10:35P

TRAIN NUMBER        (781)   (771)   (773)   (775)   (777)   (779)
San Diego       Dp  5:15A   7:00A   9:30A   1:00P   4:30P   7:30P
Santa Ana           6:55A   8:40A  11:10A   2:40P   6:10P   9:10P        
Anaheim             -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
Los Angeles         7:50A   9:35A  12:10P   3:35P   7:05P  10:05P
Van Nuys            -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   ----- 
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----
San Luis Obispo Ar  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----

Condensed historical timetables (1989):


TRAIN NUMBER        (570)   (572)   (774)   (576)   (578)   (580)  (582)  (586)
San Luis Obispo Dp  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----  -----  -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   7:50A   -----   -----   -----  -----  -----       
Van Nuys            -----   -----   9:32A   -----   -----   -----  -----  -----
Los Angeles         6:20A   8:00A  10:50A  12:45P   2:45P   4:45P  5:50P  8:45P
Anaheim             7:01A   8:44A  11:34A   1:29P   3:29P   5:29P  6:34P  9:29P
Santa Ana           7:13A   8:55A  11:45A   1:40P   3:39P   5:39P  6:45P  9:39P
San Diego       Ar  9:10A  10:50A   1:40P   3:35P   5:35P   7:35P  8:40P 11:30P

TRAIN NUMBER        (571)   (573)   (577)   (579)   (581)   (783)  (585)  (587)
San Diego       Dp  5:20A   6:25A   9:50A  11:45A   2:45P   4:45P  6:45P  8:50P
Santa Ana           7:00A   8:05A  11:35A   1:29P   4:33P   6:33P  8:27P 10:32P        
Anaheim             -----   8:14A  11:45A   1:39P   4:43P   6:43P  8:37P 10:42P
Los Angeles         7:55A   9:15A  12:40P   2:30P   5:35P   8:00P  9:30P 11:30P
Van Nuys            -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   8:33P  -----  -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   -----   -----   -----  10:25P  -----  -----
San Luis Obispo Ar  -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----  -----  -----

Condensed historical timetables (1997):


TRAIN NUMBER        (570)   (572)   (774)   (776)   (578)   (580)  (782)  (784)  (511)
San Luis Obispo Dp  -----   -----   -----   7:00A   -----   -----  -----  -----  -----
Santa Barbara       -----   -----   7:20A   9:25A   -----   -----  2:05P  4:00P  -----      
Van Nuys            -----   -----   9:19A  11:25A   -----   -----  4:01P  6:01P  -----
Los Angeles         6:20A   8:30A  10:15A  12:30P   2:30P   4:15P  5:10P  7:15P  9:35P
Anaheim             7:08A   9:21A  10:58A   1:13P   3:11P   -----  -----  7:58P 10:17P
Santa Ana           7:18A   9:30A  11:07A   1:23P   3:20P   5:01P  5:56P  8:07P 10:26P
San Diego       Ar  9:15A  11:25A   1:05P   3:25P   5:20P   6:45P  7:35P 10:00P 12:15A

TRAIN NUMBER        (571)   (773)   (775)   (577)   (779)   (781)  (583)  (585)
San Diego       Dp  6:15A   7:10A   8:45A  10:20A  12:25P   3:05P  5:30P  7:45P
Santa Ana           7:50A   8:46A  10:34A  12:11P   2:07P   4:52P  7:53P  9:28P        
Anaheim             -----   -----  10:43A  12:20P   2:16P   5:01P  8:02P  9:37P
Los Angeles         8:40A   9:55A  11:40A   1:10P   3:20P   6:05P  8:45P 10:35P
Van Nuys            -----  10:28A  12:13P   -----   3:52P   6:38P  -----  -----
Santa Barbara       -----  12:30P   2:15P   -----   6:03P   8:50P  -----  -----
San Luis Obispo Ar  -----   -----   -----   -----   8:50P   -----  -----  -----

The Amtrak Train Names Project

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