Following the signing of an interagency transfer agreement with the state of California in July, the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency has assumed local control of the Pacific Surfliner, the nation’s second-busiest Amtrak route. OCTA, a member of the LOSSAN joint powers authority, provides day-to-day administration for the Agency, including management and staffing, marketing, capital project oversight, and direct management of the operating contract with Amtrak, to provide the service.
The Pacific Surfliner serves 27 stations along a 351-mile route through six counties: San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. With 23 daily trains, the Pacific Surfliner has a ridership of more than 2.7 million passengers annually – topped in popularity only by Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor operating between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.
Cities along the LOSSAN rail corridor are also served by Metrolink and the Coaster commuter rail services, which carry an additional 4.5 million riders each year.
The LOSSAN Agency is a joint powers authority formed in 1989 that works to increase ridership, revenue, reliability and coordination of rail services along the corridor. The agency is governed by an 11-member board representing rail owners, operators and planning agencies from San Diego to San Luis Obispo.
Local oversight of the Pacific Surfliner by LOSSAN is expected to enhance customer service, ensure efficient use of resources and provide more effective decisions about train schedules, onboard amenities, capital projects, and service expansion.
