LOCAL

Amtrak adds roundtrip train between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara

Cheri Carlson
Ventura

Starting Saturday, Amtrak will add a roundtrip train between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara as passengers continue to pack trains during the Highway 101 closure.

Cindy Halstead waits for the train at the Amtrak Station in the Ventura Fairgrounds because Highway 101 remains closed between Ventura and Santa Barbara. The trains have been inundated with passengers. Despite adding rail cars, the trains are selling out and standing-room-only on the ride past Montecito.

The highway has been closed since Jan. 9, when intense rain slammed into the fire-scarred hills above Montecito. The storm triggered massive debris flows, killing 20 people, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and leaving Highway 101 impassable.

With the major commuter fare closed between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, many turned to ferries or trains to get to work or school.

The additional train is expected to add 1,000 seats along the Pacific Surfliner route, overwhelmed by a surge of passengers over the past 10 days.

Read more:Commuters flood train stations in wake of Highway 101 closure

Officials called the demand for trains "unprecedented" and already had pulled in 15 additional railcars to add to existing Pacific Surfliner routes bound for Santa Barbara.

But demand continued to outpace capacity, the company said Friday.

Debris, water, mud and stuck vehicles cover Highway 101 in Montecito after last week's storm.

"Our plan is to continue to operate the new round trip and expanded service until the 101 is fully reopened," said Michael Litschi, deputy managing director for the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency. LOSSAN manages the Pacific Surfliner service.

Caltrans spokesman Colin Jones said the agency hoped to get the highway open by early next week, possibly as soon as Monday. But an exact date had yet to be announced.

"We're getting very close," Jones said Friday afternoon.

See more:Gallery: Commuters fill trains during highway closure

The additional train wasn't added earlier because of work happening near the tracks in the Montecito area, Litschi said.

When train service resumed in the area last week, there were still rescue operations happening and a significant amount of cleanup work going on close to the tracks.

Every time a train passed, crews would have to stop working in that area, he said. But now, much of the work has either concluded or moved farther from the tracks.

The added train will have about 500 seats. The others running the route have up to 750.

The northbound train is scheduled to leave Los Angeles at 8:15 a.m., Ventura at 10:14 a.m. and arrive in Santa Barbara at 11 a.m.

The southbound trip is scheduled to leave Santa Barbara at 12:07 p.m. and arrive in Ventura at 12:49 p.m. and in Los Angeles by 3 p.m.

For a full schedule, go to www.pacificsurfliner.com.