View source for Coast Line (California)

{{Short description|Railroad line in California along the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to the Bay Area}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox rail line
| name                            = Coast Line
| image                           = The Southbound Coast Starlight at horseshoe curve.jpg
| caption                         = The ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' navigating a [[horseshoe curve]] near [[San Luis Obispo]].
| owner                           = {{Unbulleted indent list
   | [[Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board]] (San Francisco–Tamien)
   | [[Union Pacific Railway]] (Tamien–Moorpark)
   | [[Southern California Regional Rail Authority]] (Moorpark–Los Angeles)
   }}
| locale                          = {{Unbulleted list
   | [[San Francisco Bay Area]]
   | [[Central Coast (California)|Central Coast]]
   | [[Greater Los Angeles]]
   }}
| start                           = [[San Francisco 4th and King Street station|San Francsico]]
| end                             = [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles]]
| stations                        = 68
| type                            = [[Commuter rail|Commuter]], [[Freight rail|freight]] and [[Inter-city rail|inter-city]] rail
| operator                        = {{Unbulleted list
   | [[Altamont Corridor Express]] 
   | [[Amtrak]]
   | [[Caltrain]]
   | [[Metrolink (Southern California)|Metrolink]]
   }}
| open                            = 1871 (first section)<br />1900 (final section)
| tracklength                     = {{Convert|470|mi|km|abbr=on}}
| tracks                          = 1-4
| gauge                           = {{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| electrification                 = {{25 kV 60 Hz|conductor=overhead}} (San Francisco–Tamien)
}}

The '''Coast Line''' is a [[railroad]] line between [[Burbank, California]]{{Efn|{{coord|34.1861|-118.321}} Burbank Cutoff}} and the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], roughly along the [[Pacific Coast]]. It is the shortest rail route between [[Los Angeles]] and the Bay Area. Though not as busy as the [[Surf Line]], the continuation of the Coast Line southbound to [[San Diego]], it still sees freight movements and many passenger trains. The ''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'', which runs from the [[Santa Fe Depot (San Diego)|San Diego Santa Fe Depot]] to [[San Luis Obispo station|San Luis Obispo]] via [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] in [[Los Angeles]], is the third busiest [[Amtrak]] route, and the busiest outside of the [[Northeast Corridor]] between [[Washington D.C.]] and [[Boston]].

== History ==
=== Predecessors ===
The [[San Francisco and San Jose Railroad]] built the first segment of the line from [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] between 1860 and 1864. The founders of the SF&SJ incorporated as the Southern Pacific Railroad, which was authorized by Congress in 1866 to connect the line from San Jose south to [[Needles, California|Needles]], where it would meet the [[Atlantic & Pacific Railroad]]. [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|SP]] had built to [[Tres Pinos, California|Tres Pinos]] by 1873, however they abandoned efforts to continue the line to [[Coalinga, California|Coalinga]], instead choosing a more inland route from [[Lathrop, California|Lathrop]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daggett |first1=Stuart |title=Chapters on the History of the Southern Pacific |date=1922 |publisher=Ronald Press Company |location=New York |pages=123–124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sFcGAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref name=Coast-84>{{cite news |url=http://slorrm.com/images/coast_line_hist.pdf |title=Coast Line History |date=June 1984 |work=The Ferroequinologist |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Southern Pacific LA access.png|thumb|left|Map of the Southern Pacific Railroad's different routes into Los Angeles from the north]]

By 1871, SP had completed a line south from San Jose through [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]] and [[Pajaro, California|Pajaro]], arriving at [[Salinas, California|Salinas]] in 1872 and [[Soledad, California|Soledad]] in 1873.<ref name=Coast-84 /> SP halted southward work at Soledad for thirteen years and started building north from [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in 1873, completing a line to [[Burbank, California|Burbank]]. In 1886, SP had pushed south from Soledad to [[King City, California|King City]], [[Paso Robles, California|Paso Robles]], and [[Templeton, California|Templeton]].<ref name=Coast-84 /> Two routes through to [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] from Los Angeles were considered by the company: one following the [[Santa Clara River Valley]] and a second further south across [[Santa Susana Pass]]. The former was determined to be both cheaper and quicker to initially build, though the more expensive route was also seen as a desirable future addition.{{sfn|Hofsomm|1986|pp=17–18}} By 1887, the southern portion of the line had been extended through [[Newhall, California|Newhall]], [[Saugus, California|Saugus]], and [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] to Santa Barbara.<ref name=Coast-84 /><ref name=Robertson>{{harvnb|Robertson|1998|p=240}}</ref>

By 1894, SP had extended the line south over the [[Cuesta Pass]] from Templeton to [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/photos-from-the-vault/article234453502.html|title=From stagecoach robberies to railroads, SLO's new train tracks signaled end of an era|last=Middlecamp|first=David|date=August 31, 2019|work=The Tribune|access-date=August 31, 2019}}</ref> The work continued south to [[Guadalupe, California|Guadalupe]] in 1895 and [[Surf, California|Surf]] in 1896.<ref name=Coast-84 /> The {{convert|80|mi|adj=on}} gap between Surf and Santa Barbara was closed with the last spike driven on December{{nbsp}}28, 1900.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19001229.2.4 |title=New Bonds Unite Los Angeles with the Northern Metropolis |date=29 December 1900 |newspaper=Los Angeles Herald |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref>

[[File:SP 3006 with the Coast Daylight at Auzerais Street, April 1970.jpg|thumb|Southbound ''[[Coast Daylight]]'', at Auzerais Street in San Jose in April 1970]]
The first version of the Coast Line was completed by the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] on December{{nbsp}}31, 1900 when a train was run over the bridge at Cementerio, west of Goleta.<ref name=LastSpike>{{cite news |title=Last Spike Driven on the Coast Line |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-last-spi/154257651/ |access-date=29 August 2024 |newspaper=[[The San Francisco Call]] |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com |date=January 1, 1901 |location=San Francisco, California}} {{free access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=Institute For American Research |url=http://www.goletadepot.org/depot_chronology.php |title=Chronology of Goleta Depot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106043228/http://www.goletadepot.org/depot_chronology.php |archive-date=2013-11-06  |via=[[South Coast Railroad Museum]] |access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref> Regular service did not begin immediately, pending [[track ballast]] work on several miles of the new line.<ref name=LastSpike /> It differed from the modern line with the original route running via the [[Ocean View Branch|Ocean View line]] in San Francisco, the [[Market Street Depot]] in San Jose, [[Saugus, Santa Clarita, California|Saugus]] and [[Santa Paula, California|Santa Paula]] through the [[Santa Clara River Valley]], and south into Los Angeles via the Valley Line. Passenger service began on March 31.<ref name=Coast-84 />{{sfn|Solomon|2005|p=30}}{{efn|{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=MaryEllen |last2=Breschini, Ph.D. |first2=Gary S. |url=http://mchsmuseum.com/railroads.html |title=Railroads of the Central Coast—An Overview |publisher=Monterey County Historical Society |access-date=23 March 2014}} gives the date as January 7}}

The work between [[Ventura, California|Ventura]] and [[Carpinteria, California|Carpenteria]] eventually allowed the construction of the [[Rincon sea-level road]] for automobile traffic to travel this formerly impassible section of coastline.

Work on the [[Montalvo (Metrolink station)|Montalvo]] Cutoff, which crossed the [[Santa Clara River (California)|Santa Clara River]] to serve the farmers in the [[Oxnard Plain]] and was extended to [[Santa Susana, California|Santa Susana]] in [[Simi Valley, California|Simi Valley]], began in 1898.<ref name=Coast-84 /> The [[Santa Susana Tunnel]] opened in 1904 connecting with the Chatsworth cutoff from Burbank{{efn|Burbank, {{coord|34.24917|-119.2129|display=inline}}}} and thereafter was the main line.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mSkkAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA2034 |title=Southern Pacific Company, 20th Annual Report |date=December 10, 1904 |magazine=[[The Economist]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19040320.2.33&srpos=1 |title=CHATSWORTH PARK CUTOFF LINE OPENS TODAY |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |date=20 March 1904 |volume=XXXI |number=173 |page=2}}</ref> Passenger and freight traffic declined dramatically at the [[Port of Hueneme|Hueneme wharf]] in [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]] as they shifted to the railroad.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chase |first=J. Smeaton |date=1913 |title=California Coast Trails: a Horseback Ride from Mexico to Oregon |chapter=Chapter VI}} Reprinted in {{cite magazine |title=California Coast Trails: a Horseback Ride from Mexico to Oregon Chapter VI |magazine=The Double Cone Register |url=http://www.ventanawild.org/news/fall05/chase/chapter6.html |publisher=[[Ventana Wilderness]] Alliance |volume=VIII |number=1 |date=Fall 2005}}</ref> A new straighter track was built between [[Chatsworth, California|Chatsworth]] and Burbank to coincide with the new route, and the original line through the [[San Fernando Valley]] was designated as the [[G Line (Los Angeles Metro)#History|Burbank branch]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Curtiss |first1=Aaron |title=Tracks to the Past |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-04-07-me-55841-story.html |access-date=31 January 2021 |agency=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=7 April 1996}}</ref> In 1907, the [[Bayshore Cutoff]] opened from [[San Bruno, California|San Bruno]]{{efn|San Bruno,{{coord|37.631|-122.412|display=inline}}}} to [[San Francisco]], relegating the original main line through the [[Bernal Cut]] to branch status. In 1935 the new line around downtown San Jose opened{{efn|Between {{coord|37.3414|-121.9127|display=inline}} to {{coord|37.2848|-121.8427|display=inline}}}} and thereafter was the main line.<ref name="McGovern">{{harvnb|McGovern|2012|pp=26, 125}}</ref>

In the golden era of passenger service, SP trains on the San Francisco leg of this route ran from the [[Third and Townsend Depot]] in San Francisco to the [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]] in Los Angeles. The Oakland–Los Angeles trains originated from the [[16th Street station (Oakland)|16th Street Station]] in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]].

[[File:Coast Subdivision & Peninsula Corridor, Santa Clara.jpg|thumb|left|Looking south at the junction of the Coast Subdivision (left) and Peninsula Corridor (right), Santa Clara (2022)]]

=== Current lines ===
The line has several subdivisions.<ref>{{CA rail schematics|page=6}}</ref> Ownership is currently split into three segments:
* [[Caltrain]] (PCJPB) from [[Signalling control|CP]] [[James Lick#Legacy|Lick]] (MP 51.6, south of Tamien yard) north to San Francisco
* [[Union Pacific Railroad]] (UP), which merged with [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] (SP) in 1996, from CP Lick south to the north end of [[Moorpark, California|Moorpark]]{{efn|Moorpark, about {{coord|34.28488|-118.891|display=inline}}}}
** Between CP Lick (MP 51.6) and CP Coast (MP 43.9), the Coast Line is owned by PCJPB. At CP Coast, north of [[Santa Clara Transit Center]], the UP Coast Subdivision resumes and branches from the Peninsula Corridor, traveling north/northeast to CP Newark (MP 31.0), where it joins with the [[Niles Subdivision]].
* [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] south of Moorpark

{{PCJPB Peninsula Subdivision|collapse=y}}
{{Coast Subdivision}}
{{Santa Barbara Subdivision}}
{{Ventura Subdivision}}
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board purchased the line on the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] north of Tamien in 1991, and the line north of [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]] is primarily used by passenger services. In 1992, Southern Pacific granted the [[Los Angeles County Transportation Commission]] an option to purchase the entire Coast Line for passenger train operations at {{convert|110|mi/hour|km/hour|abbr=on}}. Upgrades to signals and tracks to enable higher-speed operations were estimated to cost $360&nbsp;million at the time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.joc.com/la-transit-agency-gets-option-buy-sps-coast-line-route-proposed-high-speed-use_19920930.html |title=LA transit agency gets option to buy SP's Coast Line route proposed for high-speed use |author=Kaufman, Lawrence H |date=30 September 1992 |work=The Journal of Commerce |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> In the case of both purchases, SP retained freight [[trackage rights]] along those lines which continue to be held by the company's successor, Union Pacific.
{{clear left}}

== Service ==
=== Freight ===
[[File:Rush Hour at CalTrain's South San Francisco depot - 13883708559.jpg|thumb|A [[Caltrain]] train (left) passes [[Union Pacific]] and [[Helm Leasing Company]] engines at [[South San Francisco, California|South San Francisco]], April 2014]]
Union Pacific freight trains run on the route, although the [[Fresno Subdivision]] through the [[San Joaquin Valley]] is the preferred north–south California route due to having easier grades and curves.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://syvnews.com/entertainment/ride-historic-railcars-along-the-coast/article_4343c170-38d1-568a-a955-340c15c90f70.html |title=Ride historic railcars along the coast |date=30 August 2016 |work=Santa Ynez Valley News |first=Mary Ann |last=Norbom |access-date=3 September 2016}}</ref> The freight trains are typically local freights, empty bare-table and autorack trains. The line sees varying freight activity across its length. {{As of|2003}}, the line between [[Niles, California|Niles]] and San Jose saw four freight trains per day, the segment between San Jose and [[Watsonville, California|Watsonville]] saw 13 freight trains per day, between Watsonville and San Luis Obispo saw 7, San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara saw 9, and 16 south of Santa Barbara to Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite map |title=Union Pacific Tons per Train |url=https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/union-pacific-tonnage-map.pdf |access-date=11 September 2023 |publisher=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |date=2003}}</ref> Freight trains were serving San Francisco via Caltrain tracks and Union Pacific's spur between Oakdale Avenue and Cargo Way {{As of|2007|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nolte |first1=Carl |title=Yes, Virginia, San Francisco does have a freight train |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Yes-Virginia-San-Francisco-does-have-a-freight-2496313.php |access-date=17 July 2024 |agency=SF Gate |date=October 17, 2007}}</ref>

=== Passenger ===
[[File:Coast Starlight crossing the Santa Ynez River, July 2019.jpg|thumb|''[[Coast Starlight]]'' crossing the [[Santa Ynez River]], July 2019]]
The Coast Line is used by commuter, regional, and inter-city passenger trains:
* [[Amtrak California]]
**''[[Pacific Surfliner]]'' (San Luis Obispo–[[San Diego, California|San Diego]])
**''[[Capitol Corridor]]'' ([[Auburn, California|Auburn]]-San Jose)
* Amtrak ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' (Los Angeles–[[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]])
* [[Metrolink (California)|Metrolink]] [[Ventura County Line]] (Ventura–Los Angeles)
* [[Caltrain]] (San Francisco–Gilroy)
* [[Altamont Corridor Express]] (San Jose–[[Stockton, California|Stockton]])
The southern part of the Coast Line is the northern portion of the {{convert|351|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} LOSSAN Rail Corridor between [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]] and [[San Diego, California|San Diego]]. Local agencies along with the host railroads formed the [[Pacific Surfliner#LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency|Los Angeles–San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency]] (LOSSAN) in 1989 to work together on upgrading the route.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=San Luis Obispo Council of Governments| title=LOSSAN Corridorwide Strategic Implementation Plan, Final Report (April 2012)| url=http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_260_14371.pdf| access-date=April 24, 2018| archive-date=January 18, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118133410/https://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_260_14371.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref> Millions in enhancements to improve the reliability and safety of the railroad corridor have been proposed by [[Caltrans division of rail|Caltrans]] and [[Federal Railroad Administration|federal railroad officials]]. [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]] would get rail curve realignments near [[Seacliff, California|Seacliff]], the Santa Clara River and Montalvo in the near term for an estimated $300{{nbsp}}million. Future rail service could include a Ventura–Santa Barbara commuter train.<ref>Clerici, Kevin (January 9, 2011) [http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/09/camarillo-meeting-to-address-train-projects/ "Camarillo meeting to address train projects"] ''[[Ventura County Star]]''</ref> Long-range plans also including commuter service between Ventura and [[Santa Clarita, California|Santa Clarita]] along the original route through the Santa Clara River Valley. The [[Ventura County Transportation Commission]] purchased the [[Santa Paula Branch Line]] within Ventura County from Southern Pacific. While a portion of the line was abandoned after being washed out in [[Los Angeles County]], the Great Park development will provide for a route through the community of [[Valencia, California|Valencia]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Lozano |first=Carlos V. |date=April 29, 1992 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-29-me-835-story.html |title=SANTA CLARITA : Panel Says Rail Line to Cost $45 Million |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Surf Line]], the continuation south to [[San Diego]]
* [[Sunset Route]], the continuation east to [[New Orleans]]
* [[Cal-P Line (UP)|Cal-P Line]], the continuation north to [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]
* [[History of rail transportation in California]]
* [[Monterey County Rail Extension]]
* [[South Pacific Coast Railroad]]

== References ==
{{Commons category|Coast Line (UP)}}

;Notes
{{notelist}}

;Citations
{{reflist}}

;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hofsomm |first1=Donovan L. |title=The Southern Pacific, 1901-1985 |date=1986 |publisher=Texas A & M University Press |isbn=9781603441278 }}
* {{Cite book |last=McGovern |first=Janet |title=Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service |date=2012 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-7622-0 }}
* {{Robertson-Western Railroad}}{{sfn whitelist|CITEREFRobertson1998}}
* {{cite book |url=http://www.signaturepress.com/CoastLine/cl.html |title=Southern Pacific's Coast Line |last=Signor |first=John R. |date=15 June 1995 |publisher=Signature Press |isbn=0-9633791-3-5 |access-date=13 June 2018}}
* {{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Brian |title=Southern Pacific Passenger Trains |date=2005 |isbn=9781610605076 |publisher=Voyageur Press}}

{{refend}}

{{Salinas River}}
{{Amtrak}}
{{Metrolink (California)}}
{{Caltrain}}
{{Altamont Corridor Express navbox}}
{{California High-Speed Rail navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coast Line (Up)}}
[[Category:Rail lines in California]]
[[Category:Union Pacific Railroad lines]]
[[Category:Southern Pacific Railroad lines]]
[[Category:Transportation in Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:1900 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1900]]