Amtrak from Agoura Hills to Chula Vista (San Diego, Oceanside: credit, travel)

[Freebird]

My parents (75 years of age) are going to be staying with us in Agoura Hills next month and want to visit my Dad's brother in Chula Vista for five days or so while they are here. I would rather them not drive on the freeways alone and I am thinking it might work out for them to ride Amtrak to San Diego (from Burbank most likely) and then his brother could pick them up at the rail station.

I have never ridden Amtrak - neither have they - and I did a search but didn't see any advice about riding trains. It sounds like fun to me - I have never ridden Amtrak and know nothing about it except the schedules and cost, which look great. Would you think they would be ok (it looked like about 3 hours and 40 minutes from Burbank), anything to watch out for or not to do - anything we absolutely should know?

Also there were a few Amtrak stations in San Diego - I know Amtrak could tell me which one is closest to Chula Vista but if anyone knows that as well, please let me know ! Also, from Agoura, would you go out of somewhere besides Burbank for whatever reason? Thanks.

[SoCalMomma]

Amtrak is great. My teenage daughter takes it regularly up to the San Luis Obispo area from our home in Thousand Oaks (she gets on in Camarillo - 101 & Lewis Dr). This trip is going opposite way than you are thinking about, but ...

She travels alone, its about a 3 hour trip. She enjoys it quite a bit and says she feels safe, and enjoys taking the train vs. driving. They have snacks available on the train that you can purchase, or you can bring your own. She finds the trains comfortable, and she has met many interesting people. Each 'train' of the train has a guy (conductor?) that stands at the doors when the trains stop, to help people off and on. They will help with luggage, finding seats, etc. They also help passengers know when to get off.

I would definitely recommend it for older people, or inexperienced drivers, as an alternative to driving the freeways!

Oh.. Forgot to mention something. You can buy your tickets online at the Amtrak website, they have some discounts. AAA gets you a discount, and there is probably a senior discount, too. Then they send you the tickets. You can also pay on the train, if you dont have enough time to pre-purchase the tickets. You can use cash or credit cards on the train itself. The Camarillo station is not a 'manned' station. There is no actual bldg to get tickets or anything, but its very easy to access. I'd choose it over driving all the way to Burbank. There are never any crowds, usually only a handful of people getting on in Camarillo. Moorpark also has a similar station, not sure which would be closer to you. I have not been to the Burbank station but I would bet its a bit more crowded (its right by the airport).

The trains only stop for about a minute or two, too. So dont be late! Be standing up by the tracks (you'll see the benches) when the train arrives. It comes pretty much right on time. One time it was 2 minutes late, but other than that its there right when the schedule says.

[UB50]

I would recommend catching the train closer to Agoura too. There is another station in Chatsworth. I've taken Metrolink from Chatsworth to Burbank before and it was a nice 20 minute trip (and it sure beats driving!)

They may have to switch trains at Union Station but I don't think that would be a big deal. I've met people on the train who commute from San Diego County to Chatsworth everyday for work! I'm not sure how Metrolink and Amtrack are coordinated, but the people who used it as commuters could ride on either train with the passes they got.

Also, the trains were nice and clean from what I saw. Most of the passengers were businesspeople, students, moms with kids, tourists, etc.

[Mountain Mike]

You would not have to switch trains. My friend lives in Agoura, and I took the train from San Diego to Camarillo and he picked me up there, because I mapquested Camarillo and Chatsworth stations and Camarillo turned out to be closer.

The end of the line going south on the Pacific Surfliner is Downtown San Diego. You take the southbound Trolley Blue Line southbound (labeled "San Ysidro" which is beyond Chula Vista) and there is a stop at H st. To get from there to you exact destination I don't know exactly. Maybe you could get a ride.

[amc760]

If they take the amtrak to downtown san diego, once there, the trolley should be a piece of cake to get down to Chula Vista. The trolley is very easy to use and find your way around. Like Mountain Mike said, they would be taking the Blue Line down to Chula Vista.

I dont know how much cheaper it is, but you could also put them on the metrolink down to Oceanside, transfer to a Coaster to Old Town, then take a short trip on the trolley to C.V.
But that would be a lot more work, and take some figuring out on thier part, lol.

[caliguy92832]

I love taking the Amtrak to San Diego. I take it from the Fullerton station usually. Its so much better than taking the Greyhound bus. You just sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The trip from San Clemente down to Carlsbad is the best with the view of the ocean. Then you get the pretty college girls that ride the train. In the last year alone I've probably taken the Amtrak about 10 times.