Drivers Avoid Traffic by Boarding New Commuter Train Service

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - For many working on the South Coast, their morning commute will no longer involve their personal car anymore. A new train service is offering another set of wheels.

The AMTRAK Pacific Surfliner has started a new morning line from Ventura County cities including Simi Valley, Oxnard and Ventura and the goal is to have the train arrive in Santa Barbara just before 8 a.m. and in Goleta shortly after 8 a.m.

It was on time Monday morning.

Passengers who needed a ride to their business or somewhere close by, were offered a free shuttle.

There were stops to help those working at UC Santa Barbara, the Hollister tech-corridor, Cottage hospital and downtown Santa Barbara government offices.

Many of those workers would normally be driving, and in congestion between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. daily and it is not uncommon for the commute to last more than an hour.

The new train service is part of a bigger picture plan to add the train and also finish with the freeway work to add a lane in each direction.

The train and lane concept has been a long-time goal for transportation officials with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG).

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)

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