Train Depot improvement project on track in Goleta

GOLETA, Calif. - The Goleta Amtrak Station is on track to improve the experience for a growing number of riders.

Many take the train to and from work, the Santa Barbara Airport and UCSB.

Pricella Garcia said she was on her way home to Los Angeles on Monday after taking her finals.

She would like to see a warm enclosed area where she could wait for the train at night.

A $13 million grant awarded to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments will help pay for a new 8,000 square foot station.

The City of Goleta bought the former Direct Relief property at the end of La Patera Lane to make room for amenities such as a cafe for travelers and a visitors information center.

Senior Project Manager Jaime Valdez said it will help reduce green house gas emissions.

He calls the Station Area Master Plan the SAMP and said it will make it accessible and safe for passengers with suitcases and bicycles.

Goleta Public Safety Director Vyto Adomaitis said, "We hope within the next four to five years we will really move this project forward. This is one step in many steps involved in this project."

They presented the plan to the Planning Commission on Monday night.

If the design timeline moves along at a steady pace, they said construction will be done between the Fall of 2022 and 2024.

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