Santa Barbara station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara station in 2014
Location	209 State Street Santa Barbara, California 93101 United States
Coordinates	34°24′49″N 119°41′33″W / 34.41361°N 119.69250°W / 34.41361; -119.69250
Owned by	Redevelopment Agency of the City of Santa Barbara
Line(s)	Coast Line
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Thruway Motorcoach, MTD Downtown Shuttle
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	SBA
History
Opened	1902
Rebuilt	2000
Original company	Southern Pacific
Traffic
Passengers (2018)	365,077  6.78% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station San Luis Obispo toward Seattle Coast Starlight Oxnard toward Los Angeles Goleta toward San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliner Carpinteria toward Los Angeles or San Diego
Former services Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Samarkand toward San Francisco Coast Line Summerland toward Los Angeles
Southern Pacific Train Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	209 State St., Santa Barbara, California
Area	4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built	1905
Architect	Wilson, Francis W.
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP reference No.	06000658
Added to NRHP	August 2, 2006

Santa Barbara is a passenger rail station in Santa Barbara, California, served by two Amtrak lines, the Coast Starlight and the Pacific Surfliner. The Coast Starlight runs once daily in each direction between Los Angeles and Seattle, Washington. The Pacific Surfliner trains serving this station run ten times daily (five in each direction) between San Diego and the Santa Barbara suburb of Goleta, with two of those running in each direction to/from San Luis Obispo further to the north. The station is fully staffed with ticketing and checked-baggage services.

History

Santa Barbara station in a 1910 postcard

The station in 2007 after renovation in 2000

The station was built in 1902 by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the Spanish Mission Revival Style. Design work was by Santa Barbara architect Francis W. Wilson. It is located within walking distance of Santa Barbara Harbor, Stearns Wharf and State Street, Santa Barbara's main thoroughfare. The historic depot was renovated in 2000; the project included the restoration of the ticket office and upgrades to the plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling systems.

For most of the first decade of the Amtrak era, the station was only served by the Coast Starlight, which ran southbound during the evening rush and northbound at lunchtime. In 1988, Amtrak and Caltrans extended the San Diegan, previously a Los Angeles-San Diego service, to Santa Barbara, providing an additional round trip between the Central Coast and Los Angeles. Eventually, service was extended to nearby Goleta and later all the way to San Luis Obispo, resulting in the route being rebranded as the Pacific Surfliner in 2000.

Due to the length of the platform, when Amtrak's Coast Starlight train is stopped, it blocks the two streets to the north and south of the depot.

Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, Santa Barbara was the 15th-busiest in FY2012, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 834 passengers daily, and serving a total of 304,382 passengers in FY2012.

The station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 2, 2006.

Platforms and tracks

• Amtrak – Stations – Santa Barbara, CA