Los Angeles - Metrolink @ Union Station

Not sure if this is the right place to ask questions about Metrolink in LA, but I will proceed anyway. Please move to appropriate forum as necessary. Well, planning on riding the Metrolink from Union station in DT to BUR. How is Metrolink's on-time performance on this line? When's the last departure I can take for an 8:30PM flight? How easy/difficult is it to navigate through Union station as a novice (never ever stepped a foot in that building!)? Is the Metrolink luggage-friendly (at least on the line to BUR)? TIA.

LAX

Well, planning on riding the Metrolink from Union station in DT to BUR.


How is Metrolink's on-time performance on this line? When's the last departure I can take for an 8:30PM flight?[/quote]

Metrolink's on-time performance is pretty good...frankly better than Amtrak's. That being said, I'd be leery of taking the Metrolink #221 train departing Union Station at 7:35....because a 7:51 arrival will be cutting it awfully fine to walk from the train station to the BUR terminal, check in, and make your flight. That means you should either take the Metrolink #123 at 6:40......or the Amtrak Surfliner #785 at 7:00, which you can take to BUR with a Metrolink ticket.

How easy/difficult is it to navigate through Union station as a novice (never ever stepped a foot in that building!)?

It's pretty easy. Just pay attention to what track your train is on on the lighted display (or ask the Amtrak redcaps or at the information booth just before exiting the lobby for the tunnel under the tracks).

Is the Metrolink luggage-friendly (at least on the line to BUR)?


Not especially. It's set up for commuters, not heavily laden travelers.
Amtrak's a little better, with luggage racks in the cars...but you will still need to shift for yourself. Of course, the one nice thing for both is that the rail car doors *are* at platform height, so you won't be wrestling your bags up vestibule steps.

We've taken Metrolink with bags, and found room to leave our bags at the end of the car (basically on the floor), but this was not during a weekday rush hour.

Note: according to the Metrolink schedule train 221 goes to Burbank, but not to the Burbank Airport station.

You can find schedules at http://www.metrolinktrains.com/schedules/html.php?id=983 (hold the cursor on the arrow to slide over to later trains). Taking Amtrak A785 sounds good, for space, but not sure about using a Metrolink ticket. The Metrolink site says "Amtrak trains A768 and A799 are available to passengers with any type of valid Metrolink ticket. These trains will not be able to accomodate bicycles." Doesn't mention A785. You may have to book through Amtrak. Note, if you book your train through the Amtrak site, that their designation for Union Station is LAX, even though it's not at the airport. $6.50. A785 gets you to the airport station at 7:25, but I'd probably take an earlier train (what is the train is late or the shuttle is late?); however, you won't have much if any room for bags.

Looks like you'd take a free parking lot D shuttle from the Burbank Airport train station to get to the airport terminal, though it is walkable. I don't know how often they run.

We didn't find Union Station difficult to navigate. There are signs indicating the platforms from where the trains leave. You need to show your ticket to enter that area, and you can just ask if in doubt.

Union station is fairly well signed and directions are not difficult to follow. If you have a question, the Amtrak employees are generally helpful. Just remember to say your question is about Metrolink and not Metro. Most transit novice in LA don't know the difference and use the term interchangeably... which leads to bad information and confused faces. :)

Sorry!

Thanks all! Didn't realize Metrolink tix are good on Amtrak to BUR. Is Metrolink part of Amtrak?? Not that it matters.

LAX

Metrolink is not part of Amtrak. They are both passenger train lines that serve Union Station and neither of them owns the tracks they operate on. Think of Metrolink as Southwest, Amtrak as United, Union Station as LAX, and Union Pacific or Santa Fe Railroads as the airport operators like LAWA. That's about as best of an analogy I can come up with.

Thanks all! Didn't realize Metrolink tix are good on Amtrak to BUR. Is Metrolink part of Amtrak?? Not that it matters.

LAX

It's not clear from my reading of the Metrolink schedule that Metrolink tickets are good on all Amtrak trains for the same route (e.g., perhaps not A785 to BUR). Check the schedules to be sure. Metrolink is a regional commuter train system. They seem to have agreements with Amtrak re tickets on some limited routes. I kind of like Metrolink's double-decker trains but, as noted, they are designed for commuters, not long distance travelers with much baggage. With bags you'll want to be on the lower level, not far from the doors (where there's more space to put your bags on the floor), but those areas can get crowded during rush hour, and if you block the passageway with your bags, an attendant or fellow passenger might object. At least it's not a long trip. Have a good trip.