Efforts to establish commuter rail service between Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties have taken a big step forward.
The agency which oversees rail service on the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo corridor approved new peak rail service. It’s considered a key approval for the plan.
The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments also has to act, but it’s been a longtime booster of the idea. The proposal would give commuters an alternative from congested Highway 101 to get to work in Santa Barbara County from Ventura County.
Plans call for a new morning train service to start April 2nd, with the train leaving Camarillo at 5:46 a.m., Oxnard at 5:58, and Ventura at 6:12, arriving in Santa Barbara at 6:47. The return train would leave Goleta at 4:25 p.m., and Santa Barbara and 4:40 p.m.