Ventura station

Ventura station (referred to as Ventura–Downtown/Beach station by Metrolink) is a passenger rail station in downtown Ventura, California. The station is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Ventura was the 33rd-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 125 passengers daily.[3] The single platform is located on the south side of the tracks with a view of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands. The Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) is parallel with and on the north side of tracks.

Not to be confused with Ventura–East station or Aventura station.
Ventura, CA
Ventura station platform in front of freeway embankment
General information
Other namesVentura–Downtown/Beach
Location20 West Harbor Boulevard
Ventura, California
United States
Coordinates34.2770°N 119.2999°W / 34.2770; -119.2999
Owned byCity of Ventura
Line(s)UP Coast Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
ConnectionsBus transport Amtrak Thruway: 4
Bus transport Flixbus
Construction
ParkingPaid parking nearby
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusUnstaffed, platform with shelters
Station codeAmtrak: VEC
History
OpenedApril 22, 1992[1]
Passengers
FY 202243,659[2] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Carpinteria
toward San Luis Obispo
 Pacific Surfliner Oxnard
toward San Diego
     Coast Starlight does not stop here
Future services
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Terminus Ventura County Line Ventura–East
toward L.A. Union Station
Former services
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
La Conchita
toward San Francisco
 Coast Line East Ventura
toward Los Angeles
Location

Metrolink’s Ventura County Line terminus is in Montalvo at the Ventura–East station since overnight storage of trains in the downtown area was impractical.[4] Special service trains may come to this station such as service to the Ventura County Fair, in season.[5] In March 2022, Metrolink announced that Ventura County Line trains will terminate at this station sometime in the future.[6]

History

The platform is located on a portion of Coast Line between the Ventura River and Ash Street that is under franchise from the City of Ventura.[7] Having approved an official map in 1869, the town trustees approved the laying down of tracks on Front Street through the existing townsite. Approval was conditioned on Southern Pacific Branch Railway building and maintaining a depot within the corporate limits.[8] The original train station[9] was located about a half mile east (towards Oxnard) within the Eastern Addition to the town.[10] Ventura Junction where the Ventura and Ojai Valley Railroad Company branched off up along the Ventura River is just west of the station. The rails reached the town of Nordhoff in 1898 and the line was acquired by Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1899.[11] The Ventura River Parkway Trail has been constructed within the abandoned railroad right-of-way.

E.P. and Orpha Foster donated much of the land for Seaside Park (home of the Ventura County Fair) adjacent to the station. They envisioned this broad flat area as a beautiful gateway to Ventura, where families could walk, picnic, and enjoy family outings.[12]

The large parking lot across Harbor Boulevard from the station is the former site of Babe Ruth Field.[13] The minor-league team games that played there from 1948 to 1955[14] were appreciated by the adjacent neighborhood called Tortilla Flats.[15] This neighborhood was eliminated with the construction of the freeway but is remembered with a mural project in the Figueroa Street freeway underpass, at the east end of the station,[16] that leads to the Mission San Buenaventura Historic District and downtown.

A car carrier trailer leaving the fairgrounds with vintage Porsche automobiles "high-centered" as it crossed the tracks near the station and became stranded in 2004. Although the police notified Union Pacific, there was just enough time to get the driver out of the truck cab that was pulling the car-carrier before the collision. A northbound freight train hit the center of the trailer scattering the vintage cars alongside the tracks.[17][18]

Coastal access

The station is on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route and also serves as an access point for California Coastal Trail.[19] Figueroa Street leads down to beachfront Promenade Park and Surfers' Point at Seaside Park. The promenade is a walking/bike trail that leads down coast to San Buenaventura State Beach after passing underneath the second oldest pier in California. Up coast the path leads to Emma Wood State Beach and has been designated the Omer Rains Bike Trail.[20] Beachwalkers will find sand and cobble beaches while walking to these state parks. While crossing the sand bar at the mouth of the Ventura River may be possible, the bike route is an alternate route for walkers.[19] The rustic railroad bridge over the river has been an attractive and apparent short-cut but the curve in the middle of the river limits visibility for this illegal and dangerous river crossing.[21]

References
  1. Nash, Collin (April 23, 1992). "Making Tracks to Ventura". The Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  4. Blake, Catherine (October 11, 1999). "Officials Revise Plan for Ventura Metrolink Station". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  5. "Train Web: Ventura".
  6. "Metrolink Schedule Update". Metrolink. April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022. The Ventura - Downtown / Beach Station is located at 39 E. Harbor Blvd. in Ventura. It is along E. Harbor Boulevard between Figueroa Street and Ventura Avenue across the street from the parking lot serving the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center. Metrolink trains currently do not serve this station, but will in the future. The codeshare Amtrak trains do serve this station.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. California Public Utilities Code Section 7555 Accessed March 13, 2014
  8. Board of Town Trustees "Ordinance No. 16" Town of San Buenaventura. Adopted 4th day of October 1886. Accessed January 9, 2014.
  9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Southern Pacific Station
  10. "MAP OF THE ADDITION TO TOWN OF SAN BUENA VENTURA" 2 MR 142. Ventura County Recorder Approved by the Town Board of Trustees June 5, 1876. Recorded 1887. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from CountyView GIS: layer "Record Maps" Archived September 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  11. Valuation Department "Right of way and track map: Ojai Branch Ventura Jct. to Ojai V 49-1 (formerly V 19)" Southern Pacific Company San Francisco, California
  12. Mildred Ranger Schofield, "PARKS DEPARTMENT HISTORY" Archived November 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Appended section: A BRIEF HISTORY OF EUGENE P. FOSTER. COUNTY OF VENTURA PARKS DEPARTMENT Website. Accessed January 9, 2014
  13. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Babe Ruth Field
  14. Minor League Ballparks. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
  15. Clerici, Kevin (February 18, 2011) "Ventura's Phil the Barber dies at age 96" Ventura County Star
  16. "Tortilla Flats", mbuniverse.com. Artwork by MB Hanrahan (2008) Accessed January 28, 2014
  17. Staff (September 13, 2004). "Vintage Porsches Wrecked by Train". Los Angeles Times.
  18. "Car-Carrier Loaded With Vintage Porsches Hit by Train". flatsixes.com. November 10, 2008.
  19. California Coastal Trail Hiker's Guide: Ventura County Section 4 Map. Archived February 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Accessed January 26, 2014
  20. "Biking in California State Parks" California Department of Parks and Recreation website. Accessed January 10, 2014
  21. Green, Nick (April 21, 1996) "Woman Killed by Train on Bridge Over Ventura River" Los Angeles Times
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