More than 160,000 people visit San Diego every year for Comic-Con International. The four-day convention has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world, with a 460,000 square foot exhibit hall and more than 700 events, including workshops, panels, film screenings and competitions.
The week of Comic-Con is typically one of the busiest weeks on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, as fans of comic books and pop culture, industry professionals and even cosplayers fill the trains to and from the convention. Last year, more than 44,000 passengers chose to ride with us!
The convention typically falls on the same weekend as the start of the summer racing season at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, so trains are even busier between Los Angeles and Solana Beach (a few stops north of the downtown San Diego Station) during the special events.
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Extra Round-Trip Added
To help accommodate the surge in travelers between July 17 and 21, 2019, Amtrak added extra Pacific Surfliner trains between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Download special train schedules or view all Pacific Surfliner train schedules. |
Note: The Rail 2 Rail program with Metrolink and the North County Transit District was suspended between Wednesday, July 17 and Sunday, July 21, 2019. Metrolink and COASTER passes were not be accepted on Pacific Surfliner trains during this period.
Extra seating was added to select trains to increase capacity, but some trains were crowded between Los Angeles and San Diego. The table below shows the trains that were expected to be busier than others. Due to the nature of Unreserved Seating, this information was an estimate based on on projections, and was subject to change. View schedules for all trains here.
| Date |
Trains (Between Los Angeles and San Diego) Trains not listed here would be better options in terms of expected seating availability |
| Wednesday, July 17 |
Southbound Trains: 564, 566, 580, 768*, 774 Northbound Trains: 777, 785, 591 |
| Thursday, July 18 |
Southbound Trains: 562, 564, 572, 580 Northbound Trains: 767, 777, 785, 591 |
| Friday, July 19 |
Southbound Trains: 562, 564, 774, 572, 580, 584 Northbound Trains: 763, 767, 777, 785*, 591* |
| Saturday, July 20 |
Southbound Trains: 768, 562, 1564, 1566, 1572 Northbound Trains: 1573, 777, 763, 785, 1767, 583, 591* |
| Sunday, July 21 |
Southbound Trains: 1584, 774 Northbound Trains: 1573, 777*, 1579, 583, 785*, 591*, 593 |
| Monday, July 22 |
Southbound Trains: 580, 584 Northbound Trains: 763*, 767, 777 |
| *These trains are expected to be very busy. | |
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Key: Busy, Moderate Note: Information above as of July 17, 2019. |
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Follow These Tips for a Successful Ride When Trains Are Busy
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Upgrade to Business Class Consider upgrading to Business Class if tickets are still available to have a guaranteed seat and other perks, such as a fully refundable ticket if canceled prior to departure, bonus points for Amtrak Guest Rewards members; complimentary beverages and light snacks; and more. |
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Choose to Ride Other Trains with Your Unreserved Ticket If the train you were planning to take is full, consider taking an earlier or later train without having to make any changes to your Unreserved Coach ticket. There is service almost hourly between Los Angeles and San Diego, providing many options. We share updates on Twitter about which trains we expect will be busy. |
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Get Service Updates on Twitter Our Twitter account (@PacSurfliners) is a great resource for service information. We share details about delays, which trains we expect will be busy, tips and more. |
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Be at the Station Early Give yourself plenty of time to park, gather your belongings, and make your way to the station platform. For southbound trains, Business Class is located at the front of the train. |
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Check Your Luggage If Possible If you are traveling from a station with luggage service, you can check your bags instead of carrying them onboard. Stations are marked on the schedule with a suitcase. |
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Purchase Your Ticket Beforehand It’s best to book your tickets in advance at PacificSurfliner.com, 1-800-USA-Rail, or the Amtrak app. |
Learn more at PacificSurfliner.com.
Updated July 22, 2019.
Pacific Surfliner Blog 
The “better option” listed about was horrendous. Standing room only. I was fortunate enough to find a step to sit on between Oceanside and Anaheim. Based on the number of (drunk) Angels fans that exited the train in Anaheim, your organization vastly underestimated the impact of the Redsox vs Angels game. This only compounded the Comicon issues. This isn’t absolutely unacceptable treatment of your passengers. I paid for my ticket on line a month in advance. There was. I warning at that time of these issues but I guarantee that the game and Comicon and the races were known about at that time.
I used to enjoy this trip and found it to be a great way of avoiding freeway traffic. Not anymore. It will be a long while before I attempt this again. What a waste of a day.
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Hi Lisa, we apologize for the unpleasant conditions during your trip. Please know that the week of Comic-Con is one of our busiest of the year, and we added extra service and capacity using all available equipment. We take special events such as baseball games and the horse races into account when planning out which trains should have the extra equipment. The information provided in this article was based on ticket sales and historical data, however, due to the nature of unreserved tickets, riders were able to take earlier or later trains, which could explain why your train was so much busier than expected. Again, we apologize that you did not enjoy your time on the train. Please feel welcome to contact Amtrak with more information and request compensation.
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