Coast Starlight Amtrak service on Google Transit
The Coast Starlight Amtrak service, which runs between Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California, launched on Google Transit recently.
As far as I can tell, additional other rail services, besides five regional Amtrak services already launched, have not been added to Google Transit yet. We can expect that all Amtrak services will eventually be added. This plan was announced in the 10 August 2009 press release from Amtrak, “Amtrak Partners with Google Transit to Offer Rail Travel as an Option for Trip Planning.”
The complete Coast Starlight route:
The Coast Starlight links many other services in Google Transit. See this trip which includes travel across the Redding Area Bus Authority, Coast Starlight, and Porter Stage Lines:
Update (25 Sep 2010): Jarrod DellaChiesa emailed me to inform me of the Coast Starlight Communities Network‘s (CSCN) role in making this happen. The CSCN is a coalition dedicating to protecting and improving rail service between Washington, Oregon, and California. Jarrod and the CSCN prepared the GTFS for the Coast Starlight and worked with Google to launch the data. Thanks you, CSCN and Jarrod! Read more at the announcement on the blog of the Rail Passenger Association of California & Nevada.
This makes sense for regional trains that run several times a day, but for a once-a-day train that can be an hour or more late sometimes… does it at least provide a warning? Wouldn’t want to get stranded in Redding…
Google Transit does provide a warning: “Amtrak recommends arriving to the station at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure.”
This will be far more useful when all Amtrak services are included.
We appreciate your support. Just to be clear on our role in this:
We did initially create the GTFS data for Amtrak, but in the end they ended up using a new program of their own. I tested it for them to make sure the data was accurate. Amtrak will use this new program to launch the other routes eventually. That should include more frequent updates and hopefully more accurate route mapping.
A bunch of new Amtrak routes appear to have gone live now. Almost every train on the Northeast Corridor is included now, except for a few long distance trains.
As for how well it works, it still leaves something to be desired.
When planning a trip from Raleigh, NC to Boston, MA, the logical trip is to take train 80 to train 66. Though the transfer could technically happen anywhere between Richmond, VA and New York, NY, I would say Washington, DC is probably best since the 5 hour layover would occur between 5 and 10pm, perfect to go get dinner in a station with lots of restaurants and amenities and even sightseeing opportunities all within a short walk. This is in fact what Amtrak’s reservations system recommends.
However, Google tells me to take 80 to Newark, ride backwards on an NJT train to Metropark, and take 66 from there. Makes no sense. Guess there are still a few kinks to work out.
The Cascades service is also in there. All the transit services around Greater Vancouver are on Google, so you can plan trips from Mission, BC to LA! See http://bit.ly/9eVtiT
Sorry to double post, but it looks like many of Amtrak’s servcies are now on Google including the Californian Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Acela Express, Northeast Regional services, Adirondack, Downeaster, Keystone, Cascades, Vermonter, Auto Train, Carolinian, Capitol Ltd., Wolverine, Pere Marquette, Carbondale, Carl Sandburg and Capitol Corridor.
Already in were the Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Hiawatha Service, Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin. You mentioned the Coast Starlight.
The ones I found missing were the Maple Leaf (odd, given the Empire Service is), Empire Builder, Sunset Limited, Atlantic Coast services, Cardinal/Hoosier State, Pennsylvanian, Lake Shore Limited, City of New Orleans, Texas Eagle,, Heartland Flyer and Idaho/Washington services.
Overall, looks like about half Amtrak’s sevvices are now on Google 🙂