Tired of Hwy. 101 construction? SLO County is selling discount train fares to help
Railway commutes in San Luis Obispo County just got a whole lot cheaper — and commuters have a major highway construction project to thank for it.
On May 1, San Luis Obispo County unveiled discounted tickets for travelers heading between SLO, Grover Beach and Guadalupe on Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains.
The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments partnered with the Los Angeles-San Diego-SLO Rail Corridor for a Rail Pilot Program to increase commuting options while Highway 101 is under construction in the South County, according to a SLOCOG news release.
The construction is part of the Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project to address congestion which will begin this fall and is expected to be completed in 2028, according to Caltrans. The southbound lane under construction is between Avila Beach Drive and Frady Lane in Pismo Beach.
SLOCOG executive director Pete Rodgers said the new partnership “gives both the daily and occasional commuters a cost-effective transit alternative.”
“By improving access to rail and connecting services, our hope is to make it easier for residents and visitors to choose rail transit over driving,” Rodgers said in the release.
How do the discounted tickets work?
Single-day tickets between the three stations will be available at a discounted price, along with 10-ride or monthly passes available at a 75% discount, according to the release.
The Grover Beach and Guadalupe fare decreased from $9 to $2. The SLO and Grover Beach route went from $11 down to $3, while the journey between SLO and Guadalupe decreased from $17 to $4. They are all one-way fares.
All discounts will be applied automatically at checkout.
The reduced ticket sales will not be available for the Coast Starlight trains that also serve the SLO station.
Once they arrive at their destination, travelers can then use their Amtrak tickets to board SLO Regional Transit Authority and SLO Transit buses for free going to or from the train station, the release said.
Station arrival and departure times are available at amtrak.com.