Did you know… that the first train to arrive in Ventura was in 1887?
The original train depot was on Front Street. It was a pretty big deal when that first train showed – there was a lot of fanfare. As the story goes, Southern Pacific Railroad shortened the name of the city of San Buenaventura to simply Ventura because the original name was too long to fit on their timetables and train tickets.
Our regional rail systems
Today, there are two train depots that serve passengers in Ventura. The Train Depot that sits across from the Ventura Fairgrounds at Harbor Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Ventura accesses the nation’s publicly-funded service, Amtrak, with routes that travel up and down the California coast as well as to the rest of the country.
The East Ventura Station at 6175 Ventura Blvd in Ventura is the local access point to Metrolink, Southern California’s regional rail system, offering commuter and other passenger services linking communities to employment and activity centers. Metrolink’s service area includes the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura. Ventura County is served by Metrolink’s Ventura County Line, with stations in Camarillo, East Ventura, Moorpark, Oxnard, and Simi Valley. The Ventura County Line terminates at Los Angeles at Union Station. It operates Monday through Friday.
For more information:
For Metrolink information, visit the Metrolink website or call 800-371-LINK (800-371-5465).
For Amtrak information, visit the Amtrak website or call 800-USA-RAIL (800-872-7245).
Image credits: Broc Ellinger and Jim Martin
3 comments
I did NOT know that…but love trains…we DID try and save the train station before they TORE IT DOWN!!!!!….to no avail…apparently the brains at City Hall had better plans for that space…HOW’S THAT WORKIN OUT VENTURA?……Sorry…anger management is in place…but still I’ve heard rumors of that spot being talked about as a Guitar Hall of Fame Museum….????
Right now the land is vacant with weeds. It seems nothing has changed in City Hall. The powers to be still make dumb mistakes. At least we still have the Saticoy Depot, now a lumber yard.
The Ventura Depot was a landmark building that would have made a great museum. This would have been a rich addition to Ventura for history and tourism. So sad for this loss.