Coast Starlight Train Schedule 2026: Seattle to Los Angeles

The Coast Starlight train is Amtrak's daily train between Seattle and Los Angeles, with one night on board and 30 stations. Amtrak's Coast Starlight timetable, printed on 4 November 2026, gives train 11 from Seattle 35 h 16 m and train 14 from Los Angeles 34 h 0 m. Amtrak's own on-time page shows the train was on time 53 percent of the time in 2024, so plan for a late arrival. Take a private room if you want a bed and included meals. Take coach to save money.

What is the Coast Starlight schedule in 2026?

Getting there: Train 11, Seattle to Los Angeles, daily. Seattle King Street 9:55 a.m., Portland Union Station 2:22 p.m., Klamath Falls 10:08 p.m., Sacramento 6:48 a.m. on day two, Emeryville 8:39 a.m., Santa Barbara 6:19 p.m., Los Angeles Union Station 9:11 p.m. Duration 35 h 16 m (Amtrak Coast Starlight timetable PDF, printed 4 Nov 2026)

Getting there: Train 14, Los Angeles to Seattle, daily. Los Angeles 9:51 a.m., Santa Barbara 12:15 p.m., Emeryville 9:41 p.m., Sacramento 11:49 p.m., Dunsmuir 4:58 a.m. on day two, Klamath Falls 7:43 a.m., Portland 3:56 p.m., Seattle 7:51 p.m. Duration 34 h 0 m (same timetable)

Note: Amtrak lists "Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner Service Adjustments" for 5 to 9 November 2026, with no details on the alert list (Amtrak service alerts, read 4 Nov 2026)

The timetable prints one time per stop. "Day 2" means the day after the train left its first station. The last column comes from each stop's Amtrak station page, and "Not read" means we did not open that page.

Burbank shows a dash in the northbound column, so do not plan to board there going north. Amtrak's timetable PDF prints the schedule for the day you download it, so download it again close to your trip.

So, train 11 leaves Seattle at 9:55 a.m. and train 14 leaves Los Angeles at 9:51 a.m., every day.

How long is the Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles?

Getting there: Seattle to Los Angeles: 35 h 16 m on train 11. Los Angeles to Seattle: 34 h 0 m on train 14. Amtrak's route page rounds it to 35 hours (read 4 Nov 2026)

Getting there: Shorter trips, by our math from the timetable: Seattle to Portland 4 h 27 m, Seattle to Sacramento 20 h 53 m, Emeryville to Los Angeles 12 h 32 m, Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo 5 h 14 m, Los Angeles to Emeryville 11 h 50 m

These are scheduled times. The on-time section below shows how often the train meets them.

So, the full trip is about 35 hours, and the Bay Area to Los Angeles is about 12 hours.

What is near the main Coast Starlight stations?

Each line below repeats the time and the Amtrak station page facts from the table.

Address: Seattle, King Street Station: 303 South Jackson Street. Train 11 leaves at 9:55 a.m. Amtrak names downtown, Pioneer Square, the Chinatown-International District, the stadiums and the waterfront as close by (Amtrak Seattle station page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Portland, Union Station: 800 NW Sixth Avenue. Train 11 at 2:22 p.m., train 14 at 3:56 p.m. on day two. Amtrak names Powell's City of Books and Jamison Square (Amtrak Portland station page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Chemult and Klamath Falls: Chemult (8:13 p.m. southbound, 8:59 a.m. northbound) is a platform and shelter, and Amtrak says it gives access to Crater Lake (Amtrak Chemult page). Klamath Falls is at 1600 Oak Avenue (10:08 p.m. southbound, 7:43 a.m. northbound), at the south end of Upper Klamath Lake (Amtrak Klamath Falls page, both read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Sacramento Valley Station: 401 I Street. Train 11 at 6:48 a.m. on day two, train 14 at 11:49 p.m. The station opened in 1926 and is under a multi-year renovation (Amtrak Sacramento page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Emeryville: 5885 Horton Street. Train 11 at 8:39 a.m. on day two, train 14 at 9:41 p.m. Amtrak calls it the closest Amtrak station to San Francisco, with an Amtrak bus to downtown San Francisco (Amtrak Emeryville page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Oakland, Jack London Square: 245 Second Street. Train 11 at 9:09 a.m. on day two, train 14 at 9:21 p.m. (Amtrak Oakland page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara: San Luis Obispo is at 1011 Railroad Avenue (3:37 p.m. southbound, 3:05 p.m. northbound). Santa Barbara is at 209 State Street (6:19 p.m. southbound, 12:15 p.m. northbound), in a 1902 depot (Amtrak San Luis Obispo page and Santa Barbara page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Address: Los Angeles, Union Station: 800 North Alameda Street. Train 11 arrives at 9:11 p.m. on day two, and train 14 leaves at 9:51 a.m. (Amtrak Los Angeles page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Amtrak's station pages left the hours, parking and transit sections blank when we read them. Check the station page again before you travel.

So, Emeryville is the stop for San Francisco, and Chemult is the stop Amtrak names for Crater Lake.

Is a sleeper worth it on the Coast Starlight?

The route page lists coach seats and five kinds of private room: roomette, bedroom, bedroom suite, family bedroom and accessible bedroom. The table compares the three most people choose.

Price: One adult, a weekday in October 2026, Seattle to Los Angeles, seen on Amtrak.com: coach about $120, roomette $526, bedroom $1,062. Not re-checked on 4 Nov 2026, so treat these as examples only

Note: Coach: reclining seats with legroom, upper and lower level. Cafe service is open to all riders on this route (Amtrak Coast Starlight page and Amtrak Traditional Dining page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Note: Roomette: one or two travelers. Two seats become upper and lower beds. Shared restroom and shower. Meals included, plus lounge access at major stations, priority boarding, an attendant, and bedding and towels (Amtrak sleeper page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Note: Bedroom: one or two travelers, twice the space of a roomette. A sofa and chair become upper and lower beds. Private sink, restroom and shower. The same meals and services as a roomette (same page)

Note: The route page lists five meals on the trip in each direction: lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner. It also lists checked baggage, trainside checked bicycles, and small dogs and cats on board (Amtrak Coast Starlight page, read 4 Nov 2026)

Amtrak prices by demand, like an airline. The same seat costs more as a date fills. Price a room and a coach seat for the same day before you choose.

So, a room adds a bed and included meals, and coach saves the most money.

When is the Coast Starlight in daylight?

Amtrak's route page names the Cascade Range, Mount Shasta and the Pacific shoreline, and says the Sightseer Lounge gives "a full view of the peaks and valleys of the West Coast." Amtrak does not say which side of the train has the best view. The timetable shows which parts pass in daylight. This is our own reading of the times:

• Going south, the mountains are in the dark. The train passes Klamath Falls at 10:08 p.m. and Dunsmuir at 12:45 a.m.

• Going north, Dunsmuir is at 4:58 a.m. and Klamath Falls at 7:43 a.m. In winter, Dunsmuir is still dark at that hour.

• The coast between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo is passed from 12:15 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. northbound, and from 3:37 p.m. to 6:19 p.m. southbound. In December, the last part southbound is after dark.

So, by the timetable, the northbound train shows more of the route in daylight.

How far ahead should you book the Coast Starlight?

Note: Reservations open up to 11 months before travel. Amtrak says early booking gives the best fares and that fares are generally higher at holidays and peak times (Amtrak guide to fares, read 4 Nov 2026)

Note: Refund rules on that page: Flex fares are fully refundable. Value fares keep 30 percent of the fare if you cancel before departure, and Sale fares keep 50 percent. Private rooms get a full refund 121 or more days out, and 75 percent from 120 to 15 days out (same page)

For a December trip, search your dates now and compare a room with coach.

So, book up to 11 months ahead, and pick a Flex fare if your plans may change.

How late is the Coast Starlight?

Note: Amtrak's on-time page lists the Coast Starlight at 53 percent on time for 2024. It cites the FRA's 80 percent standard for long-distance trains. The page was updated June 2025 (Amtrak on-time performance page, read 4 Nov 2026)

That is the newest figure on Amtrak's page. Delays on long-distance trains can be hours, not minutes. If you have a flight, a hotel booking you cannot move or an event, leave a day.

So, leave a spare day: the train was on time 53 percent of the time in 2024.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 4 November 2026:

• Amtrak Coast Starlight timetable PDF, printed that day: every time in the stop table, both durations and the Burbank dash.

• Amtrak Coast Starlight route page: 30 stations, daily, 35 hours, rooms, meals, Sightseer Lounge, pets and bicycles.

• Amtrak service alerts: the 5 to 9 November 2026 adjustment.

• Amtrak sleeper page and Traditional Dining page: what each room includes, and cafe service for all riders.

• Amtrak guide to fares: 11-month booking window and refund rules.

• Amtrak on-time performance page: 53 percent in 2024, against 80 percent.

• Amtrak station pages for Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Salem, Eugene, Chemult, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Sacramento, Emeryville, Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Burbank and Los Angeles: addresses and nearby places.

Not confirmed: the fare on your date (the October 2026 figures were not re-checked), what the 5 to 9 November adjustment changes, whether coach riders can book dining car meals, who may use the Sightseer Lounge, station hours and parking, and any on-time figure newer than 2024. We did not ride the train for this page.