The state also had two overnight rail services in the past, the Lark and The Spirit of California, which ceased running in 1983 because of budget cutbacks. Currently, it has only one direct train between Oakland and Los Angeles: the Coast Starlight. That train has compartments with beds, but it runs during the day. It takes about 11 hours, so it’s useless except for the most leisurely of travelers. But the schedule could be changed to turn it into an overnight run, allowing passengers to sleep through the journey.
The California Zephyr–one of several Amtrak trains with sleeper cars that spends nights in California doing nothing. Photo: Amtrak