February 2025 RASC Luncheon with David Berryman, LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency

Amr Zaher, RASC President and the RASC’s 2025 Board kicked off the new year of rail luncheons with perennial favorite David Berryman, Capital Program Manager for LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency.

Speaking to a full room at the Spaghetti Factory in Downtown Fullerton, David opened with a little LOSSAN history. Originally established in 1989 by local agencies to coordinate and advocate for inter-city rail service, by 2002 LOSSAN added four additional agencies and increased its sphere of influence both north and south. In 2012 LOSSAN took over management of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner from Caltrans. Jokes about highway people managing rail nearly derailed the rest of the afternoon. Love you, Caltrans!

David gave the audience an overview of the Surfliner’s service, which serves 29 stations, most lines running through Union Station, and two making it up the coast to San Luis Obispo. Operating in six counties with seven right-of-way owners, David and his team have their hands full managing so many entities.

COVID hit Pacific Surfliner ridership harder than most with its predominantly leisure-focused crowd, close to 90%. But revenge travel in the post-COVID years has allowed the Surfliner to chug back to pre-COVID passenger levels.

LOSSAN’s capital projects focus on the northern section, leaving the central section to the very active management of Metrolink and LA Metro, and the southern section in the capable hands of SANDAG and NCTD. David shared that the annual business plan includes all projects on the corridor. While he informed the audience about active projects in the northern section, David said there are many more in planning.

The northern section of the LOSSAN corridor includes 50 miles in the coastal zone. State of good repair work, partnered with UPRR, is vital to keep up with the tides and rains.

Currently, LOSSAN has eight active projects including:

·       San Luis Obispo Central Coast Layover Facility at the old Southern Pacific railyard and roundhouse from the 1920s, is getting a historical twist and a community friendly façade.

·       Goleta Layover Facility is a challenging project that has required additional schedule to allow time for UP reviews.

·       Leesdale Siding is a much needed enhancement project and precursor to County grade separation work. David looked over at Marc from Zephyr Rail – “We’ll be breaking ground on that next year, right Marc?” No pressure.

·       Ortega Siding Extension  was just awarded and will allow LOSSAN to increase service 40%, runs along the coast, near a few pricey properties, garnering another joke at Marc’s expense. “The HOA Director of Communications emailed us as soon as this was advertised,” David glanced over at Marc Canas. “Fun. Right, Marc?”

·       The Honda Creek Bridge Project is on track with HDR, an old school truss bridge with a new pier.

·       The Santa Ynez Bridge, originally very low-lying, in the 1970s water levels backed up and flooded Lompoc. UP leads the project, which includes a $1M grant for environmental studies with hopes to lengthen the bridge, open up the estuary and protect the area from future flooding.

David discussed slope stabilization and coastal resiliency, where LOSSAN and UP are constantly battling nature. He shared slides showing the enormity of the Honda Bluffs where waves and winter storm runoff have eaten away at the cliff, creating sinkholes that eventually collapse the bluff, edging ever closer to the tracks, mere feet from the right-of-way. Balancing nature and protecting the tracks, LOSSAN and UP work with Coastal Commission to buy time for the rail line.

David was quick to praise the Grants Team, who continues to pursue and secure funding for LOSSAN’s projects.

Thank you, David Berryman, for starting off RASC’s new year. Thank you to J.P. Ziegler for arranging facilities and lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory. And thank you to our attending RASC members and our annual corporate sponsors RailPros, Mott MacDonald and GHD, whose participation makes our scholarship program possible.

RASC is committed to the education of the next generation of rail engineers, with the goal to provide scholarships for undergraduates interested in transportation. Funds raised from these luncheons support that initiative directly.

Join us! Sign up now to become a member of the Railway Association of Southern California (2025 RASC Membership) and be first in line for the next program.

Sponsor us! Help us grow our scholarship base. Sponsor a program by reaching out to J.P. Ziegler (jackson.ziegler@railpros.com) or become an annual corporate sponsor (RASC Sponsorship Levels).