Dreamstar Lines

Dreamstar Lines

Overview
Service type	Inter-city medium distance rail
Status	Planned
Locale	California
First service	2026 (anticipated) [1]
Current operator(s)	Dreamstar Lines
Website	dreamstarlines.com
Route
Termini	Union Station, Los Angeles, California, US 4th and King Street Station, San Francisco, California
Line(s) used	Coast Line
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	None
Operating speed	Top: Average:
Track owner(s)	Union Pacific Caltrain Metrolink
Route map v t e Legend San Francisco San Jose San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Los Angeles

Dreamstar Lines is a privately owned passenger railroad company based in Newport Beach, California. Dreamstar is planning a nightly inter-city service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The train would share the same routes as Amtrak, Metrolink, and Caltrain. Service is anticipated to launch in 2026, succeeding the Lark that ended in 1968. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Jake Vollebregt and Thomas Eastmond founded Dreamstar Lines in Newport Beach, CA. By 2023, the company publicized plans for an overnight "hotel train" as an alternative to flying, reviving a service that had discontinued 55 years prior. ^[4] In April 2024, Joshua Dominic assumed leadership of the project. ^[5] That month, Dreamstar signed a memorandum of understanding with Union Pacific Railroad to operate trains on its right-of-way. ^[6] On November 13, 2024, Santa Monica-based Designworks entered contracts to draw up railcar design concepts. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Service

Overview

Under Dreamstar's current proposal, two trains, one headed north and one headed south, would run every night, departing from each terminus at 10:00 p.m. and arriving at their final destination the next day at 8:30 a.m. This schedule is similar to the red-eye travel used in commercial flying. ^[10] The trains would have intermediate station stops and crew turnovers in San Jose, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, points near each end of the route. ^[11]

Dreamstar's trainsets would consist of restored historic bi-level cars. Onboard amenities include two sleeping arrangements; private rooms with lie-flat beds and premium bedrooms; a lounge with open seating and bar, as well as breakfast delivery. ^[7] The amenities would be split among four planned classes: family, bedroom, suite, and standard. The standard class would be the highest class on level with first class on international flights. ^[12] A tentative part of the plan by Dreamstar would also allow passengers to transport their automobiles on the train, ^[13] an accommodation not dissimilar to Amtrak's Auto Train on the East Coast.

Dreamstar is expected to commence service in 2026, ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. ^[1]

Route description

Under the plan, Dreamstar would operate between Union Station in Los Angeles and 4th and King Street station in San Francisco. The train would travel through California's Central Coast region on a railroad line known as the "Coast Line", which is owned by Union Pacific and also serves Amtrak's Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner , Metrolink's Ventura County Line between Los Angeles and Montalvo, and the Caltrain corridor between Gilroy and San Francisco. Dreamstar's service follows a similar route to Southern Pacific's Lark that ran from 1910 to 1968, as well as Amtrak's short-lived Spirit of California . ^[2]

See also

• California High-Speed Rail
• Coast Starlight
• Spirit of California

References

1. "Dreamstar Lines releases interior design details for new overnight trains connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles". RAILMARKET.com. March 26, 2025.
2. "Plans for private San Francisco-Los Angeles overnight sleeping car service revived". Trains . March 26, 2024.
3. Rahmanan, Anna (April 9, 2024). "A luxe overnight train from L.A. to San Francisco may soon become a reality". Time Out Los Angeles.
4. Peter Alan, David (April 27, 2023). "Dreamstar Lines: Back to the Future?". Railway Age . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
5. Yoshida, Yuika (April 15, 2024). "Dreamstar Lines Links With Union Pacific". Orange County Business Journal . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
6. Asperin, Alexa Mae (April 12, 2024). "Los Angeles to San Francisco Overnight Train a Step Closer to Reality". Fox 11 Los Angeles . Retrieved April 16, 2024.
7. "Dreamstar Lines commissions Designworks for luxury overnight rail service". Railway Technology. Global Data. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
8. Kessler, Juliette (November 14, 2024). "Dreamstar Lines Partners with BMW's Designworks for Luxury LA-SF Overnight Train Project". Hoodline. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
9. Asperin, Alexa Mae (November 14, 2024). "Los Angeles to San Francisco luxury overnight train project names designer for rail cars". Fox 11 Los Angeles. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
10. Mailman, Erika (April 19, 2023). "A new night train will whisk you from San Francisco to Los Angeles as soon as this fall". Time Out. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
11. Buchanan, Bill (April 17, 2023). "'It can work': Plans for an SF-LA night train are underway". SFGate . Retrieved May 8, 2024. The train would stop at existing stations along the route, such as Santa Barbara, San Jose and San Luis Obispo. This would require agreements with stations' owners, which vary by city.
12. "Renderings envision private, luxury LA-San Francisco sleeper train". Trains. January 22, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
13. Golson, Daniel (April 11, 2024). "Here comes a luxury train from Los Angeles to San Francisco and it might even carry fancy cars". Quartz. Jalopnik.

External links

• Dreamstar Lines Official Website