Commuting to SC via Train

QW553
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:24:59 +0000

It is doable, and might be pleasant if you don’t do it every day or for long time.

I had been doing it for 2 years. You can go to Irvine, Tustin or Santa Ana station depending on which has sufficient parking and is closes to your home. The parking is free. Between Union Station and USC, you can take USC Tram, Red line, Dash, and the new Expo line. All are free if you buy discounted monthly passes from USC transportation office (old information, you need to verify). The tickets allow you to ride Metrolink and Amtrak.

The monthly pass made enormous sense economically when I rode. It was much cheaper than driving and parking on campus 3-4 years ago. Considering the current gas price, you do the math. USC also sells 10, 20 passes tickets with lesser discounts.

My experience was if you have a regular schedule, and can manage to sleep enough, it might be wonderful for you. I had so many memorable encounters on the train. Some are very good stories that I tell many times. There were a couple of USC professors I know also taking the same train with me. We chatted all the time. A then department chair who commuted every day told me, “you’d be a fool to drive”:)