The Southern Pacific Railroad built a line between Ventura and Los Angeles, as an alternate to the Montalvo to Newhall line. The first passenger station to serve the Rancho Simi area was the
Santa Susana Depot, originally located at Tapo Street and Los Angeles Avenue. The depot served the community of
Santa Susana which is now mostly within the city of Simi Valley. The historic Santa Susana Depot building has since been preserved and moved three miles east of its original location. A station parking location at Surveyor Street (just west of Tapo Street) was acquired for
CalTrain by 1982. The station opened with the inauguration of
CalTrain on October 18, 1982. The CalTrain service was discontinued in 1983. The Amtrak
Coast Starlight began stopping the former CalTrain station on October 26, 1986. On June 26, 1988, Amtrak extended one daily
San Diegan round trip to Santa Barbara, stopping at Simi Valley. Metrolink
Ventura County Line service began on October 26, 1992, stopping at most former CalTrain stations (except Oxnard, which Metrolink began serving after the 1994 Northridge earthquake). Amtrak switched to the Metrolink station, located about one mile east of Tapo Avenue, at that time. A project to improve the station was announced in 2020. The plan includes a second passenger platform and pedestrian crossing along with a second track which would allow eastbound and westbound trains to be at the station at the same time. The double track would extend about to the west of the station and include improvements at several intersections. As part of the Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion Program, the project will improve safety, enable more frequent service and make existing service more reliable. == References ==