Representatives from the City of Goleta and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) celebrated the groundbreaking this Thursday for the new $32 million full-service train station set to be complete in summer 2026.
The 8,500-square-foot Goleta Train Depot, located on La Patera Lane, will be built next to the existing Amtrak platform, aiming to “increase train ridership, improve connections to bus transit, and support services to and from the Santa Barbara Airport and UC Santa Barbara.”
Roughly 100 people attended the groundbreaking, hearing from Goleta city councilmembers, city staff, and more. “People only remember what you build,” stated Goleta City Manager Robert Nisbet. Councilmember James Kyriaco noted that Goleta is a regional job hub, where more than 5,000 jobs have been added in the last decade — more than any in the county — an accomplishment that will be bolstered by this project.
