The traffic getting to and from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival has become so notorious that companies offer private jets and helicopters to get to the April events.

But now, officials are working on an alternative mode of transportation to get some of the hundreds of thousands of festival attendees out to Indio. The construction of a temporary train platform in Indio could arrive as early as the 2020 festival season and would allow for special Amtrak trains to be run for both Coachella and Stagecoach.

The $8.6 million project is funded by a $5.9 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency and $2.7 million from the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

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The agency is working toward the long-term goal of providing regular passenger train service through the Indio Transit Center — which has tracks but is not frequently used for that kind of travel — but that’s part of a different effort, said John Standiford, deputy director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The grant money is specifically earmarked for of accommodating and transporting festival guests for the three weekends.

“This grant is very narrow — it is for this purpose — (but) it’s a good showcase,” Standiford said. “You couldn’t ask for a bigger event, and anything that takes a few cars of the I-10, I think will be welcomed by a lot of people.”

Concert-goers would board the train at Los Angeles Union Station, travel to the Indio Transit Center, and then take a connecting shuttle to the Empire Polo Club grounds where the festivals take place.

Standiford said there would be two trains to the festivals and two trains back for each of the three weekends, but ticket prices have not yet been decided.

RCTC will coordinate the design and construction of the platform as well as trackwork, drainage and pedestrian access. Construction could begin late this year with the platform ready for train service as early as next year. RCTC and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN) have requested access to run special Amtrak trains to the festivals.

This is not the first time there has been train service for the festivals. Festival promoter Goldenvoice partnered with Amtrak in 2008 for Coachella Express as a one year only promotional event that transported travelers from LA to Indio. The Coachella Express featured music from live DJs, a makeshift dance floor and ice cream sandwiches for travelers.

Here are some photos from that adventure: