OAKLAND – Amtrak’s San Joaquin corridor is experiencing unprecedented ridership through California’s Central Valley this summer. As a result, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Amtrak California have added passenger cars to meet this demand.
Currently all twelve of the daily San Joaquin trains operate with a four-car configuration. Now through Labor Day, a fifth car will be added to at least six of the busiest trains that serve the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley. The additional car will increase capacity by 25 percent, allowing an additional 88 passengers to comfortably ride Amtrak California’s San Joaquin trains.
The San Joaquin has experienced steady ridership growth in recent years and is currently the fifth busiest Amtrak train in the nation. In 2009, the San Joaquin boasted 977, 000 passengers. Providing more capacity for the remainder of the summer could push ridership to one million for the first time.
Onboard the San Joaquin, passengers can expect great service, style and amenities as they travel between the Bay Area and Bakersfield. Passengers enjoy modern bi-level cars with large panoramic windows, comfortable, custom-designed interiors, automatic doors for faster boarding, lower-level seating for passengers with special needs and a Cafe car serving a variety of fresh sandwiches, snacks and beverages.
Amtrak California, a partnership between Caltrans and Amtrak, provides stress-free train service to more than 175 destinations statewide when combined with the thruway bus service. Its routes are among the country’s most popular, serving approximately 4.3 million passengers annually. For more information, please visit AmtrakCalifornia.com.
