Tag: oakland

Categories : Amtrak Fresno TransitTags : 1 Comment

7th daily San Joaquin train launches on June 20 – a look at the new schedule!

On By jamesinclair

Amtrak’s new 7th daily San Joaquin train will launch on June 20!

A few months ago, I reported that final touches were being put on a new 7th daily train between Bakersfield and the Bay Area. Although they missed the predicted launch date of June 6, you can now purchase tickets reflecting the new schedule that kicks off on the 20th.

That’s how I was able to see what the new times look like, because the full version has not been posted on Amtrak’s page, Let’s take a look!

We start by looking at northbound trips from Bakersfield to Oakland. The blue trains in the image go to Sacramento. That means that in Stockton you transfer to an Amtrak bus if you want to reach Oakland or San Francisco. The red “train” in this image is actually a bus. It is intended for folks coming from Southern California, and terminates in Fresno. It requires purchase of a connecting rail ticket, due to lobbying by Greyhound. Click to read more!

Categories : AmtrakTags : Leave a comment

A look at Amtrak California ridership – February 2016

On By jamesinclair

The recent news that the Amtrak San Joaquin line is getting a 7th daily train inspired me to ask, how is ridership doing? Long-time readers might remember that Amtrak ridership updates used to be a frequent (quarterly) feature on this blog, but the last one I did was in December…of 2012! Oops. Well, I’ve updated my spreadsheets, so let’s take a look at how ridership has been doing on California’s three state-supported Amtrak lines.

We begin with a chart showing all three California lines over the past 15 months. That allows us to see seasonal changes over the course of the year, and get a brief reference of year-on-year progress. Click to read more!

Categories : AmtrakTags : Leave a comment

Amtrak San Joaquin finally getting 7th daily train!

On By jamesinclair

June 6 is the planned date for when a 7th daily train will begin service on the Amtrak San Joaquin route which serves California’s Central Valley. Currently, 4 trains a day run from Bakersfield to Oakland, with two running from Bakersfield to Sacramento. Additional thruway bus service offers connections to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and a dozen other cities. The new train will run between Bakersfield and Oakland.

Final preparations for this addition to the schedule have been underway for about 6 months now. Although the service is run and branded by Amtrak, it is funded by California and currently managed by the “San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority” which took over from Caltrans in 2015. Since they took over, they have pushed to make the new 7th trip a reality. The new service will cost $7.4 million a year. Click to read more!

Categories : UncategorizedTags : 1 Comment

Oakland Airport Connector, a year of testing?

On By jamesinclair

The city of Oakland is building a new elevated rail line to connect their BART station to the airport. It’s not a complicated line – like most airport shuttles, an unmanned train will simply shuttle back and forth every 5 minutes. I believe they’re using the cable technology common for the application.

Construction is moving along well, but this certainly caught my eye:

The connector will replace the Oakland AirBART buses, operated by the
Port of Oakland, that now take passengers to and from the airport using
local streets. Construction is expected to end late this year, and will
be followed by about a year of testing.
SFGate Click to read more!