In most U.S. states, intercity passenger train service is provided solely by Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation), with no assistance of any sort from state or local governments. This level of service usually includes only a few long distance trains such as the Coast Starlight or California Zephyr , with perhaps a small number of shorter distance trains operating within the state. This was the situation in California prior to 1976. Since 1976, California has been one of several states which assists Amtrak in order to provide more service than the basic system.
Through Caltrans, the state government of California provides capital grants and support for station and track improvements (including signaling), locomotives and cars, connecting Amtrak bus service, and operating assistance for three corridors: the Pacific Surfliner , the San Joaquins and the Capitol Corridor .
This is the list of 74 active Amtrak stations in California. This list does not include stations that are served only by Amtrak Thruway and not Amtrak trains.
TABLE KEY |
| Current Amtrak Train Stations |
| Also Amtrak Thruway stops |
| Stations and/or stops that are shared with commuter rail systems (ACE, Caltrain, Coaster, and/or Metrolink) |
These stations are planned or currently under construction:
| Station/stop Name | City | Planned opening | Train Name(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castroville | Castroville | Capitol Corridor | [6] | |
| Gilroy | Gilroy | Capitol Corridor Caltrain | [6] | |
| Hercules | Hercules | Capitol Corridor & San Joaquin | Proposed to include ferry and bus terminal. | |
| Indio | Indio | |||
| Lodi | Lodi | 2027 | San Joaquin ACE | |
| Madera | Madera | 2024 | San Joaquin | planned to replace existing Madera station [5] |
| Merced | Merced | 2027 | San Joaquin ACE | future California High-Speed Rail station |
| Morgan Hill | Morgan Hill | Capitol Corridor Caltrain | [6] | |
| Natomas/Sacramento Airport | Sacramento | 2026 | San Joaquin ACE | |
| Oakley | Oakley | 2024 | San Joaquin | planned to replace existing Antioch–Pittsburg station. [7] |
| Pajaro/Watsonville | Pajaro | Capitol Corridor | [6] | |
| Sacramento City College | Sacramento | 2029 | San Joaquin ACE | also serves Sacramento Light Rail's Blue Line |
| Midtown Sacramento | Sacramento | 2026 | San Joaquin ACE | |
| Old North Sacramento | Sacramento | 2029 | San Joaquin ACE | |
| Tamien | San Jose | Capitol Corridor Caltrain | [6] also serves VTA light rail's Blue Line |
The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (560 km) passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The Capitol Corridor is a 168-mile (270 km) passenger train route in Northern California operated by Amtrak between San Jose, in the Bay Area, and Auburn, in the Sacramento Valley. The route is named after the two points most trains operate between, San Jose and Sacramento. The route runs roughly parallel to I-880 and I-80. Some limited trips run between Oakland and San Jose. A single daily round trip runs between San Jose and Auburn, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Capitol Corridor trains started in 1991.
The San Joaquins is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak in California's San Joaquin Valley. Six daily round trips run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield and Stockton, with onward service to Sacramento and Oakland.
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak regional rail routes in California – the Capitol Corridor, the Pacific Surfliner, and the San Joaquins – and their associated connecting network of Amtrak Thruway transportation services.
Richmond station is an Amtrak intercity rail and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in downtown Richmond, California. Richmond is the north terminus of BART service on the Orange Line and Red Line; it is a stop for Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins, and California Zephyr routes. The accessible station has one island platform for the two BART tracks, with a second island platform serving two of the three tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad Martinez Subdivision for Amtrak trains. It is one of two transfer points between BART and Amtrak, along with Oakland Coliseum station.
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park is a state park unit of California, United States, preserving Allensworth, the only California town to be founded, financed and governed by African Americans. The small farming community was founded in 1908 by Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth, Professor William Payne, William Peck, a minister; John W. Palmer, a miner; and Harry A. Mitchell, a real estate agent, dedicated to improving the economic and social status of African Americans. Colonel Allensworth (1842–1914) had a friendship with Booker T. Washington and was inspired by the Tuskegee Institute and development in its neighboring town. Allensworth hoped to develop the "Tuskegee of the West".
Emeryville station is an Amtrak station in Emeryville, California, United States. The station is served by the California Zephyr, Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins. The station is the primary connection point for Amtrak Thruway buses serving San Francisco.
Santa Clara Transit Center is a railway station in downtown Santa Clara, California. It is served by Caltrain, Amtrak Capitol Corridor, and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) trains. It is the planned terminus for the Silicon Valley BART extension into Santa Clara County on the future Green and Orange Lines. The former station building, constructed in 1863 by the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, is used by the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History.
Sacramento Valley Station is an Amtrak railway station in the city of Sacramento, California, at 401 I Street on the corner of Fifth Street, built in 1926 on the site of China Slough. It is the thirteenth busiest Amtrak station in the country, and the second busiest in the Western United States. It is served by four different Amtrak train routes and connecting Amtrak Thruway motorcoaches. It is also the western terminus for the Gold Line of the Sacramento RT Light Rail system and the Route 30 bus serving Sacramento State University.
Bakersfield station is an intermodal facility in Bakersfield, California. It is the southern terminus of Amtrak California's San Joaquins route, with Amtrak Thruway buses continuing to Amtrak stations and bus stops throughout Southern California and Nevada. The station opened with a celebration on July 4, 2000. It contains an 8,300-square-foot (770 m2) train station with two platforms and three tracks, as well as a 17-bay bus station.
Martinez station is an Amtrak passenger train station in Martinez, California, United States. Located at the west end of downtown Martinez, the station has one side platform and one island platform, which serve three of the four tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad Martinez Subdivision. It is served by the daily California Zephyr and Coast Starlight long-distance trains, five daily round trips of the San Joaquin corridor service, and fifteen daily round trips of the Capitol Corridor service. Martinez is also served by Amtrak Thruway buses plus County Connection, Tri-Delta Transit, and WestCAT local buses.
San Joaquin Street station, also known as Stockton – San Joaquin Street, is an Amtrak station in Stockton, California. Originally built for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, it is a stop for trains on Amtrak's San Joaquin line between Oakland and Bakersfield. The Mission Revival style building cost $24,470 to construct, and includes typical design features such as stuccoed walls, a red tile roof and shady arcades.
Fremont station is a train station located in the Centerville area of Fremont, California, United States. The station is served by Amtrak Capitol Corridor commuter rail/intercity rail service and the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) commuter rail service.
The Santa Fe Passenger Depot, also known as Fresno station, is an historic railroad station and transportation hub in downtown Fresno, California. It is served by San Joaquins inter-city passenger trains, Greyhound inter-city buses, and regional transit services including Fresno Area Express and the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency.
Hanford station is a train station in Hanford, California served by Amtrak. The station also services the larger city of Visalia, California, 20 miles (32 km) to the east.
Santa Clara–Great America station is a train station in Santa Clara, California. It hosts Amtrak's Capitol Corridor trains and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) trains. The station is close to Levi's Stadium and California's Great America. Of the 75 California stations served by Amtrak, Great America was the 20th-busiest in FY2019, boarding or detraining an average of about 533 passengers daily.
Robert J. Cabral Station, is a railway station in Stockton, California. In 2003, the station building was named in honor of the late Robert J. Cabral, a San Joaquin County supervisor instrumental in the creation of the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), originally Altamont Commuter Express.
Wasco station is an Amtrak station on the San Joaquins line located in Wasco, California, United States. The station has one platform on the west side of a single track.
Madera station is an unstaffed train station near Madera, California, United States that is served by San Joaquins trains, which run between Oakland or Sacramento and Bakersfield, California.
Modesto station is a staffed Amtrak station in Modesto, California. It serves the on the San Joaquin line. Designed by Pacific Design Associates of Modesto and VBN Architects of Oakland, the $2.4 million depot was built on four acres of former dairy pastureland. The station has one platform which serves a single track.
With a group of 20 or more (you will need a [sic] exact head count for preapproval), and several weeks ahead of time, Amtrak can stop at Allensworth and let you off right at the park.
