Santa Fe Passenger Depot (Fresno, California)

Last updated

Fresno, CA
2009-0725-CA-FresnoSantaFeStation.jpg
Santa Fe Passenger Depot in 2009
General information
Other namesSanta Fe Passenger Depot
Location2650 Tulare Street
Fresno, California
United States
Coordinates 36°44′18″N119°46′55″W / 36.73833°N 119.78194°W / 36.73833; -119.78194
Owned by City of Fresno
Line(s) BNSF Stockton Subdivision [1]
Platforms1 side platform
1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsSee Bus connections section
Construction
Parking11 short term spaces, 98 long term spaces [2]
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station code Amtrak: FNO
History
Opened1899 (1899) [3]
Rebuilt2005
Original company San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Passengers
FY 2023278,603(Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Madera
toward Oakland or Sacramento
San Joaquins Hanford
toward Bakersfield
Former services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Storey
until 2010
toward Oakland or Sacramento
San Joaquins Hanford
toward Bakersfield
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Figarden
toward Richmond
Valley Division Calwa
toward Barstow
Santa Fe Passenger Depot
Area1.1 acres (0.4 ha)
Architect William Benson Storey
Architectural style California Mission
NRHP reference No. 76000482 [4]
Added to NRHPNovember 7, 1976
Location
Santa Fe Passenger Depot (Fresno, California)

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.

Contents

History

Depot c. 1910 Exterior view of the Santa Fe Depot building in Fresno, ca.1910 (CHS-12683).jpg
Depot c.1910

The station was built in 1899 for the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJV) [5] and was designed by William Benson Storey for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF or Santa Fe). It is very similar to the Stockton – San Joaquin Street Station. [6] The station was once the Santa Fe's Valley Division Headquarters, and was expanded or renovated nine times between 1908 and 1985. Santa Fe closed the station for passenger service in 1966 and completely shuttered the building in the early 1990s. When passenger service to Fresno was reinstated on March 5, 1974, Amtrak used a space in the nearby freight house. By the time the city of Fresno purchased the station in 2003, it had fallen into disrepair. The station reopened on February 12, 2005, after a US$6 million renovation project largely restored it to its original 1899 appearance. [3] After renovations there are now is 5,400 sq ft (500 m2) dedicated to passenger service and another 12,300 sq ft (1,140 m2) available for lease. The Santa Fe Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The Santa Fe sign on the Fresno Depot Old Fresno Station.jpg
The Santa Fe sign on the Fresno Depot

From its beginning until Amtrak took over nearly all passenger rail service within the United States in 1971, the station was served by ATSF trains, including the famous San Francisco Chief and the Oakland-Barstow line. [7] For the first few years after Amtrak's inception Fresno had no rail service. In 1974 service by Amtrak/Amtrak California's San Joaquin began. Initially, service only included daily service (once in each direction) between Oakland and Bakersfield. [8] Originally, the next northbound stop was Merced, but by 1978 the Storey Train Station was added. (However, under Amtrak that station was known as Madera, rather than Storey.) [9] As the years went by service increased substantially and by 2002 the San Joaquin ran twice daily (in each direction) between Sacramento and Bakersfield and four times daily (in each direction) between Oakland and Bakersfield. [10]

San Joaquins are expected to cease services here once California High-Speed Rail operations begin. [11]

Description

The station is located at 2650 Tulare Street, [2] just off Santa Fe Street, across the street from Fresno City Hall. It is situated in the middle of a rough triangle formed by the three freeways in the city (California State Route 99, California State Route 41, and California State Route 180) and is easily accessible from all three.

In Fiscal Year 2023, 278,603 passengers boarded or detrained at Fresno station. [12] Excluding passengers who are transferring to a Thruway Bus, Fresno has the highest ridership on the San Joaquins service. [13]

Facilities

The station has an indoor waiting room open from 5:45 am to 10:00 pm daily. Inside the station there is a staffed ticket counter with baggage check services. In addition to the ticketing counter, there is a automated ticket kiosk. There is also a bathroom and vending machines. The station has 11 short term and 98 long term parking spaces. [2]

Notable nearby destinations

Services

Train platforms

The Santa Fe passenger depot has two tracks, but only one side platform sees regular service. Amtrak trains switch onto this track just north or south of the station, leaving the Main Line clear for freight trains. There is a very narrow island platform between the tracks that is occasionally used when Amtrak trains are not able to switch onto the station track. Passengers are not allowed to wait on the island platform.

Bus connections

Related Research Articles

<i>San Joaquins</i> Amtrak service in San Joaquin Valley, California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak California</span> Caltrans passenger rail services

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Joaquin Valley Railroad</span> Central California freight transport company

The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is one of several short line railroad companies and is part of the Western Region Division of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates over about 371 miles (597 km) of owned or leased track primarily on several lines in California's Central Valley/San Joaquin Valley around Fresno and Bakersfield. The SJVR has trackage rights over Union Pacific between Fresno, Goshen, Famoso, Bakersfield and Algoso. The SJVR also operated for the Tulare Valley Railroad (TVRR) from Calwa to Corcoran and Famoso.

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<i>Golden Gate</i> (train) Santa Fe Railway passenger service

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Storey was an unstaffed train station located in the unincorporated community of Storey, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the Fresno River, in Madera County, California, United States. Just prior to its closure in November 2010 and replacement by the new Madera station, this station was served by Amtrak's San Joaquin. Prior to Amtrak, this station was also previously served by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad's (ATSF) San Francisco Chief and its Oakland-Barstow Line.

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References

  1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 10.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fresno, CA (FNO)". amtrak.com. Amtrak . Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Great American Stations: Fresno, CA (FNO)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. "Santa Fe Railroad Depot (1899)". historicfresno.org. Retrieved July 6, 2014. Adapted from the National Register of Historic Places nomination, originally prepared by Dianne E. Seeger
  6. Reiring, Ron (January 8, 2008). "Fresno, CA. train station". flickr.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  7. Bowen, Eric H. "The San Francisco Chief". streamlinerschedules.com. Retrieved July 5, 2014. Information copied from original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway timetable dated June 6, 1954.
  8. Amtrak (May 19, 1974). "All-American Schedules". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 50. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  9. Amtrak (January 8, 1978). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 46. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  10. Amtrak (April 29, 2002). "National Timetable: Spring Summer 2002". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 59. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  11. "DRAFT 2023 BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE" (PDF). SJRRA. p. 36. Retrieved October 25, 2023. To most efficiently integrate the San Joaquins and the interim HSR services, Merced will become the southern terminus for San Joaquins rail service once operations begin on the HSR infrastructure at the end of 2030.
  12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  13. "2019 San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Business Plan Update" (PDF). p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  14. "Schedule". V-LINE. Retrieved March 6, 2024.

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