Martinez Subdivision

Last updated
California Zephyr crossing the Benicia-Martinez Bridge over the Carquinez Strait, May 2019 California Zephyr crossing the Benicia-Martinez Railroad Drawbridge (2), May 2019.JPG
California Zephyr crossing the Benicia–Martinez Bridge over the Carquinez Strait, May 2019

The Martinez subdivision is a Union Pacific railway line which runs from Roseville, California to Oakland, California. [1] It is informally referred to as the Cal-P line, after the original California Pacific Railroad, who constructed the line from Sacramento to Suisun and Fairfield. (As such, the nickname may only apply to that segment.) The line is entirely double-tracked including bridges, and features extensive sidings. [1]

Contents

History

Originally built as a more direct route to the San Francisco Bay to compete with the Western Pacific Railroad, the Cal-P segment opened months prior to the First transcontinental railroad. California Pacific was taken over by the Central Pacific, which in late 1879 completed the line from Suisun-Fairfield to Oakland via the train ferry Solano from Benicia to Port Costa. The present double-track lift bridge across the Carquinez Strait replaced the train ferry in 1930.

The California Pacific became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) which in the 1990s merged into the Union Pacific Railroad, the line's current owner. The subdivision forms part of the modern Overland Route.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority is planning to construct a third track between Sacramento and Roseville as part of a plan to expand passenger rail operations in the area. [2]

Traffic

A Union Pacific freight train passes through Fairfield-Vacaville Amtrak station, May 2019 UP freight train at Fairfield-Vacaville station, May 2019.JPG
A Union Pacific freight train passes through Fairfield–Vacaville Amtrak station, May 2019

The line hosts several Amtrak passenger routes: the Capitol Corridor , San Joaquins , Coast Starlight , and California Zephyr operate 36 trains daily over the Benicia–Martinez Bridge. Union Pacific operates numerous freight trains over the route, and BNSF has trackage rights in some segments. As of 2003 the line between Martinez and Sacramento saw 44 freight trains daily. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Capitol Corridor</i> Amtrak service between San Jose and Auburn, California

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.

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

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.

<i>Coast Starlight</i> Amtrak service between Seattle and Los Angeles

The Coast Starlight is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States between Seattle and Los Angeles via Portland and the San Francisco Bay Area. The train, which has operated continuously since Amtrak's formation in 1971, was the first to offer direct service between Seattle and Los Angeles. Its name is a combination of two prior Southern Pacific (SP) trains, the Coast Daylight and the Starlight.

<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">Benicia–Martinez Bridge</span> Bridge in California, U.S.

The Benicia–Martinez Bridge refers to three parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait just west of Suisun Bay in California; the spans link Benicia on the north side with Martinez on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond station (California)</span> Railway station in Richmond, California, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niles Canyon Railway</span> Heritage railroad in California

The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running on the first transcontinental railroad alignment through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District. The railroad is operated and maintained by the Pacific Locomotive Association which preserves, restores and operates historic railroad equipment. The NCRy features public excursions with both steam and diesel locomotives along a well-preserved portion of the first transcontinental railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeryville station</span> Amtrak station in Emeryville, California, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Line (Union Pacific Railroad)</span> Railroad line in California along the Pacific coast

The Coast Line is a railroad line between Burbank, California and the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly along the Pacific Coast. It is the shortest rail route between Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Pacific Railroad</span> Defunct railroad from Vallejo to Sacramento and branches in Northern California, 1865-1876

The California Pacific Railroad Company was incorporated in 1865 at San Francisco, California as the California Pacific Rail Road Company. It was renamed the California Pacific Railroad Extension Company in the spring of 1869, then renamed the California Pacific Railroad later that same year. Its main railroad from Vallejo to Sacramento was completed six months prior to the May 1869 golden spike ceremony of the Central Pacific/Union Pacific Transcontinental Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Northern Railroad</span> Class III line up the western Sacramento Valley

The California Northern Railroad is one of several Class III short-line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. It operates over Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) tracks under a long-term lease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Northern Railway</span> Rail line

The Sacramento Northern Railway was a 183-mile (295 km) electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets of Oakland, Sacramento, Yuba City, Chico, and Woodland and ran interurban passenger service until 1941 and freight service into the 1960s.

<i>Solano</i> (ferry) Railroad ferry

The Solano was a large railroad ferry, built as a reinforced paddle steamer with independently powered sidewheels by the Central Pacific Railroad, that carried entire trains across the Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Port Costa in California daily for 51 years, from 1879 to 1930. When launched, the Solano was the largest ferry of its kind in the world, a record held for 35 years until 1914 when she was joined by her sister ship, the Contra Costa, which was 13 feet (4.0 m) longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Coliseum station</span> Rail station in Oakland, California, US

The station complex of Amtrak's Oakland Coliseum station and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)'s Coliseum station is located in the East Oakland area of Oakland, California, United States. The two stations, located about 600 feet (180 m) apart, are connected to each other and to the Oakland Coliseum/Oakland Arena sports complex with an accessible pedestrian bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento Valley Station</span> Railway station in Sacramento, California, US

Sacramento Valley Station is an Amtrak railway station in the city of Sacramento, California, at 401 I Street on the corner of Fifth Street. It is the seventh 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martinez station</span> Train station in Martinez, California, US

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.

This article lists the railroads and a timeline of railroad history in Solano County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)</span> Railway section in the central and western United States

The Overland Route was a train route operated jointly by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad / Southern Pacific Railroad, between Council Bluffs, Iowa / Omaha, Nebraska, and the San Francisco Bay Area, over the grade of the first transcontinental railroad which had been opened on May 10, 1869. Passenger trains that operated over the line included the Overland Flyer, later renamed the Overland Limited, which also included a connection to Chicago. Although these passenger rail trains are no longer in operation, the Overland Route remains a common name for the line from Northern California to Chicago, now owned entirely by the Union Pacific. Although now primarily used for freight, a few portions still provide the route for the California Zephyr passenger train.

<i>California Zephyr</i> Amtrak service between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area

The California Zephyr is a long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. At 2,438 miles (3,924 km), it is Amtrak's longest daily route, and second-longest overall after the Texas Eagle's triweekly continuation from San Antonio to Los Angeles, with travel time between the termini taking approximately 5112 hours. Amtrak claims the route as one of its most scenic, with views of the upper Colorado River valley in the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada. The modern train is the second iteration of a train named California Zephyr; the original train was privately operated and ran on a different route through Nevada and California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roseville Subdivision</span>

The Roseville Subdivision is a railway line in California and Nevada owned by the Union Pacific Railroad, as part of the Overland Route. It runs from Roseville, California over the Sierra Nevada to Reno, Nevada. The route originated as the initial western segment of the first transcontinental railroad, but has since been upgraded, double tracked, or realigned in some locations. The line reaches an elevation of 6,887 feet (2,099 m) above sea level at Norden, California.

References

  1. 1 2 SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation.
  2. Padgette, Rob (7 September 2020). "Union Pacific : Five rail projects to watch in Northern California as the Capitol Corridor adapts to COVID-19". Market Screener. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  3. Union Pacific Tons per Train (PDF) (Map). Trains. 2003. Retrieved 11 September 2023.