The San Joaquin - Getting to LA from the Bay Area through the Back Door

A few years ago, I heard about a train, The San Joaquin, you could take from Sacramento to LA in roughly 9 and a half hours. At the time I had no idea such a train existed, the only train I knew of was Amtrak's Coast Starlight that takes nearly 14 hours on the beautiful but lengthy coastal route. I was very curious about how this rail service worked but I hadn't had a good reason to try it out. I had heard a few complaining remarks from some rail advocates about the bus connection from Los Angeles to Bakersfield but then I heard other stories about how nice the buses were so I finally had a good reason to travel from Sacramento (SAC) to Orange County, so rather than drive or fly I thought it a good opportunity to try it out

I learned that there are two trains a day originating in Sacramento as well as two more scheduled trips that start with a bus, changing to a train in Stockton. I opted for the later schedule that included a bus ride as the all-rail option left SAC station at 6:40 am and I had a ride at 7:00 am. The SAC station is undergoing major remodeling at this writing and so it took a bit of detective work to find where the correct bus left from. There is little signage at this point so one must ask around to get where you need to be. Other passengers were asking each other where to go as well. They have electronic sign boards but they were not working. They are a working on this though.

Sacramento Amtrak Station under Construction

Once I found the bus loading area which is just to the left of the area leading to the trains, right outside the main station, the only question remained was which bus to get on. Amtrak had "shouters", personnel shouting to passengers which bus to get on. It was a very busy day, so Amtrak provided two buses to take us to Stockton where we would then pick up the San Joaquin train to Bakersfield. 

Sacramento Station - Tracks for passenger trains have been moved about 100m south of the station creating some interesting planning opportunities for the space between the station and the tracks

Amtrak bus depot just to the left of the station south exit.

Why buy a train ticket to ride on a bus? While not optimal and less fun, the buses provide necessary links within in the rail network. BTW, one ticket covers bus and train. In fact, you have to have part of your trip on the train to ride the bus. The buses were fairly new and baggage is handled promptly. So begins the trip to Stockton where I would link up with my train.

 The person with the red pants is actually spread across two seats and is snoozing. The bus interior is clean, air conditioned, has wifi and a restroom. The trip to Stockton is about 50 minutes and while not as spacious as a train it was pretty decent. No traffic issues.  

Once we arrived in Stockton, the bus dropped us off in a covered bus port only a few steps away from the train loading platform and about 40 steps more to go into the station. Stockton station is the former Santa Fe station built in 1900 when it was a stop on the "Valley Road" Its important to note that this station is not same as the ACE station located 5 miles away. Also, take note that you don't want to wander outside the station as the area around the station is a slum and a major homeless area in south Stockton. Just stay close to the platform and you won't be bothered by the panhandlers out front. 

Entrance to the boarding area from the tracks

Bus port Stockton

Waiting area Stockton Station

Boarding for the northbound train to Sacramento. 

The southbound train was on time but I was a little disappointed that the train would be a single level and not the bi-level train. Still, I was glad to get on a train for the next part of the trip. One advantage to the single level cars is the cafe' car is easier to access and is a little roomier than the downstairs cafe' on the bi-level cars.

Boarding the southbound train

Today's train was nearly full. This demonstrates that even at speeds that are considered slow by European and Asian standards, people will often choose trains over driving.

 We left Stockton about 5 minutes late which wasn't too bad. The SJ route runs on the BNSF tracks which parallels US 99 and stops at the larger cities, including Modesto, Turlock, Merced, (jump off point for Yosemite) Madera, Fresno, Hanford, Corcoran, Wasco and Bakersfield. We covered the distances between these cities at a maximum speed of 79 mph. I read that the BNSF route is better than the former Southern Pacific because they can run faster. Still, its a little sad that these trains can only run at 79 mph when they are capable of much faster speeds. As an aside, American trains often ran faster than 100 mph in the 1950's. Nearing lunch time I headed forward to the Cafe' to check out the offerings.

Cafe car and lounge

For lunch I had a 3 cheese and chicken sun dried tomato panini for $6.50, heated up in the microwave. The combo which includes a soda and chips goes for $9.50. As a frequent rider on the Pacific Surfliner, I compared the Sea View Cafe menu and other than the appearance of the menu the offerings looked very similar. 

After lunch, I noted a couple of passengers who were indulging in the beer and wine offerings as they were really enjoying themselves and made no secret about it. There was also a younger passenger in the seat in front of me who whether by accident or design had "forgotten" to get off at his ticketed destination. The conductor finally came by and ordered him to get off at next station but then I think I spotted the forgetful passenger later in the cafe car. 

After lunch, I settled back in to my seat and did a bit of reading and writing and promptly dozed off. Trains can be a great remedy for insomnia. I woke up just in time to view what I believe to be the first bit of construction of the California High Speed Rail system, just outside the right hand side of the train. They are starting the build with a viaduct near Fresno.

Drought is evident from this view out the window south of Fresno

The rest of the trip to Bakersfield was smooth and quiet. The air conditioning worked great, in fact it was a bit chilly inside considering it was 100º F+ outside. Restrooms were all in good condition with no funny odors as I have experienced on other single level trains, especially on the east coast. 

We were about 5 minutes late pulling into Bakersfield station but our buses to take us to Los Angeles were ready and waiting. Detraining was quick and baggage was transferred quickly. We wasted no time on getting on our way. 

A side historical and rail advocate note here - The reason for buses at this point is that historically trains in the past heading to LA would travel over the Tehachapi pass over one of the most famous lengths of rail in America. I believe its the most heavily traveled single track in the US with trains snaking around curves such that they loop over themselves because of the curving track on this considerably steep grade. This routing would follow SP tracks to Mojave, Palmdale and then Glendale before arriving in Los Angeles adding several more hours to the trip. Buses can make it to LA in about 2 1/2 hours. The Tehachapi pass route is shrouded in intrigue as the powers that be wanted to bypass Los Angeles as LA's port was considered competition to bay area ports and shipping such that bay area interests were mostly concerned with a snow free way to get goods from their ports to points east. Today, many rail advocates and passengers would love to see a route over Tejon pass directly into Los Angeles as this would cut considerable time off traveling between LA and SF. Planners of the HSR have decided that Tehachapi pass is still the best route although its engineering and design will probably cost more and add up to 40 minutes additional travel time. Moreover, a conventional rail track over Tejon pass would allow current technology trains to make the trip much faster. 

Amtak needed two buses to carry passengers to LA Union Station. Other buses from Bakersfield take passengers to points east including Barstow, Palm Springs

The Amtrak thruway bus passes the US Post Office next door to LAUS on a remarkably clear day

The Metro/business class lounge at LAUS.

The new schedule signs at LAUS are welcome additions

The trip over Tejon was uneventful and we made the trip on time. I boarded the Pacific Surfliner for the remainder of my trip down to Irvine. I would definitely travel this way again. The entire trip on a single ticket was $59.00 not including drinks and meals. Door to door was just over 9 1/2 hours from Sacramento, CA to Laguna Niguel, CA. Best of all the trip was not tiresome in the least. I really like that I can watch movies, work or sleep or wander around without going through security or sitting in traffic. If we could only boost train speeds reducing travel time would make this way in to LA the best way.