San Joaquins
Encyclopedia
The San Joaquin is a passenger train operated by Amtrak
as part of the Amtrak California
network in California
's Central Valley. Twelve trains a day run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield
and Stockton
, where the route splits to Oakland
(four trains each way a day) or Sacramento
(two trains each way a day). At Bakersfield, Thruway Motorcoach bus
service connects to Los Angeles
Union Station
and points in Southern California
, the High Desert
and the Central Coast
. The San Joaquin does not continue south of Bakersfield because the only line between Bakersfield and points south, via Tehachapi Pass
, is one of the world's busiest single-track freight rail lines.
The San Joaquin is Amtrak's fifth-busiest service and the railroad's third-busiest in California. During fiscal year 2010, the service carried 977,834 passengers, a 5.2% increase from FY 2009's total of 929,172 passengers. Total revenue during FY 2010 was , a 12.7% increase from a total of in FY 2009.
northward on BNSF Railway
's Mojave Subdivision within Bakersfield, the Bakersfield Subdivision from Bakersfield to Calwa
(Fresno
), then on the Stockton Subdivision from Calwa to Stockton
.
At Stockton the routes split to Oakland
or Sacramento
:
-fleet (bi-level, high-capacity) passenger cars of several types: coach-baggage car, cafe (dining) car, coach car, cab car, and cab-baggage car. A cab car is a typical coach with an engineer's operating cab and headlights on one end, allowing the train to be operated in push-pull mode
, which eliminates the need to turn the train at each end-point. A cab-baggage is similar, but with space on the car's lower level for checked-luggage storage.
Two types of locomotives are used on the San Joaquin. The EMD F59PHI, road numbers CDTX 2001-2015, and the GE
P32-8WH (Dash 8)
, road numbers CDTX 2051-2052. These locomotives are owned by the California Department of Transportation
and carry its CDTX reporting marks. Other locomotives are occasionally seen on the San Joaquin, including Amtrak-owned Dash 8s and P42DCs. The Amtrak California
locomotives and cars livery
is unique to California.
A typical San Joaquin is a locomotive and four cars:
or
During some holiday seasons coaches may be added, resulting in five- or six-car trains.
The San Joaquin runs over rail lines that once hosted several trains a day. The two primary trains in the Central Valley were the Golden Gate, operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
(predecessor to BNSF), and the San Joaquin Daylight
operated by Southern Pacific Railroad
(later acquired by Union Pacific).
In April 1965, as car travel increased and ridership on passenger trains continued to drop, the Santa Fe Railway received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
to severely curtail Golden Gate operations, with service finally abandoned three years later. The San Joaquin Daylight was discontinued with the start-up of Amtrak in May 1971.
Other passenger trains that ran through the Central Valley included Southern Pacific's Owl and Santa Fe's San Francisco Chief
and Valley Flyer
.
system between Northern and Southern California, and a ballot initiative was approved by the voters November 2008. In many places the route will run through the San Joaquin Valley along the same alignment as the San Joaquins. The first section that has been selected for construction is between Fresno and Bakersfield.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
as part of the Amtrak California
Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
network in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's Central Valley. Twelve trains a day run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
and Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, where the route splits to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
(four trains each way a day) or Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
(two trains each way a day). At Bakersfield, Thruway Motorcoach bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service connects to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Union Station
Union Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
and points in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, the High Desert
High Desert (California)
The High Desert is an unofficial and vaguely-defined geographic area of southern California located to the northeast of the San Gabriel Mountains. The term "High Desert" is used most commonly by the news media, especially in weather forecasts, and in the names of businesses and organizations...
and the Central Coast
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. The San Joaquin does not continue south of Bakersfield because the only line between Bakersfield and points south, via Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass
Tehachapi Pass is a mountain pass crossing the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, California in the United States. The route over the pass connects the San Joaquin Valley to the Mojave Desert...
, is one of the world's busiest single-track freight rail lines.
The San Joaquin is Amtrak's fifth-busiest service and the railroad's third-busiest in California. During fiscal year 2010, the service carried 977,834 passengers, a 5.2% increase from FY 2009's total of 929,172 passengers. Total revenue during FY 2010 was , a 12.7% increase from a total of in FY 2009.
Route
The San Joaquin runs from Bakersfield's Truxtun Avenue StationBakersfield (Amtrak station)
The Bakersfield Amtrak Station is a train station in Bakersfield, California. It is the southern terminus of Amtrak's San Joaquin route operated by Amtrak California, with Thruway Motorcoach service continuing to Amtrak stations and bus stops throughout Southern California and Nevada...
northward on BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
's Mojave Subdivision within Bakersfield, the Bakersfield Subdivision from Bakersfield to Calwa
Calwa, California
Calwa is an unincorporated census-designated place in Fresno County, California, U.S. The population was 2,052 at the 2010 census, up from 762 at the 2000 census. Calwa is located south-southeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 292 feet...
(Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
), then on the Stockton Subdivision from Calwa to Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
At Stockton the routes split to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
or Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
:
- The Oakland trains continue west on the Stockton Subdivision to Port ChicagoPort Chicago, CaliforniaPort Chicago was a town on the southern banks of Suisun Bay, in Contra Costa County, California. It was located east-northeast of Martinez, at an elevation of 13 feet...
. At Port Chicago they cross to the Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
's Tracy Subdivision to MartinezMartinez, CaliforniaMartinez is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 35,824 at the 2010 census. The downtown is notable for its large number of preserved old buildings...
, continue on the Martinez Subdivision to EmeryvilleEmeryville, CaliforniaEmeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
, and finally a couple of miles on the Niles Subdivision to Oakland's Jack London Square stationOakland – Jack London Square (Amtrak station)Oakland is an Amtrak station located in downtown Oakland, California. Opened in 1994, the building is located at 245 Second Street in Oakland, it is served by the Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins trains...
.
- Trains to the Sacramento Valley Rail Station diverge in Stockton and run north to Sacramento on Union Pacific's Fresno Subdivision and on the Martinez Subdivision within Sacramento.
Rolling stock
The San Joaquin is equipped with Amtrak CaliforniaAmtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
-fleet (bi-level, high-capacity) passenger cars of several types: coach-baggage car, cafe (dining) car, coach car, cab car, and cab-baggage car. A cab car is a typical coach with an engineer's operating cab and headlights on one end, allowing the train to be operated in push-pull mode
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
, which eliminates the need to turn the train at each end-point. A cab-baggage is similar, but with space on the car's lower level for checked-luggage storage.
Two types of locomotives are used on the San Joaquin. The EMD F59PHI, road numbers CDTX 2001-2015, and the GE
GE Transportation Systems
GE Transportation, formerly known as GE Rail, is a division of General Electric. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generation industries. It is based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Locomotives are assembled at the Erie plant, while engine...
P32-8WH (Dash 8)
GE Dash 8-32BWH
The GE Dash 8-32BWH, also known as the P32-8WH or B32-8WH, is a modern diesel-electric passenger train locomotive used by Amtrak. It is based on GE's Dash 8 series of freight train locomotives....
, road numbers CDTX 2051-2052. These locomotives are owned by the California Department of Transportation
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
and carry its CDTX reporting marks. Other locomotives are occasionally seen on the San Joaquin, including Amtrak-owned Dash 8s and P42DCs. The Amtrak California
Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
locomotives and cars livery
Livery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
is unique to California.
A typical San Joaquin is a locomotive and four cars:
- Locomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
- Coach-Baggage Car
- Coach Car
- Cafe Car
- Cab Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
or
- Locomotive (end pointed towards Oakland/Sacramento)
- Coach Car
- Coach Car
- Cafe Car
- Cab-Baggage Car (end pointed towards Bakersfield)
During some holiday seasons coaches may be added, resulting in five- or six-car trains.
History
Amtrak's San Joaquin began in March 1974. Service has increased from one round trip per day to four round trips to Oakland, plus two round trips to Sacramento.The San Joaquin runs over rail lines that once hosted several trains a day. The two primary trains in the Central Valley were the Golden Gate, operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
(predecessor to BNSF), and the San Joaquin Daylight
San Joaquin Daylight
The San Joaquin Daylight was a Southern Pacific passenger train inaugurated between Los Angeles and Oakland Pier by way of the San Joaquin Valley and Tehachapi Pass on July 4, 1941. It operated until the advent of Amtrak in 1971.-Passenger cars:Pullman-Standard built coaches were assigned to the...
operated by Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(later acquired by Union Pacific).
In April 1965, as car travel increased and ridership on passenger trains continued to drop, the Santa Fe Railway received permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
to severely curtail Golden Gate operations, with service finally abandoned three years later. The San Joaquin Daylight was discontinued with the start-up of Amtrak in May 1971.
Other passenger trains that ran through the Central Valley included Southern Pacific's Owl and Santa Fe's San Francisco Chief
San Francisco Chief
The San Francisco Chief was a named passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway as Nos. 1 & 2 from June 6, 1954 to May 1, 1971. It covered the Santa Fe line from near San Francisco, California to Barstow, California, then east to Chicago, Illinois via the Belen cutoff....
and Valley Flyer
Valley Flyer
The Valley Flyer was a short-lived, named passenger train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.The all-heavyweight, "semi-streamlined" train operated between Bakersfield and Oakland, California during the 1939–1940 Golden Gate International Exposition, located on "Treasure Island" in...
.
Proposed high-speed rail
Studies are underway for the California High-Speed RailCalifornia high-speed rail
The California High-Speed Rail project is a planned future high-speed rail system in the state of California and headed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority . Initial funding for the project was approved by California voters on November 4, 2008, with the passage of Proposition 1A...
system between Northern and Southern California, and a ballot initiative was approved by the voters November 2008. In many places the route will run through the San Joaquin Valley along the same alignment as the San Joaquins. The first section that has been selected for construction is between Fresno and Bakersfield.