New San Joaquin schedule effective January 8, 2018

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calwatch

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Nov 28, 2010
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Includes the "Morning Express" (which makes all stops) service from Fresno to Sacramento, and cuts the first train from and last train to Bakersfield to ending at Fresno (with bus service to Bakersfield and Los Angeles). The Bakersfield people are not happy and have mocked up a schedule that skips half the stops but allows for a train to leave Bakersfield at 4:30 am and arrives in Sacramento at 9 AM.

http://sjjpa.com/getattachment/Home/Final-Board-Packet-SJJPA-September-22nd,-2017-(1).pdf

Schedule Changes*

Northbound: 1. Train 703 (which currently leaves Bakersfield at 6:25 pm and arrives Sacramento at 11:40 pm) will become Train 701, departing from Fresno at 4:25 am and arrives in Sacramento at 7:41 am. 2. Train 701 will stay in same slot but shall become Train 703 (departing Bakersfield at 6:00 am and arriving in Sacramento at 11:15 am). 3. The last four trains from Bakersfield to Bay Area leave about an hour or so later to provide better spacing (last train to Bay Area provides a good connection to Coast Starlight at Martinez).

Southbound: 1. Train 702 (which currently leaves Sacramento at 6:35 am and arrives in Bakersfield at 12:00 pm) will have a later start at 12:41 pm and arrive at Bakersfield at 6:06 pm 2. Train 704 will stay in the same slot (departing Sacramento at 5:30 pm and arriving in Bakersfield at 10:45 pm). 3. Train 714 (which currently leaves Oakland at 12:35 pm and arrives in Bakersfield at 6:49 pm) will become Train 710, moving into the early slot and leaving Oakland at 5:35 am and arriving in Bakersfield at 11:52 am. A Thruway bus connection at Stockton is made from Sacramento to this train which originates in the Bay Area. 4. Train 718 (which currently leaves Oakland at 5:55 pm and arrives in Bakersfield at 11:58 pm) will continue to leave Oakland at 5:55 pm, but will terminate at Fresno at 9:52 pm (this train would then lay over in Fresno and become the early morning train to Sacramento the following morning).

*Departure and arrival times could change slightly prior to the January 8, 2018 start-date, but will not change significantly.

SJJPA and Amtrak have modified the Thruway connecting buses to accommodate the new train times and coordinated timed connections to Pacific Surfliner and Capitol Corridor.
 
If I'm getting this straight, currently the first NB train leaves Bakersfield at 6 a.m. and Fresno in turn at 7:53 a.m. but doesn't arrive in Sacramento until 11:20 a.m. (An earlier train-transfer-bus combo leaves Bakersfield at 4:25 a.m. and Fresno at 6:18 a.m. to arrive in Sacramento at 9:45 a.m.)

This "Morning Express" -- out of Fresno at 4:25 a.m. to arrive in the capital Sacramento at 7:41 a.m. -- gets to the capital in time to start a full business day. Sure looks like a strong bid for same-day go-and return business trips, and maybe, god help 'em, for some extreme commuters. Unhooking the schedule from Bakersfield is a winner for Fresno.

I can see why Bakersfield is crying, but it's just so dayum far away. Bakersfield really needs a high speed rail line linking to the Bay Area. Oh, wait ...
 
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Yes, that's the plan. The point is to bring in people who have business meetings, testimony at the Capitol, etc. in by 8 a.m. With the usual schedule padding the train should arrive most days around 7:30 and put people in their desks around 8. On weekends this train will leave an hour later which is a bit close to 711 but likely the best that one could do without moving the schedule for that train back. Many people use Capitol Corridor between the Bay Area to commute to Sacramento, often high paid lobbyists and government executives who choose to live in the Bay Area. I suspect there will be some Stockton commuters to take advantage of the cheap housing, as you can buy a house next to the Downtown Stockton train station for $200,000. The neighborhood is not ideal but it is a lot better than the rough area around the Santa Fe station.
 
Yes, that's the plan. The point is to bring in people who have business meetings, testimony at the Capitol, etc. in by 8 a.m. With the usual schedule padding the train should arrive most days around 7:30 and put people in their desks around 8. On weekends this train will leave an hour later which is a bit close to 711 but likely the best that one could do without moving the schedule for that train back. Many people use Capitol Corridor between the Bay Area to commute to Sacramento, often high paid lobbyists and government executives who choose to live in the Bay Area. I suspect there will be some Stockton commuters to take advantage of the cheap housing, as you can buy a house next to the Downtown Stockton train station for $200,000. The neighborhood is not ideal but it is a lot better than the rough area around the Santa Fe station.
Wow, I'm not sure I'd buy a $200k house on the basis of a single daily Amtrak departure that is subject to change at virtually any time. I mean, it's one thing to buy a house near a commuter rail station with frequent rush hour service that has existed for literally generations. But in this case? I think I'd have a back-up plan in place...
 
... I suspect there will be some Stockton commuters to take advantage of the cheap housing, as you can buy a house next to the Downtown Stockton train station for $200,000. The neighborhood is not ideal but it is a lot better than the rough area around the Santa Fe station.
Wow, I'm not sure I'd buy a $200k house on the basis of a single* daily Amtrak departure that is subject to change at virtually any time. ...
* I'm betting there will be another and then another daily train to Sacramento, just as soon as Amtrak California gets enuff new equipment, whenever that might be.
 
... I suspect there will be some Stockton commuters to take advantage of the cheap housing, as you can buy a house next to the Downtown Stockton train station for $200,000. The neighborhood is not ideal but it is a lot better than the rough area around the Santa Fe station.
Wow, I'm not sure I'd buy a $200k house on the basis of a single* daily Amtrak departure that is subject to change at virtually any time. ...
* I'm betting there will be another and then another daily train to Sacramento, just as soon as Amtrak California gets enuff new equipment, whenever that might be.
But unless those new departures are within traditional commuting hours, they won't really serve daily commuters. If there's really enough demand, I wonder if SAC-Stockton would work as an ACE-style corridor.
 
At yesterday's SJVRC they said the long term goal was for hourly service Stockton-Sacramento along the Sacramento Subdivision (I-5) corridor. Stations at Natomas, North Sacramento, Midtown, Sacramento City College, Elk Grove, West Lodi. Not abandoning the current corridor along the Fresno Subdivision, but recognizing that it will be extremely difficult to get another train on that corridor. This would create a Boston South/Boston North station situation but the Sacramento people are pretty comfortable that the light rail transfer at Sacramento City College to Sacramento Valley Station is easy enough so that no shuttle bus would be required. Also with some gas tax increase funds, ACE wants to start with extending one of their existing trains to Sacramento to facilitate commutes from the I-5 corridor to the Tri Valley.
 
If they're talking about the Sacramento Sub having service north of 80, which would be North Sacramento and Natomas, they might as well shoot for the moon and go for North Valley service as well. Its not a whole lot further to get to Marysville/Yuba City. And if you're going there, adding in Chico, Red Bluff and Redding becomes logical.
 
... they might as well shoot for the moon and go for North Valley service as well. Its not a whole lot further to get to Marysville/Yuba City. And if you're going there, adding in Chico, Red Bluff, and Redding becomes logical.
Last week the Draft 2018 State Rail Plan for California was posted. Not much new in it so I didn't post here about it. But it did include Yuba City in the 2040 goals. In other words, Amtrak California service to Chico and Redding lies beyond that horizon.

I was very disappointed. (Folks in Redding even more so, I'm sure.) I was looking to see California upgrades to take 30 minutes or so out of this segment, to the great benefit of the Coast Starlight.
 
... they might as well shoot for the moon and go for North Valley service as well. Its not a whole lot further to get to Marysville/Yuba City. And if you're going there, adding in Chico, Red Bluff, and Redding becomes logical.
Last week the Draft 2018 State Rail Plan for California was posted. Not much new in it so I didn't post here about it. But it did include Yuba City in the 2040 goals. In other words, Amtrak California service to Chico and Redding lies beyond that horizon.

I was very disappointed. (Folks in Redding even more so, I'm sure.) I was looking to see California upgrades to take 30 minutes or so out of this segment, to the great benefit of the Coast Starlight.
Blah... I'll file that into the "never going to happen" category, then. As in, 2040 is so far down the road as to be laughable. And anything beyond is pushing into the realm of post-retirement age for me.
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Results for FY 2017 on page 33 of that link


Ridership and revenue remained relatively flat over FY16 with
- 0.2% ridership loss and 0.3% revenue increase.
 
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If ridership and revenue growth is stagnant, it makes sense to shake things up a little and try some different service ideas. Good for them.
 
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