Amtrak from LA to Concord, CA

[Karl Oduor]

I will be traveling from Los Angeles to Concord, CA. I recently had surgery and need to figure out the easiest way (with minimal walking) to transfer from Amtrak to the BART to get me to Concord, CA. I was hoping to transfer at the San Fransisco Civic Center. Does Amtrak connect to the BART there? I know that both BART and Amtrak list stations at the Civic center but it isn't clear whether one can easily transfer from one to the other or if there even is a connection between the two. Thank you!

 

[Riverviewer]

The combined Amtrak/BART station in Richmond may be your best option, as it is all-in-one-facility (the SF Civic Center AMTRAK "station" is a bus stop & the nearby BART stop is underground).

Just going by what I know from living in Northern California for 9 years (and working in Concord for 8 of them).

 

[Riverviewer]

From what I recall (based on 9 years living in Northern California, 8 of them working in Concord) that there will be quite a bit of walking no matter which way you choose.

IIRC, the SF Civic Center Amtrak "station" is a bus top near the (underground) BART Station. And, at Concord, the BART tracks are elevated (with either an escalator, stairs or elevator), There will likely be more than a little walking at Concord BART, even if you'll be picked up by someone at the curb. (I don't recommend any taxi service in Concord--too many bad experiences with them.)

There's a direct Amtrak-to-BART connection at Richmond, in the East Bay (just north of Berkeley), as both are in the same facility. (They don't share tracks because BART's are wider than standard gauge.) But that still involves some walking to go from the Amtrak platform to BART's.

A better alternative to reach Concord would be to take Amtrak to Martinez (the next stop north from Richmond), and have someone meet you there & take you directly to your destination. Concord is only a short (10 minutes max) drive from the Martinez Amtrak depot.

Hope this helps!