San Joaquins

San Joaquins
San Joaquins train approaches the Oakland–Jack London Square station, 2024
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	San Joaquin Valley
Predecessor	Golden Gate, San Joaquin Daylight
First service	March 5, 1974; 50 years ago (1974-03-05)
Current operator(s)	San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, in partnership with Amtrak, Caltrans, SJRRC and Transit Services America
Annual ridership	847,364 (FY23) 19.3%[a][1]
Website	amtraksanjoaquins.com
Route
Termini	Oakland or Sacramento Bakersfield
Stops	16 (Oakland–Bakersfield) 13 (Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Distance travelled	315 mi (507 km) (Oakland–Bakersfield) 282 mi (454 km) (Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Average journey time	6 hours (Oakland–Bakersfield) 5 hours (Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Train number(s)	701–704, 710–719
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class
Disabled access	All cars (lower level), all stations
Catering facilities	Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead bins, luggage racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	California Car Comet Car EMD F59PHI Siemens Charger Siemens Venture
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	52 mph (84 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)	BNSF, UP
Route map San Joaquins highlighted in blue Show interactive map Legend Capitol Corridor┃Coast Starlight California Zephyr SacRT light rail to Historic Folsom 246 mi 396 km Lodi Sacramento 282 mi 454 km Valley Rail 2026 planned Oakley 234 mi 377 km Stockton–Downtown Antioch–Pittsburg* 264 mi 425 km 237 mi 381 km San Joaquin Street Altamont Corridor Express to San Jose Martinez 283 mi 455 km Riverbank closed 1999 proposed Hercules 204 mi 328 km Modesto Richmond 303 mi 488 km 192 mi 309 km Turlock–Denair 1986– 1993 Berkeley Emeryville 311 mi 501 km 169 mi 272 km Merced closed 1994 Oakland–16th Street Merced CAHSR planned 2030 to Millbrae via San Francisco BART 137 mi 220 km Madera to Berryessa/​North San José & Dublin/​Pleasanton Storey closed 2010 Oakland–Jack London Sq. 315 mi 507 km Madera planned 2025 111 mi 179 km Fresno Capitol Corridor & Coast Starlight 81 mi 130 km Hanford 64 mi 103 km Corcoran 45 mi 72 km Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park 26 mi 42 km Wasco 0 mi 0 km Bakersfield All stations are accessible *except Antioch–Pittsburg Amtrak Thruway to Los Angeles This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram

The San Joaquins is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak in California's San Joaquin Valley. Seven daily round trips run between its southern terminus at Bakersfield and Stockton, with onward service to Sacramento (two round trips) and Oakland (five round trips). For Fiscal year 2025, two additional trips to Sacramento will be added.^[2]

The San Joaquins service is unique in the state and nation because of its extensive network of dedicated Amtrak Thruway bus routes that are critical to the performance of the service. Over 55% of passengers on the service use one of these bus routes during part of their trip.^[3] Amtrak Thruway routes are timed to meet trains and offer connections to points in Southern California (including Los Angeles Union Station where passengers can continue their journey on the Pacific Surfliner or Amtrak's long-distance trains), the city of San Francisco, the Central Coast, the North Coast, the High Desert (including Las Vegas), Redding, Reno, and the Yosemite Valley.

The San Joaquins is Amtrak's seventh-busiest service in the nation and the railroad's third-busiest in the state of California. During fiscal year 2023, the service carried 847,364 passengers, a 19.3% increase from the prior year.

Like all regional trains in California, the San Joaquins service is operated by a joint powers authority. The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) is governed by a board that includes two elected representatives from each of eight counties the train travels through. The SJJPA contracts with the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to provide day-to-day management of the service, Amtrak to operate the trains, and Transit Services America to maintain the rolling stock (locomotives and passenger cars). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) provides the funding to operate the service and also owns the rolling stock.

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