Capitol Corridor

A Capitol Corridor train in Pinole, California, in 2011
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail, commuter rail
Locale	Northern California
First service	December 12, 1991 (1991-12-12)
Current operator(s)	Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, in partnership with Amtrak and Caltrans
Annual ridership	921,112 (FY23) 36.7%[lower-alpha 1][1]
Website	capitolcorridor.org
Route
Termini	Auburn San Jose
Stops	17
Distance travelled	168 miles (270 km)
Average journey time	31⁄4 hours
Service frequency	15 round trips (weekdays) 11 round trips (weekends)
Train number(s)	520–553, 720–751
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class
Disabled access	Train lower level, all stations
Catering facilities	Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead bins, luggage racks
Technical
Rolling stock	California Cars
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Track owner(s)	UP, JPBX
Route map Show interactive map California Zephyr to Chicago Colfax discontinued 2000 0 mi 0 km Auburn 14 mi 23 km Rocklin 18 mi 29 km Roseville Placer County Sacramento County American River San Joaquins to Bakersfield Coast Starlight to Seattle 35 mi 56 km Sacramento RT Light Rail to Historic Folsom Sacramento County Yolo County I Street Bridge over Sacramento River 49 mi 79 km Davis Yolo County Solano County Fairfield–Vacaville 75 mi 121 km Suisun–Fairfield Solano County Contra Costa County Benicia–Martinez Bridge over Carquinez Strait San Joaquins to Bakersfield 93 mi 150 km Martinez Hercules planned 112 mi 180 km Richmond Contra Costa County Alameda County Cerrito Creek 118 mi 190 km Berkeley 120 mi 193 km Emeryville Oakland–16th Street closed 1994 BART to San Francisco Oakland Maintenance Facility 125 mi 201 km Oakland–Jack London Square 130 mi 209 km Oakland Coliseum BART to Berryessa/​North San José, Dublin/​Pleasanton 138 mi 222 km Hayward Alameda Creek ACE to Stockton–Downtown Ardenwood 2026 150 mi 241 km Fremont planned reroute via Coast Line Alameda County Santa Clara County Coyote Creek Lick Mill (VTA) 161 mi 259 km Santa Clara–Great America Caltrain to San Francisco 165 mi 266 km Santa Clara VTA to Winchester Transit Center 168 mi 270 km San Jose 222 mi 357 km extension to Salinas │ VTA to Tamien 222 mi 357 km extension to Salinas ( currently served by the Coast Starlight ) Tamien VTA to Santa Teresa Morgan Hill Gilroy Santa Clara County Monterey County Pajaro/Watsonville planned Castroville planned Salinas Coast Starlight to Los Angeles All stations are accessible Show diagram map

The Capitol Corridor is a 168-mile (270 km) passenger train route in Northern California operated by Amtrak between San Jose, in the Bay Area, and Auburn, in the Sacramento Valley. The route is named after the two points most trains operate between, San Jose (which was the first state capital of California) and Sacramento (the current capital, with the State Capitol building). The route runs roughly parallel to I-880 and I-80. Some limited trips run between Oakland and San Jose. A single daily round trip runs between San Jose and Auburn, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Capitol Corridor trains started in 1991.

Like all regional trains in California, the Capitol Corridor is operated by a joint powers authority. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) is governed by a board that includes two elected representatives from each of eight counties the train travels through. The CCJPA contracts with the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District to provide day-to-day management, and Amtrak to operate and maintain the rolling stock (locomotives and passenger cars). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) provides the funding and also owns the rolling stock.

History

Capitols

A Capitols train at Sacramento in 1995

From the 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s, three Amtrak intercity trains operated in the Bay Area: the long-distance California Zephyr (Oakland/Emeryville–Chicago) and Coast Starlight (Los Angeles–Seattle), and the regional San Joaquins (Bakersfield–Oakland).

Of the three lines, only the Coast Starlight ran between San Jose and Sacramento—once a day in each direction, and at inconvenient times (southbound early in the morning, northbound in the evening). In 1977, Amtrak approved an additional Oakland–Sacramento round trip, the Sacramentan; the service was never operated.^[5]

In 1990, California voters passed two ballot propositions providing $105 million to expand service along the route. The new service, named Capitols, debuted on December 12, 1991, with three daily round trips between San Jose and Sacramento. Of these, a single round trip continued to Roseville, an eastern Sacramento suburb.^[6][7]

One of the ballot propositions, Proposition 116, provided the name Capitol Corridor—so named because it links the location of California's first state capital, San Jose, with the current capital, Sacramento. State Capitol buildings were operated in each city.^[3]: 7 The service was known as the Capitols until April 29, 2001, when Amtrak renamed it the Capitol Corridor.^[8][9]

Service changes

Interior of the Capitol Corridor train

The Capitols originally ran via the Coast Line from Elmhurst to Santa Clara, with no stops between Oakland and San Jose. In 1992, after the completion of track and signal work, the Capitols were rerouted onto the Niles Subdivision further inland between Elmhurst and Newark. The new route allowed the addition of infill stations at Fremont in 1993 and Hayward in 1997.^[3]: 33 The Oakland 16th Street station, which had been damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, was closed in 1994. It was replaced by new stations at Emeryville in 1993 and Oakland-Jack London Square in 1995.^[3]: 33 Additional infill stations were added at Santa Clara – Great America in 1993, Oakland Coliseum (with a close connection to BART) in 2005, the Caltrain station in Santa Clara-University in 2012, and Fairfield–Vacaville in 2017.^[10]

One daily round trip was extended east to Colfax via Rocklin and Auburn on January 26, 1998. The trip was cut back to Auburn (with the Rocklin stop retained) on February 27, 2000.^[3]: 73

Service was gradually increased from the original three daily round trips. The fifth round trip was added in November 1998, followed by the sixth in February 1999.^[11]

Installation of positive train control along the route was completed by November 2018.^[12]

In response to low ridership as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Capitol Corridor schedule was reduced to five daily trips on March 21, 2020, with discontinued Auburn service and many trips ending in Oakland. Three runs were added back on June 1 and Auburn service restored.^[13]

Proposed expansion

New stations

Additional stations have been proposed along the route at Hercules, Benicia, and Dixon.

A Capitol Corridor train passing the site of the planned Hercules station

Vision Plan

The Capitol Corridor Vision Implementation Plan is a long-range outline of possible improvements to the service; several realignments along existing and new right-of-ways were considered and studied. Near-term suggested improvements include double tracking between San Jose and a realignment to the Coast Subdivision, and a new station at the Ardenwood Park-and-Ride, followed by track improvements between Emeryville and Richmond. Later goals include tunneling under Jack London Square to eliminate the street-running section there, rerouting freight traffic over another right-of-way between Sacramento and Martinez, and eventual electrification of the line.^[14]

The 2018 Senate Bill 1 allocated $93 million in funds for the Capitol Corridor, partially for planning the realignment to the Coast Subdivision.^[15] As of June 2020, the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the realignment (branded as South Bay Connect) is expected to be completed at the end of 2020, followed by the Final Environmental Impact Report a year later. Design is to take place in 2022–23, with construction beginning in 2024.^[16] The project is to have a single new station at Ardenwood (at SR 84); stations at Hayward (at SR 92) and Newark Junction were considered but rejected.^[16][17]

Extensions

Two daily Capitol Corridor round trips, along with some Caltrain service, were planned to be extended to Salinas as part of the Monterey County Rail Extension.^[18] Initial service will have intermediate stops at existing Caltrain stations at Tamien, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy; future phases will add new stations at Castroville and Pajaro/Watsonville.^[19]

A third track between Sacramento and Roseville is planned to start construction in 2021,^[20] which would allow an initial increase from one round trip per day to three, with plans for up to ten.^[20][21] Extension east to Reno, Nevada was deemed unlikely in the Vision Implementation Plan due to heavy freight traffic over Donner Pass and lack of funding,^[14] though plans for such an expansion were studied in 2022^[22] with 83% of respondents indicating they would use the service if more frequent passenger rail were provided between Sacramento and Reno.^[23]

Extending service to downtown San Francisco by crossing the bay is being considered as part of a proposed second Transbay Tube. A study of a joint project providing a second crossing for BART began in 2019.^[20][24] San Francisco has not had direct intercity rail service since 1971.

Frequency and ridership

Capitol Corridor route map

During fiscal year 2017 the Capitol Corridor service carried 1,607,277 passengers, a 2.9% increase over FY2016.^[25] Revenue in FY2017 was $33,970,000, a 5.3% increase over FY2016, with a 57% farebox recovery ratio.^[25] It is the fourth busiest Amtrak route by ridership, surpassed only by the Northeast Regional, Acela Express, and Pacific Surfliner. In large part due to the route's success, as of 2017, Sacramento is the busiest station on the route, the seventh busiest in the Amtrak system and the second busiest in California.^[26]

The Capitol Corridor is used by commuters between the Sacramento area and the Bay Area as an alternative to driving on congested Interstate 80. Monthly passes and discounted trip tickets are available. Many politicians, lobbyists, and aides live in the Bay Area and commute to their jobs in Sacramento, including those connecting to the train via Amtrak Thruway from San Francisco,^[27] while workers in the Oakland, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley employment centers take the Capitol Corridor trains from their less expensive homes in Solano County and the Sacramento metropolitan area.^[28]

Starting on August 28, 2006, the Capitol Corridor had 16 weekday trains each way between Oakland and Sacramento, up from twelve in 2005 and three in 1992. (Seven of the sixteen ran to/from San Jose.) According to its management, ridership on the Capitol Corridor trains tripled between 1998 and 2005.^[29] On August 13, 2012, the Capitol Corridor dropped from 16 to 15 weekday round trips between Oakland and Sacramento; one round trip was discontinued due to high fuel costs, low ridership, and a new ability to store an extra train overnight in a Sacramento railyard.^[30]

As of October 2022, trains run as follows:^[31]

• Auburn - San Jose: 1 round trip daily
• Sacramento - San Jose: 6 round trips on weekdays, 7 round trips on weekends
• Sacramento - Oakland Jack London Square: 6 round trips on weekdays, 4 round trips on weekends

Stations and connections

Location	Station	Service began	Service ended	Connections
Colfax	Colfax	1998	2000	Now served by California Zephyr
Auburn	Auburn	1998		Amtrak Thruway to Sacramento[32] Local bus: Placer County Transit
Rocklin	Rocklin	1998		Amtrak Thruway to Sacramento[32]
Roseville	Roseville	1991		Amtrak: California Zephyr Amtrak Thruway to Sacramento[32]
Sacramento	Sacramento Valley Station	1991		Amtrak: California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, San Joaquins Sacramento RT: Gold Amtrak Thruway to Stateline, Auburn, Reno, Sparks, Stockton–Downtown, Redding[32]
Davis	Davis	1991		Amtrak: California Zephyr, Coast Starlight Amtrak Thruway to Stockton, Redding[32]
Fairfield	Fairfield–Vacaville	2017		Local bus: FAST
Suisun City	Suisun–Fairfield	1991		Local bus: FAST, Delta Breeze, VINE Transit, SolTrans
Martinez	Martinez	1991		Amtrak: California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, San Joaquins Amtrak Thruway to Napa, Santa Rosa, Arcata, McKinleyville, Sacramento[32] Local bus: County Connection, Tri Delta Transit, WestCAT
Hercules	Hercules	Planned
Richmond	Richmond Transit Center	1991		Amtrak: California Zephyr, San Joaquins BART: Orange Line Red Line Local bus: AC Transit
Berkeley	Berkeley	1991		Local bus: AC Transit
Emeryville	Emeryville	1993		Amtrak: California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, San Joaquins Amtrak Thruway to San Francisco[32] Local bus: AC Transit, Emery Go-Round
Oakland	16th Street	1991	1994
	Jack London Square	1995		Amtrak: Coast Starlight, San Joaquins Amtrak Thruway to San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Jose[32] Local bus: AC Transit
	Oakland Coliseum	2005		BART: Orange Line Blue Line Berryessa–Daly City Oakland Airport Connector Local bus: AC Transit
Hayward	Hayward	1997		Local bus: AC Transit
Fremont	Fremont	1993		Altamont Corridor Express Local bus: AC Transit
	Ardenwood	Planned
Santa Clara	Santa Clara – Great America	1993		Altamont Corridor Express VTA light rail: Green Line, Orange Line (at Lick Mill) Local bus: VTA Bus
	Santa Clara	2012		Altamont Corridor Express Caltrain Local bus: VTA Bus
San Jose	San Jose Diridon	1991		Amtrak: Coast Starlight Altamont Corridor Express Caltrain VTA Light Rail: Green Line Intercity bus: Amtrak Thruway,[32] Greyhound Lines, Megabus Local bus: VTA Bus, Santa Cruz METRO
	Tamien	Planned		Caltrain VTA Light Rail: Blue Line
Morgan Hill	Morgan Hill	Planned		Caltrain
Gilroy	Gilroy	Planned		Caltrain
Pajaro	Pajaro/Watsonville	Planned
Castroville	Castroville	Planned
Salinas	Salinas	Planned		Amtrak: Coast Starlight

Governance

A Capitol Corridor train with CCJPA-maintained California Cars and Amtrak-maintained P42 diesel locomotive passing through Alviso in 2016

The Capitol Corridor is fully funded by the state through Caltrans Division of Rail and Mass Transportation (DRMT). Caltrans managed the line from its inception in 1991 to 1997, but in 1998 the administration of the route was transferred to Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), formed by transit agencies of which the Capitol Corridor serves in order to have more local control, while still funded by Caltrans. CCJPA in turn contracted with BART for day-to-day management and staff support; also, CCJPA makes decisions on the service level of Capitol Corridor, capital improvements along the route, and passenger amenities aboard the trains.^[33]

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority is governed by a board of directors which consists of 16 representatives from its member agencies:

• Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA)
• Solano Transportation Authority (STA)
• Yolo County Transportation District (YCTD)
• Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT)
• San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

Equipment

A typical Capitol Corridor train with a Charger locomotive, California Cars and a Superliner car.

The Capitol Corridor and its administration agency, the CCJPA, are responsible for the maintenance of the Amtrak California's Northern California fleet, which is used by both the Capitol Corridor and the San Joaquin routes.

When the Capitol Corridor debuted in 1991, it used Amtrak F40PH locomotives and Amtrak Horizon Fleet cars. Dash 8 locomotives were also used as they were brand new at the time. This equipment was used until the mid-1990s when most of the current state-purchased equipment arrived.

The current Northern California fleet includes fifteen EMD F59PHI locomotives (numbered 2001 through 2015), eight Siemens Charger locomotives (numbered 2101 through 2108) and a large number of bi-level coaches and café cars which are known as "California Cars". All cars are named after mountains and rivers of California. There are two series of California Cars, the 8000 series and the newer 6000 series. Standard Amtrak equipment such as the GE P42DC, Amtrak's main locomotive, standard Amtrak Dash 8 locomotives, and Superliner cars can appear on Capitol Corridor trains as substitutes.

In rarer cases, F59PHIs from the Amtrak Surfliner and Cascades trains were used before they were sold to Metra. Before 2012, Caltrain EMD F40PH and MPI MP36PH-3C locomotives have been used as substitutes engines, and entire Caltrain trainsets have also been seen during busy periods, such as the peak Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

References

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Capitol Corridor.

• Official website
• Capitol Corridor – Amtrak