Let Capitol Corridor take you where you want to go. Interested in history? Check out Old Town Sacramento. Love science? Visit the Tech Museum in San Jose. Addicted to shopping? San Francisco’s the place to be. And now, through April 24, Capitol Corridor is half-off on the weekends.
Weekend travel is 50% off! Offer is valid for regular (full) adult rail fare.
Tag: Capitol Corridor
Ride the train to the California State Railroad Museum
UPDATE: Exhibits mentioned in post have ended. Click on the links to view current exhibits at the California State Railroad Museum
Happy Spring Break to students of West Contra Costa! Looking for something to do? Take the Capitol Corridor up to Sacramento and see North America’s largest railroad history museum.
The California State Railroad Museum is home to America’s largest toy train collection. Small Wonders: The Magic of Toy Trains features some 1,000 vintage toy trains, six interactive displays, and a magnificent operating toy train layout in its 3,300 square feet.
The museum is also home to the “lost” golden spike. Its better known twin was hammered into the Transcontinental Railroad in Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, and now lives in Stanford. The “lost” spike wasn’t just lost – for 136 years it was thought to be just a rumor. The duplicate was quietly held by one family for five generations and only emerged in 2005.
Visiting on a weekend? Ride a real steam train! Trains depart from the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot in Old Sacramento (located on Front Street between J and K Streets). Guests are treated to a six-mile, 40-minute roundtrip excursion along the levees of the Sacramento River. The train features a combination of vintage closed coaches with comfortable seats, and open-air “gondolas” with bench style seating.
See the special “Beyond the Locomotive” display of award-winning photographs from the Center for Railroad Photography & Art. These 700 photographs, submitted by more than 200 photographers around the world, showcase both the human and industrial elements of rail transportation.
Can’t make the trek? Visit the Sacramento Agriculture and Transportation History Online. The site has lesson plans for teachers, games for younger audiences, and an impressive image collection.
The California State Railroad Museum is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum is only a few blocks from the Amtrak Sacramento (SAC) station at the corner of 2nd and I Streets. Hungry? The museum is surrounded by Old Sacramento, and the Sacramento light rail and buses can take you throughout the Capitol.
How Reliable is your Ride?
Reliability is a big deal in transportation. You want to get there fast, but you also want to get there reliably fast. A 30 minute commute may not be worth the risk if there are a lot of 60 minute surprise delays.
Reliability is also a big deal to Amtrak. The national rail service has been smashing ridership records left and right, largely because it’s becoming more reliable.
Take the Capitol Corridor. Last month, the Capitol Corridor trains averaged a 95.7% on-time performance. And that’s slightly down from the 96.3% on-time performance for the last twelve months.
Still unconvinced? Amtrak proudly features its performance figures on its website. You can even view performance by train, and see common causes for delays.
Incredible but true: The 525, which arrives in Jack London Square at 8:18 from the Sacramento area, boasts a 100% on-time performance for the last twelve months.
How reliable is your ride?
Capital Corridor smashes January ridership record
Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor (connecting Sacramento, Davis, Richmond, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, and San Jose among others) set a new ridership record in January. Over 130,800 passengers boarded the Capitol Corridor route last month, which is 13,000 more riders than January 2010. The 11% increase made January 2011 the best performance of any January in the history of the service.
Expect a new record next January – the Capitol Corridor will have WiFi on every train by the end of 2011.
The Capital Corridor carried 1.62 million riders in the last 12 months – a 4% increase over the previous year. Why are so many people ditching their cars for Amtrak?
The route’s 96% on-time arrival performance might have something to do with it (especially compared to I-80’s on-time rush hour performance). Or is it the frequency of trains? The comfort of the ride?
The answer might be as simple as savings. Amtrak offers multiple ride and unlimited monthly passes. When you consider the cost of gas and the wear and tear on a car, driving get expensive. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released a Transit Savings Report in 2008 estimating that transit riders save an average of $9,656 a year. San Francisco residents save even more – $12,738 a year. That doesn’t include the cost of caffeine to stay alert on the freeway or the lost productivity wasted in traffic.
Calculate your own commute to see how much you could save if you used transit more often.
Ready to start a more relaxed commute? Explore 511 Contra Costa’s resources for making the switch to public transit.
Can’t avoid driving? We understand – not everyone commutes along a transit route. Consider looking into carpools or vanpools. Start your own vanpool and we’ll give you $1,000 cash! Guaranteed rides home will make sure you never get stranded at work.
Looking for an even greener way to get around? Use 511CC to plan a scenic bike ride, find a bike buddy, or make biking part of your everyday transportation. Get rolling!
This Week’s Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Mar. 6-12, 2010
Local News
- Weekend track closures between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill BART stations; free bus services to be provided March 26-28 and May 28-30
- El Cerrito encourages community participation in identifying area traffic concerns – meetings on March 25 & 31st
- 511CC gets kudos for use of social media to deliver information and foster environmental awareness
- Eastern Contra Costa Transit Auth. receives $1 mil. to prevent bus service cuts to Brentwood & Discovery Bay
Bay Area and California News
- Electric trucks get green light from California Air Resources Board
- Bay Area counties eye ballot measures to raise auto registration fee by $10 for transportation funding
- BART partners with junaio on augmented reality app
- Biking Directions added to Google Maps
- Efforts to build Bay Bridge faster include offering incentives and threatening penalties
- Bay Area train agencies expect big bucks from Prop. 1A funds
- $84 Million in Recovery Act Funds Heading to California with Monetary Breakdown by Transit Agency
- Options for curbing greenhouse gases in the Bay Area discussed at March 10, 2010 MTC meeting
- Capitol Corridor trackwork resumes March 8th, midday train delays expected through March 15
Did you know we’re on Twitter? To receive these headlines, information for local transit agencies, 511CC promotions, and more, follow @511CC.
This Week’s Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Feb. 27 – Mar. 5, 2010
Local News
- Public hearing on March 18, 2010 at 9 AM on The County Connection 10-Year Short Range Transit Plan
- The City of Richmond solicits feedback via a survey on motorist, pedestrian, cyclist, & transit user safety
- BART’s Central Contra Costa Crossover Project will cause delays of up to 15 min. on weekends for BART riders traveling on trains bound for Pittsburg/Bay Point
- Great news for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians: 1,000-acre public space (Hidden Valley Open Space) opens in San Ramon Dougherty Valley with 10 miles of dirt trails
Bay Area and California News
- Spare the Air wood burning ban lifted on February 28, 2010 for end of 2009-2010 winter season
- Polluted air over California costs almost $200 million per year in hospital expenses
- Capitol Corridor trains to operate on normal service beginning March 1, 2010
- Stanford students show off solar-powered car that gets 1,400 mpg & speeds up to 70 mph
For these headlines, transit promos and more, follow 511 Contra Costa on Twitter!
2009 Holiday Hours and Services for Transit Agencies serving Contra Costa County
Need to get from Point A to Point B on public transit this holiday season? 511 Contra Costa has compiled a list of transit agencies serving the Contra Costa area and their holiday services for Dec. 24th, Dec. 25th, Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st. If a transit agency is not listed on a certain date, it is running on its normal schedule.
Thursday, December 24, 2009 – Christmas Eve:
- Tri Delta Transit: Routes 392, 393 and 394 will operate on a Sunday schedule.
- WestCAT routes: Exp J, 30Z, JPX & JX, and LYNX will run their regular service. The DAR and Local routes will run the regular service with 7 PM close. Route C3 will not have service.
- Wheels: most routes will run their regular service.
Friday, December 25, 2009 – Christmas Day:
- BART will run on its Sunday schedule.
- WestCAT route Express J will run on its Sunday schedule.
- AC Transit will run on a weekend schedule.
- Tri Delta Transit: Routes 392, 393 and 394 will operate on a Sunday schedule.
- Golden Gate Transit Bus will have Holiday Service and Golden Gate Larkspur & Sausalito Ferry will have no service.
- The County Connection buses will not be in operation.
- Capitol Corridor will run on a weekend schedule.
- Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) Routes: no service.
- Vallejo Transit: no service.
- Wheels: Route 10 – Special Service, Route 15 – Sunday Service
Thursday, December 31, 2009 – New Year’s Eve:
- BART will extend its service until 3 am.
- WestCAT routes: Exp J, 30Z, JPX & JX, and LYNX will run their regular service. The DAR and Local routes will run the regular service with 7 PM close. Route C3 will not have service.
- Tri Delta Transit: Routes 392, 393 and 394 will operate on a Sunday schedule.
- Wheels: most routes will run their regular service.
Friday, January 1, 2009 – New Year’s Day:
- BART will run on its Sunday schedule.
- WestCAT route Express J will run on its Sunday schedule.
- AC Transit will run on a weekend schedule.
- Tri Delta Transit: Routes 392, 393 and 394 will operate on a Sunday schedule.
- Golden Gate Transit Bus will have Holiday Service and Golden Gate Larkspur & Sausalito Ferry will have no service.
- The County Connection buses will not be in operation.
- Capitol Corridor will run on a weekend schedule.
- Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) Routes: no service.
- Vallejo Transit: no service.
- Wheels: Routes 1, 10, 15 – Sunday Service Only.
For more information, please refer to each transit agency’s individual website:
BART – Holiday Schedule
BART – New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Information
WestCAT – Holiday Rider Information
AC Transit – Home
Tri Delta Transit – Holiday Service
Golden Gate Transit & Golden Gate Ferry Christmas & New Year’s Service Schedules
The County Connection – Home
Capitol Corridor – Home
Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST) Routes
Vallejo Transit Routes
WHEELS – Holiday Service
