Amtrak California routes, maps, prices, and seat information

[@T1DWanderer]

*How many of California's Amtrak services have you been on?* More about the Los Angeles to San Diego Amtrak route: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2HTeGmZhal2bpo

[@playwithmeinsecondlife6129]

Last year I took the Southwest Chief from Chicago, used the Surfliner and a bus connection, then the California Zephyr back to Chicago and the Lake Shore Limited from there. I was in a roomette on the two Chicago trains. This year I will be on the Crescent, Sunset Limited, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder, all in coach. I would like to see Florida (once they return to sanity) and the New England states. Once I have I will have seen all but three of the lower 48.

[@christopherorourke6543]

I travel on Amtrak when I’m home in Chula Vista,CA for visits up to a week. I travel on the Pacific Surfliners between San Diego, Los Angeles & Oxnard, alternating my visits between Los Angeles & Oxnard. It beats driving and I also travel long distance on Amtrak. I rode on Amtrak trains 68 times since January 31,1974. Amtrak travel beats driving between many of the nations metro areas.

[@T1DWanderer]

You're an Amtrak master then!

[@maritasue5067]

Long distance Amtrak trains allow coach passengers to bring their own food, so they can bring a cooler with sandwiches, yogurt, whatever, and save the expense and monotony of the cafe menu. I assume the same goes for the shorter routes too. You also didn’t mention that luggage can be checked at the larger stations, and both coach and sleeper cars have a lot of space for storing bags. What the long distance trains do NOT have is ample electrical outlets. They were built before everyone carried devices that need to be charged, but you can bring your own power strip.

[@NozomuYume]

Note that to get to San Francisco (and other Bay Area destinations) from Capitol Corridor you don't have to take the Amtrak bus. You can connect to BART instead at Richmond (which the California Zephyr and San Joaquins also stop at) or Oakland Coliseum/Airport stations. Similarly you can also transfer to ACE, Caltrain, or VTA Light Rail at San Jose Diridon, or VTA Light Rail at Santa Clara Great America station. The BART system is fast and particularly far-reaching, so I usually change at Richmond to get to SF (particularly if you're going to parts of SF other than downtown). The Coast Starlight no longer stops at Richmond though (and never stopped at Coliseum), so if you are taking that, then the Amtrak bus is the best option.

[@T1DWanderer]

Great info, thanks!

[@stoneybutcher7122]

The Coast Starlight does stop at Jack London Square in Oakland, which is only a half mile walk away from the Lake Merrit BART Station, so if you're not carrying too many bags its not that far of a walk

[@matt7iron]

Hey bub im just trying to get from Antioch to Lodi California, any suggestions.

[@NozomuYume]

@@matt7iron By train? After COVID the schedules got cut down so there's not really any good options. There's really only one: In the evening, take Antioch Amtrak to Stockton (6:50pm -> 7.19pm), Grab some dinner in Stockton and walk to the other Amtrak station (there are two Stockton stations, about 5 blocks or so apart), take train to Lodi (10:29pm -> 10:43pm) Alternatively you can change at the same station in Modesto but it's a bit of a wait and there's not much there. The problem is that since COVID, trains from Bakersfield to Sacramento (which are the ones that stop in Lodi) are only once a day right now -- Amtrak California hasn't increased frequency again yet. In the future there will be ACE trains continuing from Stockton to Sacramento but that's not implemented yet, so it's just Amtrak for now.

[@NozomuYume]

@@matt7iron However if you have a friend in Lodi willing to pick you up in Stockton then there's five trains a day from Antioch to Stockton. It costs $7. Here are the five trains from Antioch to Stockton: 710 San Joaquins DEPARTS 8:50a ARRIVES 9:19a 712 San Joaquins DEPARTS 10:50a ARRIVES 11:19a 714 San Joaquins DEPARTS 12:50p ARRIVES 1:19p 716 San Joaquins DEPARTS 2:50p ARRIVES 3:19p 718 San Joaquins DEPARTS 6:50p ARRIVES 7:19p

[@william2william]

The San Joaquin 1:50 goes through the beautiful San Joaquin Valley which is why the train is called the San Joaquin. The Central Valley is the name of a region that is comprised of the Sacramento Valley, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Kern Basin. Central Valley is the name of a region just like Central Coast is the name of a region.

[@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226]

This is a really nice and understandable guide, thanks so much!

[@T1DWanderer]

You're welcome!

[@bhaswatiroychoudhury9848]

I have travelled from Emeryville to Chicago. Beautiful.

[@T1DWanderer]

Great trip. Thanks for watching!

[@qjtvaddict]

If only it were faster

[@TexasWorldRailfan-wi5ei]

The quote about the Southwest Chief's scenery, "Carving through curving canyon passages only a few feet siding than the train its self, you'll see spectacular landscapes and pristine Vistas not visible from interstate highways," it I think referring to non other than Apache Canyon around my favorite part of the route, the Glorieta Pass.

[@MrChaitusk3]

I'm from Hyderabad, India. Never visited USA, but I find your content of high quality.

[@qjtvaddict]

Don’t torture yourself

[@MrChaitusk3]

@@qjtvaddict I'm happy with my life. Don't worry

[@faengelm]

well done. You put a lot a work into this

[@vincentgz]

So much details or information giving us learn about AMTRA CK .I appreciate for your sharing

[@T1DWanderer]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@selflLivingSLS]

Thank you very much for the good information 👍🏻 I appreciate it very much. This helps me.

[@angelas3864]

Good info. Thanks for posting this video to KZbin.

[@RobertKrebill]

Thanks for sharing this video! It’s great!

[@T1DWanderer]

Thanks Robert!

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

I love this video. It is really interresting to see, how US traintravel works, as many things are quite different from Europe. These journeys would sure be wounderful with the wide and open landscapes and the untouched mountains.

[@T1DWanderer]

Thanks, glad you like it!

[@malvinderkaur541]

i used to drive my mother to bakersfield from sacramento to visit her relatives who had farms there one side she used to drive and other i used to or even both i know these routes well

[@kendalljohnson3258]

Thank you, I can't wait to travel

[@mar91942]

I get off at the Oakland Coliseum station and get on the BART to go to SF. I haven't been out there in a couple years. Need to make a trip

[@T1DWanderer]

Good idea! Thanks for watching.

[@Ilovemesomemj1]

Wow, thank you for the tips on the prices, I thought that the ticket was included in the say, roomette price. Aha, that changes the landscape. but $600.00 or so for 48 hrs on a train, a place to sleep and all of your meals, you can't beat that with a stick. lol. It still seems like a fun time. Thanks again for the information

[@JayJayRealhiphop]

Nice one. Thanks!

[@foxpresso]

Coast Starlight does offer Business Class seating.

[@T1DWanderer]

Thanks for the info!

[@mrrockdaddy100]

Wow San Francisco Should have Amtrak

[@TexasWorldRailfan-wi5ei]

I'd easily chose the Southwest Chief over the Texas Eagle as they are on my opposite end of my Amtrak ranking. The Southwest Chief is my favorite route while the Texas Eagle is my least favorite. The Southwest Chief is more direct as you said. The Chief has better scenery, the best in my opinion. The Southwest Chief has great scenery from beginning to end with the expiation of the first day of midwest scenery, but after that its great scenery to the end. With the Eagle, its mostly just midwest scenery for the first 2 days and the you get just one day of great scenery. The food on the Southwest Chief is better as it serves traditional dining on the full route. The Texas Eagle serves flexible dining for a good portion of its route and only serves traditional for about half. The Texas Eagle arrives in LA as 5:30 AM which is a less than ideal time to wake up. The Southwest Chief arrives at 8:00 AM which is a better time to get up and start the day.

[@SFKelvin]

The Sleeper coast starlight is really nice.

[@larryjohnson6398]

Great video can't wait to see more love the train

[@T1DWanderer]

Thank you very much

[@hung1996cali8]

Nice trainz

[@SL-wk6dp]

I’m a T2D and appreciate your videos

[@T1DWanderer]

Thanks! I hope they are fun and/or useful for you

[@gregoryferguson9973]

Amtrak is the best way to go

[@peskypigeonx]

only on the Northwest Corridor

[@peskypigeonx]

or for scenery

[@mrwest4616]

Nice

[@StarPiercerAwl]

Good video

[@cjhan9816]

This subject title is misleading about the Amtrak California Coastline to explain on multiple rail lines from Central to West of the USA, rather than focusing upon 1 main line.

[@T1DWanderer]

Thanks for the feedback

[@cjhan9816]

@@T1DWanderer; You better or else for you to lose subscribers.

[@korenng5553]

Helpful...thks!

[@T1DWanderer]

Glad it was helpful

[@feedbackphil7703]

Planning to ride the Chief to LA from Chicago, than take the train up to Emery finally boarding the California Z back to chicago. How much time would be a safe bet between each train. Should I plan on staying a day at each terminal.

[@T1DWanderer]

Safest would be overnight, but I'd hope that 3-5 hours would be enough? Things happen though

[@anainmazatlan]

Do they have WiFi onboard?

[@amandacousins928]

How do I book a sleeping car

[@T1DWanderer]

You can do it on the Amtrak website

[@nickcooper3412]

On Amtrak, Is there a complete route from Martinez, CA to Los Angeles?

[@andrewelie8687]

I would have liked to know how Amtrak accommodates special dietary needs. Were you able to obtain meals that were helpful for you? Five years ago, I had a gastric bypass. Since then, I have lost, and, kept off 110 lbs. I eat six very small meals daily. Do you think that Amtrak could accommodate that? From the meals you featured, I would have been able to eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the meal. I could always take the rest with me, as I do now, when eating with friends.

[@Nancy-ho9jg]

How or what time to go to baumont cal

[@CharlesMason-c8r]

Any suggestions I’m trying to get from Nola to Los Angeles?

[@T1DWanderer]

The Sunset Limited train goes directly there

[@KamenRiderBlackSun]

amtrak is so confusing to me, i just need a train ride from sac to chico

[@janetruggles8708]

When was this made? Amtrak now goes from San Diego to Las Vegas. Not sure yet if you go though LA.

[@kjhuang]

No it doesn't, not when this video was made, not when you commented, and not now

[@jasamenp]

Very Informative videos. I live in USA, but never traveled by Amtrak. I have questions about seats. There are several classes, like saver, value, flexible etc. If I purchase saver ticket, does it provide just the seat or seal/bed? Which ticket provide bed with private room?

[@T1DWanderer]

The saver/flexible etc tickets are only for seats, and they have different rules for refunds if you change or cancel your trip. To get a private room you have to buy a "roomette" or "bedroom" type ticket. You can read about the differences on the Amtrak website before buying your ticket.

[@NozomuYume]

A couple things to know -- there are tickets you can't buy on the website, but MUST make your reservations by phone -- the website does not let you book these: 3 People in a single large Bedroom: It's smaller than having 2 roomettes, but it's also usually cheaper, and you all get to be in the same space. If your trip is only during the day it's not really a problem, but if you're going to sleep, two people have to sleep on the larger bottom bunk, so they need to be okay with that. Accessible Bedroom: If you, or someone you are traveling with has mobility issues and can benefit from wheelchair access and safety bars, then this is the ticket to get. It's bigger than the family bedroom (albeit much of it is occupied by the awkward toilet), but MUCH cheaper (same price as a roomette). They are ADA-mandated, but rarely used. I don't think I've ever been on a train that had more than one of these occupied (there is one per sleeper car). On most trains they only bother to prepare one of them and the rest get used as storage.

[@averageguy1261]

How are the shared restrooms? Clean?

[@T1DWanderer]

Generally pretty clean, I think. Never a guarantee though...

[@JoeHeine]

Can you go from the Bay Area to San Diego without switching via a bus?

[@T1DWanderer]

Not on an Amtrak train. Only Pacific Surfliner goes all the way down to San Diego, but only goes from San Luis Obispo, so you'd have to change there or LAX or somewhere else in between

[@jdagreat4595]

When on San Joaquins do u pass threw grapevine? I ask because anytime i drive it i never see any Amtrak trains or any trains for that matter

[@kjhuang]

It doesn't. You have to take a connecting bus between Bakersfield and Los Angeles.

[@GamingRailfanner]

The San Joaquins should just connect to Amtrak surfliner

[@T1DWanderer]

Extending it would be nice. Maybe some day!

[@marinavillegas7367]

En español o con subtítulos por favor

[@mehmetkaya9089]

I went to trip by Amtrak from Los Angeles to SAN Diego. I don’tlike it , it was very old and people noise . It was 60 dolar

[@chirstianbenn4831]

Is san diego included to

[@T1DWanderer]

Yes, check out my video about the train between LA and San Diego.

[@llrvsl]

Romans10;9