Auburn to San Francisco on Capitol Corridor Train and Amtrak Bus

[Music] foreign there is a reasonable semblance of Intercity rail travel in the form of the capital Corridor service between Sacramento and Emeryville near Oakland with most trains continuing on to San Jose there are 11 trains per day in each Direction with each one of these connecting to a bus service from Emeryville to San Francisco one of these 11 trains starts in Auburn about 35 miles Northeast of Sacramento which is the train that we're going to take this morning come with us and let's see what's on offer right next to the Auburn station is a nice imposing building with a sign stating Nevada station however it has nothing to do with the train service it's just an office building it sure can be misleading if you're not familiar with the actual train departure platform the actual train station in Auburn is nothing more than a short platform that can accommodate two maybe three cars with a range shelter and some benches [Music] train 729 service to San Jose is powered by a Caltrain FB 59 diesel locomotive these or derivatives have been staple power for passenger trains in the United States for quite some time although their prime years have passed in favor of newer machines this one received a new lease on life in 2013 with a refurbishment I'll give you a brief outline of the passenger equipment on this train a bit later on but for now after this short introduction let's board our train and begin the journey before we depart Auburn and the train gets busy at intermediate stations let's take a look at the California cars Interiors the coaches do look unique along with the closable luggage storage above the seats and large number of front to back seating the interior does have the resemblance of an airplane cabin it's just a resemblance though as the personal space and comfort on these cars far exceeds what's coming on a plane the color scheme and general appearance of the interior of these coaches have held up well over the years as without refurbishment they're comfortable and enjoyable to ride in the accessible space is available on the bottom level including this large accessible restroom the remaining seats here are reserved for passengers with reduced Mobility so they don't have to climb up to the second level as there is no lift the very large bicycle storage area is replaced with more seating in a standard restroom in another version of this car let's head back upstairs and take a look at the cafe there is a cafe in each Capital Corridor train the menu on offer includes hot and cold drinks wine and beer snacks as well as small meals good morning hi our departure from Auburn is right on time at 7 55 in the morning on weekdays this train departs earlier at 6 35 to cater to the commuter passengers on their way to work in Sacramento most of the seats are arranged in a two plus two configuration and are face to back the seats are fairly wide are separated with armrests and offer a lot of legroom they do not recline but still provide a lot of space there is a foot rest and a large sturdy foldable table Public Announcement speakers and reading lamps are above each seat group there is a 120 volt Outlet one for two seats there are no blinds but rather these curtains which still work very well to provide a respite from the early morning sun eat seed pack has netted space for belongings and is Handy safety information pamphlet we're arriving at the first intermediate stop of the day Rocklin like at a number of stations on this route the platforms are short here as well with boarding and the lighting via one or two cars only here's a typical table seating area the legroom is generous with the table massive you'll have no problem spreading out especially if not all four seats are occupied there is a 120 volt power outlet by the Widow 142 seats the seats themselves are well padded and comfortable for a longer Journey with folding arm wrists on both sides there are three options for storing belongings and Luggage first there are large Airline style overhead bins down both sides of the car on each level second there is space between seat backs in the table seating areas and finally there are these smallish luggage Stacks near the two stairwells towards each end of the upper deck here's another look at the spacious wheelchair area the wheelchair ramp is stowed next to an entry door on each side of the car and right next you'll find the accessible restroom to lock the door slide the little red knobbed lever to the right and double check that the door is locked the faucet is mechanically activated with the push button which makes hand washing a bit awkward but doable the hand dryer is more modern and worked well the retention toilet is not a vacuum system but rather gravity cleaned next you'll find a changing table rounding out a restroom that's been well kept in working order and clean in addition to the capital Corridor Services Amtrak in California offers the San Joaquin trains between Emeryville and Bakersfield these are longer distant services and together with a bus connection between Bakersfield and Los Angeles offer five daily round trips between San Francisco Bay area and LA all right folks this is Roseville Roseville station we're approaching Sacramento the main intermediate stop for our train and the Terminus for all other Capital Corridor Services the station is well located in downtown Sacramento and close to the Sacramento Old Town this is Sacramento Valley Station last call folks now it's time to step on the train if you're not going with us make your way after the last passengers are hurried on board we depart Sacramento on time at 8 55. our train features unique one-off Passenger cars it is a four car consist of double deck California cars these were designed and built for the original start of capital Corridor Services back in the mid-1990s by Morrison Knudsen and the American passenger rail car company I'm a rail they're similar in outward appearance to the double deck Amtrak super liner coaches but have been designed for shorter distance travel there are three varieties of the California cars seating coaches seating and baggage cars and restaurant cars all seating coaches are very similar with some differing in the number and style of bicycle storage areas the restaurant areas are self-service Cafe style but a lot of tables and seating we picked up passengers at every station since departure with most boarding at Davis a university town just west of Sacramento the train filled up quite nicely which was a very pleasant surprise on the Saturday morning let's head back to the restaurant car which is a bit of a mixed bag it's great that these cars are available on each of the capital Corridor trains and the prices are not too exorbitant however the quality of the food leaves a lot to be desired the food is not prepared on board but simply reheated unlike on long distance Amtrak trains or Intercity trains in Central and Eastern Europe for example but even reheated selections could be done better than on these trains Germany is a case in point where the meals offered on Intercity Express trains are still reheated but are considerably better tasting and hugely better presented still the capital Corridor trains have the restaurant cars and that's something to be thankful for the start station of Auburn is located west of the spectacular Sierra Nevada mountains while we travel by some nicer areas most of the scenery is residential and Industrial such as this Refinery facility in Benicia on the north side of susun bay the road bridge that you see is the original Benicia Martinez Bridge it now carries the southbound traffic only with the new Northbound Bridge just to the east of the Railway Bridge that we're on we're about to enter a section of the line that's right next to the carcana strait making for some pleasant views across the water [Music] right after the cnh sugar facility we ride under the Alfred zampa Memorial Bridge previously known as the carcanus bridge here too a new westbound span is in stark contrast to the original Bridge [Music] this is Richmond a Richmond Bar in order to get too far to head down into the tunnel and go over to the BART station this is Amtrak 7 29 to San Jose now boarding Richmond is an interchange station with Bart the Bay Area Rapid Transit System changing to one of the bart trains that travel under the San Francisco Bay on their way to the city is one option to get to San Francisco after traveling on the Capitol Corridor the other option is an Amtrak bus which is what we selected on this trip cost wise it's less to take the bus connection if the ticket is purchased together with the train [Music] actually I'm mine so they say what I mean by this message on track number two if you're headed to San Francisco please proceed to the parking structure next door the bus is a short walk to the car parked ground level as our Capital Corridor train departs for San Jose [Music] thank you foreign after a brief safety talk by the driver we depart for San Francisco with a few minutes delay the canadian-built Prevo bus features a typical long-distance Commuter or Intercity layout two plus two seating is fairly comfortable with adequate legroom there are seat belts at every seat and foldable armrests are provided there is a double power socket at each group of two seats as well as roll-up window blinds there is one restroom at the rear of the bus it's clean and fully working but did not include a sink I don't know what that is as we approach San Francisco the incredible City skyline views start to dominate now is a good time to summarize this trip the seamless 2 mode train and bus connection gets you from Auburn downtown San Francisco in three hours and 10 minutes it's quite a long trip for the 125 or so Miles averaging only about 40 miles per hour however the capital Corridor train was very pleasant and comfortable and the bus not too bad for the short hop across San Francisco Bay [Music] no and how much did this cost us we traveled on a two-for-one special offered on all connections without limitations with the cost for two being forty one dollars that's twenty dollars fifty cents per person or about 16 cents per mile it's a great deal and yes I would highly recommend this way to travel from Auburn Sacramento and other stations on the route to San Francisco and San Jose even though this fifty percent off price deal ended at the end of January there will no doubt be other offers in the future thank you so much for watching and coming on this journey with us

Channel: BordRestaurant

Views: 2,477

Keywords: Capital Corridor

Id: kHok3Eaow-k

Length: 18min 54sec (1134 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 09 2023