New Sacramento-bound train service to launch in Lodi on May 7
Locals commuting to Sacramento by train will soon have the option of an earlier arrival time. The new Amtrak San Joaquin morning express train service to Sacramento is set to formally launch on May 7.
“This new service is a rescheduling of our current service,” said David Lipari, marketing director for the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. “So right now, we have two roundtrips to and from Sacramento. Really what we’re doing is we’re rescheduling those two roundtrips to make it a little bit more convenient for both business travelers and sameday leisure travelers to get up to Sacramento”
With the new express service, riders will be able to arrive in Sacramento around 7:41 a.m. and spend the whole day there, Lipari said.
“Currently if you were to take the train today to Sacramento the earliest you can arrive there is 11:20 a.m., and certainly from a business person’s perspective, or even our leisure passengers, it’s just not early enough,” Lipari said. “It’s just not enough time. This is something where we’re changing the way in which our trains are scheduled to really serve the market a little bit better.”
The train, which starts off in Fresno and will make stops in Madera, Merced, Turlock, Modesto and Stockton, will stop in Lodi at 6:44 a.m. It will leave Sacramento at 12:41 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. making stops at each of the stations along the San Joaquin southbound line.
“It kind of gives you that flexibility, so whether you want to do a half day in the morning or half day in the afternoon or a full day in Sacramento,” Lipari said.
Since SJJPA took over the management of the service about three years ago, there have been plans for expansion, Lipari said.
“It’s something that a lot of Valley business folks and government agency folks and people who take a lot of trips up to Sacramento have been asking for, a way to get up to Sacramento without having to drive their car,” Lipari said.
The train will have several amenities, including Wi-Fi and a cafe cart stocked with breakfast items in the morning and other snacks and beverages in the afternoons.
The fare to ride the train from Lodi to Sacramento one way is $10. There are several discount programs including 10 -trip books and monthly passes which could significantly reduce the cost for the passenger, Lipari said.
The Amtrak San Joaquin is one of three inner-city rail services funded by the state, and features seven daily round trips, five between Bakersfield and Oakland and two between Bakersfield and Sacramento, Lipari said.
On Thursday the California State Transportation Agency awarded a $500 million grant for the Valley Rail Project, a joint proposal by the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority and the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to dramatically improve passenger rail service to the Sacramento region with both Amtrak San Joaquin and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) service. The grant funds will help perform track improvements and build new shared San Joaquin and ACE stations in Lodi and other communities.
The SJJPA has invited several stakeholders and community leaders from service cities to take the inaugural ride to Sacramento on May 7. The arrival of the train will be celebrated with a press conference at Sacramento Valley Station.
Lodi Chamber of Commerce President Pat Patrick is excited about the service and is looking forward to taking the inaugural ride to Sacramento.
“It’s a great improvement and the chamber has been asking for this for 15 years,” Patrick said. “I always said that it would be very beneficial for Lodi if we could get the trains running in the right direction at the right time. If anybody has been out on Highway 99 to Sacramento in heavy traffic times, the train is a much less stressful way to get to Sacramento.”
Lodi City Councilman Mark Chandler agreed.
“I just think it’s fantastic,” Chandler said. “It’s so much more practical and useful for people from Lodi who want to go to Sacramento and do some business and come back in the afternoon. I think the timing of both the morning and afternoon trains is perfect.”
Lodi Transportation Manager Georgia Lantsberger also feels the train will be beneficial for the city.
“It will provide an opportunity for people to venture into Lodi and discover what Lodi has to offer along with Sacramento,” she said. “It has an increased potential for tourism and shopping. Anything that brings people here and then also takes our people places they want to go is a great idea.