California Passenger and Commuter Train Directory

California rail transit and commuter train travel information. Here we list all rail/train routs and authorities in California. You will find all necessary information including links to various websites. This section is split into parts: Rail Transit for Northern California, Rail Transit for Southern California, Recreational Train Travel in California, and finally at the end of the page fro real train enthusiasts we have listed all Train Museums in California including a number of historic and preservation societies.

Train/Rail – Transit and Commuting

Amtrak
Amtrak has a number of routs covering entire state of California. On top of rail/train service it operates vast network of bus routes (California Thruway Motorcoaches) providing transportation to train stations. For complete California Thruway Coach System route map click here(pdf). Here is a brief description of all Amtrak routs throughout California including route name, direction, stations, and train station codes. Keep in mind that bus stops/stations are not listed here, see above, for Amtrak California System Map.

California Zephyr: Chicago – Denver – Emeryville, CA (San Francisco)
Stations Served in California:

Capitol Corridor: Auburn – Sacramento – Emeryville (San Francisco) – Oakland – San Jose

Stations Served:

Coast Starlight: Seattle – Portland – Los Angeles

Stations Served in California:

Pacific Surfliner: San Luis Obispo – Santa Barbara – Los Angeles – San Diego

Stations Served:

San Joaquin: San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento – Bakersfield/Southern California

Stations Served:

Southwest Chief: Chicago – Albuquerque – Los Angeles

Stations Served in California:

Sunset Limited in California: New Orleans – San Antonio – Los Angeles

Stations Served in California:

Texas Eagle: Chicago – St. Louis – Dallas – San Antonio – (Los Angeles) see also: www.texaseagle.com

Stations Served in California:

Amtrak California San Joaquin and Connecting Thruways
Amtrak California’s San Joaquin® route provides daily round trips between Sacramento/Stockton/Oakland and Bakersfield with thruway connections to Los Angeles and the Pacific Surfliner® which travels between San Luis Obispo and San Diego. The San Joaquin serves Oakland, Emeryville (with thruway connections to San Francisco), Richmond, Martinez, Antioch/Pittsburg, Davis, Sacramento, Elk Grove, Lodi, Stockton, Modesto, Turlock/Denair, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Hanford, Corcoran, Wasco, and Bakersfield. Connecting Amtrak Thruway buses provide additional service from Bakersfield to Los Angeles and more than 175 other destinations in California and Nevada. Amtrak California is a Caltrans and Amtrak partnership.
www.amtrakcalifornia.com

California High Speed Rail Authority
Eventually will connect Sacramento, San Francisco, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Diego via high speed train.
www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov

Northern California rail transit and commuter train travel.

The Altamont Commuter Express
Ace Rail is a commuter train that runs between Stockton and San Jose, California.
www.acerail.com

BayRail Alliance
Is a non-profit, 501(c)4 organization founded in 1983. Advocates improvements to rail public transit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mission is to build public awareness of and support for these plans, so as to improve our environment and quality of life. Some of the projects include: Salinas-Monterey Rail – plans to provide a new rail service from Salinas in Monterey County to San Jose. Proposed rail service would make one or two round-trips a day. Stations are planned in Salinas, Castroville and Pajaro en route to San Jose and San Francisco. And Dumbarton Rail – functioning as a connector to the current Caltrain system, standard rail across a rebuilt Dumbarton Rail Bridge would serve the increasing cross-bay travel market. It will connect riders in Fremont, Newark, Union City, and other east bay cities served by BART, ACE and the Capitol Corridor, to Caltrain on the peninsula. And much much more!
www.bayrailalliance.org

BART – Bay Area Rapid Transit System
www.bart.gov

Caltrain
Caltrain operates weekday trains between San Francisco and San Jose, with commute-hour service to Gilroy. Weekend service is offered from San Francisco to San Jose.
www.caltrain.com

The Capitol Corridor
Stretches from San Jose to Sacramento and beyond. Stations in Auburn, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Davis, Suisun/Fairfield, Martinez, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland (2), Hayward, Fremont, Santa Clara, and San Jose. You can get to stations using local transit, or even connect from BART at Oakland Coliseum or Richmond.
www.capitolcorridor.org

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District
SMART will build (2014) a 70-mile passenger railroad and parallel bicycle-pedestrian path along the publicly owned Northwestern Pacific Railroad right of way through the two counties. The rail line runs from Cloverdale, at the north end of Sonoma County, to Larkspur, where the Golden Gate Ferry connects Marin County with San Francisco. Along the way SMART will have stations at the major population and job centers of the North Bay: San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor and Healdsburg.
www.sonomamarintrain.org
See also: www.northcoastrailroad.org

Southern California rail transit and commuter train travel.

Los Angeles Metrolink
Train system serving Greater Los Angeles area. See below for line specific station locations, or click here for pdf map.
www.metrolinktrains.com

Line by Line Listing of Stations

Los Angeles County Metro Rail
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’ website will offer all necessary information.
www.metro.net

The Exposition Light Rail Transit Line
Expo Line will travel along the Exposition railroad right-of-way between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City. It will share a track and two stations (7th St/Metro Center and Pico) with the Metro Blue Line as it leaves downtown Los Angeles.
www.buildexpo.org

San Diego Commute
Offers information on San Diego light rail and connecting routes.
transit.511sd.com
or
www.sdcommute.com

Train/Rail – Recreational

Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train is one of the most unique and best Napa restaurants. This top dining establishment is housed in an antique train that runs on 25-miles of track in the heart of the Napa Valley. The train itself has two engines, three kitchens on board and a collection of early 20th century rail cars that are pure Americana. It offers guests great regional food and fabulous, hard-to-find wines.
www.winetrain.com

Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton, CA
See California’s towering redwood forests from two historic railroads on your next visit to the San Francisco or Monterey Bay Areas. Travel by Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad steam trains up a narrow-gauge track through the Big Trees to Bear Mountain or by Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific Railway Company beach trains down the scenic San Lorenzo River to the sunny beaches of Santa Cruz.
www.roaringcamp.com

The Sacramento River Train
Offers food and entertainment while you roll through the countryside. Popular sights include the Sacramento River and the 8000 foot long Fremont Trestle. The train is ideal for both daytime or evening trips because it features open-air observation cars, open-air patio bar, high-level dining coach and fun club car. The train boards in Woodland, CA, which is 15 minutes from Sacramento.
www.sacramentorivertrain.com

Sierra Railroad Dinner Train
Sierra Railroad was built in 1897 connecting the Gold Country and Central Valley. The railroad now hosts the Sierra Railroad Dinner Train. Regarded as one of the five best dinner trains in the West, we combine delicious food, luxurious cars, unspoiled scenery and great entertainment. The train boards in Oakdale, CA, which is 90 miles east of San Francisco and 70 miles south of Sacramento.
www.sierrarailroad.com

Skunk Train
Is a number one tourist attraction in the area. Operates train tours from Fort Bragg and Willits into unforgettable giant redwoods.
www.skunktrain.com

Historic Sites and Museums in Northern California

The California State Railroad Museum
Located in Old Sacramento, is a complex of historic facilities and unique attractions. Widely regarded as North America’s most popular railroad museum, there is something here for everyone! Throughout the year, experience lavishly restored trains, engaging exhibits, and unique special events. Every weekend April-September, ride behind a real steam locomotive!
www.csrmf.org

The California Trolley and Railroad Corporation
Preserving the historical heritage of railroading and trolleys in the Santa Clara Valley of California.
www.ctrc.org

Market Street Railway (San Francisco)
The nonprofit preservation partner of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), the city agency that owns and operates San Francisco’s transit system, including its historic streetcars and cable cars.
www.streetcar.org

North Coast Railroad Authority
Railroad connecting Eureka Arcata area, Ukiah, and Larkspur in Marin Co.
www.northcoastrailroad.org

Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society
Preserving the heritage of Redwood Empire Railroading
www.nwprrhs.org

Northwestern Pacific Railroad Network
Dedicated to Sharing the Heritage of Redwood Empire Railroading
nwprr.net

San Francisco Cable Car Museum
Houses a collection of historic cable cars, photographs, mechanical displays and gift shop run by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum – a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of cable car history.
www.cablecarmuseum.org

The Western Railway Museum
Located in Solano County, California, it is a project of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax-exempt, educational institution.
www.wrm.org

Historic Sites and Museums in Southern California

Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum
www.lals.org

Laws Railroad Museum
Preserving the history of the Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra. Offers 11 Acres of Unique Open Air Sights and Exhibits. Operated by the Bishop Museum & Historical Society, located in Bishop, California.
www.lawsmuseum.org

Orange Empire Railway Museum
Southern California’s Railway Museum in Perris, CA.
www.oerm.org

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum (Campo, CA)
www.sdrm.org

Poway-Midland Railroad Volunteers, Inc.
A non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, operation and maintenance of antique railroad and trolley equipment in Old Poway Park.
www.powaymidlandrr.org

San Diego Electric Railway Association
Dedicated to the preservation of the history of the San Diego Electric Railway – San Diego’s primary streetcar system which operated from the late 1800s to 1949. SDERA is also the operator of the National City Depot, an historic Santa Fe railroad station.
www.sdera.org

The Travel Museum Town Foundation
Is a dba of the American Southwestern Railway Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation & Parks to preserve rich railroad history of Los Angeles.
www.traveltown.org