I went on a train adventure on my healing journey and it all started with the San Joaquin from Fresno. If you go South, it ends in Bakersfield with a connecting bus to LA. If you go north, it does go all the way to Emeryville. However, if you're trying to go to Sacramento- It Ends in Stockton with a connecting bus to Sacramento. The ride is pretty smooth and you get complimentary, snacks, waters & sodas. I personally wish they would upgrade the Coast Starlight to how the San Joaquin is. The San Joaquin is state funded and because Californians pay so much taxes, it's a really nice train and only travels in California. The seats are more comfortable. There's tables in coach. There's wifi and restrooms are huge. Sometimes the Conductors are nice, sometimes they are very strict. When I was on my way from Emeryville to Fresno, I asked one of the conductors about sitting on the bottom of the train and he said yes. From my experience, the male conductors were nicer than the female conductors. I was already extremely exhausted from riding in from Portland into Emeryville as I had a migraine the night before. As I was sitting downstairs, I started getting told something about sitting downstairs by the female conductor, I was trying to explain to her that the male conductor let me know i can sit downstairs and she did not want to hear it and stated that this was her car that she was in charge of. Maybe, communication between the two would have gone a long way. Other than that, I have felt safe and had nothing, but comfortable rides on the San Joaquin. read more

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Well, well! It's a Sunday afternoon after a holiday and we're riding along in a smooth air conditioned train car. Instead of driving terrified up I-5 at 80+ trying not to die! Wow! The last time I took the train was a nightmare of old equipment, terrible road beds, delays, and noise! This time, it's new equipment, quiet cars, free snacking, and ON TIME performance! AMTRAK has changed! $95. Bakersfield to Sacramento for 2! Gas one way is $85. No wonder the train is full! Trying it again was a good choice! read more

I was pleasantly surprised when I boarded this new train from Stockton to Fresno. The aisles are BIG, the restrooms are state of the art, the seats are huge and there is plenty of legroom. The only downside is that there's no cafe car. Make sure you pack your own drinks and food. Be aware because you never know which train you will get. I spoke to a woman who had a really difficult trip northbound which took 3x the travel time and Amtrak finally gave her a $150 voucher for a future trip after getting the runaround. read more

Agree with much of what William D. said in his brilliant review below. Amtrak service isn't prefect, but it's the best we've got for now. It's still a very convenient way to travel up and down California's Central Valley, and greatly preferable to driving. William is correct that they really need to close the transit gap between LA and Bakersfield. This will be addressed if/when the High Speed rail [HSR] project is ever completed, but really it's the freight companies being selfish with their rail right-of-ways and not making them available to passenger rail. Board the Amtrak, chill out, get some food or order a drink, look at the scenery, and enjoy the ride up and down California. Just leave a little extra time for the usual delays and getting acclimated the various connections. read more

This train is the slowest train so many problems I looked all over could not find food court I've gone 200 miles they still haven't checked my ticket only one person to run the whole train. read more

Great food, comfortable seats, and friendly staff. My only complaint is that it has a major lack of security which means that some unstable people get on board and cause trouble for everyone else. read more

I took the San Joaquin from Hanford to the Bay Area a few days ago - the trip up was very pleasant but the trip back was the opposite. We didn't quite roll home we rattled home leaving me feeling beat up. Also a few months back I took Amtrak the other way to get to LAX. Again, the trip down was great - but the way back was a nightmare - packed like sardines in a totally blacked out bus in the middle of the night - very scary, and not an experience I wish to repeat. I've ridden thousands of miles of rail in Europe and never had equipment as sloppy as these two return trips. The STAFF is always great. But the equipment on these return trips is the pits. I hope Amtrak can get their act together - this is pitiful. read more

I like Amtrak. We recently took the kids to Disneyland this way and it was seamless. The cost for 4 of us one way was $136. Whats not to love about that. Comfortable seats, inexpensive snacks and wi-fi. We did need to catch the bus in Bakersfield but no big deal. Liked it better than having to deal with LA traffic. But be warned about Bakersfield to LA bus- very disorganized and they change from what is said on the train. read more

This route is always very late. If you need to be somewhere on time, don't rely on this service. Take Greyhound instead, seriously. It's more reliable. read more

I feel that I should start with a brief of my love-hate relationship with Amtrak. In the beginning days of riding the train, I strongly believed that it was the trains fault for us being late, I soon realized that a little rule that the US Government never enforces and refuses to do so out of corporate fossil based fuel company greed and political lobbying payouts, could have stopped the delays by stopping the freight and giving priority to passengers - as the rule was originally made and agreed to. Basically, all freight companies must pull over, or wait until Amtrak passes to prevent delays and then continue. Unfortunately, the way it works in real life is that freight companies illegally make Amtrak stop and wait. To prevent any backup (again illegal) they do not allow ANY Amtrak trains through the Tehachapi Loop, which would give non-bus service from Los Angeles to the Bay Area though the San Joaquin Valley, connecting Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno and Bakersfield with service in Los Angeles, Vegas, Diego and points further, much more easily. Nope, the freight companies wont allow this, except one train, and with prior notice, The Coast Starlight, to date, the only agreement of right-of-way freight honors in the entire Amtrak system. Knowing what I know, I no longer can fault Amtrak or San Joaquin trains for their expected-unexpected delay between Emeryville and Stockton. In fact, I sometimes look forward to it now depending on where the delay is. Hint - It is usually 15 minutes west of Stockton, in the middle of the Delta, north of Discovery Bay (just look on a rail map, you'll see where it is). Usually I tell my family I will be in at the normal 9:15AM time, but they know better, that I really arrive 9:30AM. So while I sit on my train, I like to do 2 things. 1. ALWAYS no matter what..ALWAYS get a Three Cheese Panini. Not sure what it is about them, but I seem to really love eating them on the train. I never eat in the cafe car, always at my seat. I like the cross of airline travel of the past type seat and tray dining, but also like to keep an eye on my stuff since there are so many stops that you really don't have time to eat, and leave your belongings before someone, mostly a shady character, one step up from a Greyhound passenger, would take your stuff and get off the train. They do not allow personal bags or food in the cafe car either, and often, I bring a soda, a snack and water with me as a back up - cause you never know if you dont want to eat what they got on board after they tell you that they do not have the panini you desire. 2. WATCH THE SCENERY - Okay, I am a native Californian, I was born when cities were expanding, Silicon Valley got its name at this time of my birth, and farmland surrounded Altamont, Stockton, and places like Discovery Bay weren't anything more than fields and creeks, places like Antioch and Pittsburg were sleepy outlying quiet communities before suburban housing came into play and built up the city. I remember when scenery was desolate and isolated. Unfortunately California is not like this anymore, and all of the trip has some city view of some sort, or housing view, with a small exception near the Delta, just before Stockton - thats where I travel most, and so for me, I love taking photos out the window. Ive only sat on the southside of the train, the right side, but next time Ill sit on the left, and look out over the water instead. Service is meh, not the best, not unfriendly. Most conductors do not have time to talk, too many stops, so many tickets to check, no fault there. They do smile as they come to stops but while walking the cars no, they are just normal. The cafe car is hit and miss. Depends on the day I think and where the train came from and how long they worked it I think. Sometimes they are super on top of things, and multitasking multiple customers and "got it" and other times, they seem really spaced out and frustrated that there is 2 people in the entire cafe car. The trains vary. On this route, sometimes you get a Superliner California, which is the double decker trains, not completely unlike the regular long-haul Superliners, but they lack sleeping type accommodations, have no dining car, and no lounge, viewing, etc type cars. All coach and cafe, and POSSIBLY baggage if lucky. You sit on two decks, upper for all guests, and lower for elderly and immobile ONLY. The second type of train you may get is the Comet car trains, from literally the 1950s. They are the romantic single level ones with steps that you gotta climb up or down to get into the car. I find it kinda inconvenient compared to the Superliner - but these coaches have by far more leg room, large seats, big windows, and while only single level, tend to be modern, have WiFi, electric outlets, and feel wider, more spacious than the Superliner. Only downside, less seats per car = more people to sit next to you on your journey. read more

Stop by here on my way to seatlle, WA. Fresno is a ok little city great frendly people and clean air compare to the big city. I do wish there wore more to do overall cool city . The amtrak staion is really small though. read more

I took the Amtrak RT from Sacramento to Fresno this past week, down and back in one day. Where to begin...... The trip from Sac to Fresno was fairly pleasant, most of all because the route was a DIRECT train trip from boarding to destination. However, the return trip from Fresno to Sac was awful! First, the trip from Fresno to Sac during daytime hours is NOT a non-stop train ride. It requires passengers to stop in Stockton, get off the train, and transfer to a bus so damn crowded one can barely breathe! It's hard to believe there are not enough people traveling from Fresno (or mid-Cali) to Northern Cali to justify Amtrak adding at least one afternoon DIRECT train to that area! The entire RT trek took over TWELVE HOURS!!! (Had I driven by car, the trip would be 6 hours max., RT) Oh, and Fresno trains ALWAYS run late. Second, the toilets on the train return trip were just FILTHY--urine in puddles on the floor. I was actually afraid to even stand in them, let alone use them. Third and Last, ....um how can I put this "diplomatically"....I am hardly a "snob" and I frequently use trains (most often Capitol Corridor, usually the Sac.-Bay Area route), so I am not naïve or alarmed to find myself sharing space with some "shady" or homeless passengers. But the return Amtrak Fresno/Sac trip (in broad daylight hours, early afternoon) was literally a "Floating Flop House" nightmare: stinky drunks, hobos who reeked of booze, BO, and cigarettes, and loud, menacing, clearly dangerously mentally-ill people. One guy on the train raced back and forth through the train cars, screaming, jabbering nonsense to himself, laughing at the top of his lungs, and eyeing and jabbering at female passengers like a schizophrenic case off his meds. I just prayed he wouldn't flash himself. The conductors seemed unalarmed, probably because they are jaded after years of "seeing, hearing it all" in their line of work or experience as bouncers. I was SO RELIEVED to find that guy wasn't on the bus I had to board in Stockton. So I find a seat on the bus, only to have a fat, stinky guy who reeked of cigarettes sit next to me. PHEW!!! So I got up and squeezed myself into another seat next to a fairly "normal"-looking guy in a suit. After a few minutes, an angry, older white guy sitting in the row ahead of us turns and gives the guy sitting next to me an "evil eye" nasty glare (after the guy next to me started loudly chatting on his cellphone). I thought he was understandably annoyed because that guy wouldn't shut up for most of the trip. But, no, Crazy Guy in Front Row was actually unhinged, "mad at the world", screaming obscenities at no one in particular, about black people and breeding (BTW, I am white). I was so embarrassed, ashamed when I saw a small black child and her dad riding in the row ahead of "Trump/Archie Bunker on Steroids". They were so patient, didn't utter a word of complaint the entire trip, but I can only imagine how humiliating that trip was for them, how bad that guy made them feel, even if he was (clearly) sick in the head, ranting at no one and everyone. I realize Amtrak cannot "discriminate" against mentally ill people but it seems that, where they clearly pose a public safety risk or are disruptive by exhibiting such extreme psychosis, then there are grounds for ejecting (or refusing to seat) them. The one silver lining is that, as of May 7, Amtrak has changed its schedule and no longer offers DIRECT train travel between Sac and Fresno in the morning. You are stuck with Bus Hell and transfer to a train in Stockton. Perhaps word gets around about how awful it is and passenger-ship is dropping even more. I, for one, will NEVER take a Amtrak train-to-bus trip again!!! Thanks to anyone patient enough to read my lengthy note. A few words of wisdom: UBER. LYFT. OR EARPLUGS. read more