Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024

May 8, 2024
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions and impacts by members from the community. Transportation plays a huge role in revitalizing, reshaping, and defining communities – especially when it comes to public transportation. Transportation is all about improving mobility, connecting people and places to each other, and making communities accessible.  The AAPI community has played a big role in improving public transportation and equity in today’s society.

 

The Unforgotten Heroes of the Transcontinental Railroad

The Gold Rush attracted many settlers to the US, but also persuaded Chinese workers to come for a better life and opportunity. From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the East Coast and West Coast of the United States, facilitating economic expansion. Chinese workers made up most of the workforce, working on roughly 700 miles of train tracks between Sacramento, California, and Promontory, Utah. By the 19th century, more than 2.5 million Chinese citizens had left their country and were hired in 1864 after a labor shortage threatened the railroad’s completion.

Even though many Chinese workers were offered a new opportunity, they worked under excruciating conditions. Chinese workers received 30-50 percent lower wages than whites for the same job, earning only $26 a month. They also had the most difficult and dangerous work, including tunneling and the use of explosives. This resulted in an eight-day strike in June 1867. The strike ended without pay parity after Central Pacific (employer) cut off food, transportation and supplies to the Chinese living in camps, but working conditions improved following the strike.

It is important to recognize the sacrifices and establishments of Chinese workers during this time. The Transcontinental Railroad would not have possible without them. They also established a strong Asian community in California, especially San Francisco. Chinese immigrants fought against discrimination for decades and created a better society for all Asian communities in the US.

Read about a story of how a Stanford student discovered his ancestor, Lim Lip Hong, helped build the Central Pacific Railroad, the westernmost portion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

 

To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, take the Capitol Corridor to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento! It is a short and easy walk from our Sacramento Station and features the Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience. This permanent exhibit provides a glimpse of the Chinese workers who built the western portion of the nation’s first Transcontinental Railroad.

Visit Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience web page here

 

Reno/Sparks Bus Connection Delays Between 5/1-9/30

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Due to several Caltrans construction projects along Interstate 80 (I-80) from May 1 to September 30, 2024, bus connections between Sacramento and Reno/Sparks may experience delays up to two hours. Bus connections will operate as scheduled. Please plan accordingly.

Thank you for your patience.

Message to Riders: April 2024

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Dear Riders,

It has been a busy three months since we last shared our FY2023 accomplishments and first quarter of FY2024 developments with you. I’m pleased to report that Capitol Corridor’s ridership continues to rebound, growing closer to pre-pandemic numbers. Recently, we surpassed the 1 million ridership mark for the previous 12 months (Trailing 12 Months, TTM, a term for data collected from the past 12 consecutive months. This data differs from fiscal year reporting).

In January, we asked for your input regarding our FY2024-25 & FY2025-26 Business Plan. We appreciated the overwhelming feedback we received and are addressing some of your suggestions that will ultimately improve your traveling experience. We thank you for choosing to ride our service and the role you play in its success.

Updates

We are once again encouraging passengers to consider traveling on Trains 536 and 540 to alleviate crowds on Train 538. We are offering 50 percent off café items on Trains 536 and 540 now through May 31. If you decide to ride Train 538, please be sure to place your bags under your seat or in the overhead compartment, keeping the seat next to you free for someone else. And please make room at the tables for four, so everyone has a comfortable ride home. While we hate to see trains so crowded that we run short of seats, we are fortunate to have this “problem” again.

Bicycle Capacity – With more passengers using bikes and scooters for the first and last mile connection, we ask that you securely store them in the lower-level bike storage area of the train. Please avoid leaving your bike in the aisles or vestibules. Additionally, electronic bike lockers are available at stations along the route for a nominal fee. For more information, please visit our bikes page.

Travel Planning Apps – In the previous Message to Riders, I mentioned that we launched real-time train information (GTFS-Realtime feeds) available to riders through their favorite travel planning apps. It now includes Google Maps, as well as Transit App, and Moovit.  In the future, complete GTFS-Realtime feeds will allow passengers to view train locations, trip updates, and service alerts all in one place.

First-Time Riders – We recently updated our online First-Time Rider guide, adding more video content to help first-time and regular riders navigate and learn helpful tips about our service.  And coming soon at your request, we are developing new onboard first-time rider posters. We hope these posters and online tips will help enhance the first-time rider’s overall experience. Please share these links with your friends and family that have an interest in taking the train but might be a little intimidated to give it a try.

Special Offers/Activities
  • Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) – In March, we launched a new promotion allowing you to purchase one full-fare ticket and get another companion ticket for free. This promotion runs through Labor Day and is only available on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.
  • On Wednesday, May 8, Capitol Corridor will host “Cappy Hour” with discounted beverages on all trains traveling between 3:00 p.m. and 7 p.m.
  • Levi’sÂŽ Stadium – Kick-off of Levi’s Stadium Summer Concert Series with Luke Combs is around the corner, Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18. We encourage you to take advantage of the late-night train after the concert, leaving Santa Clara Station at 11:30 p.m. Visit our website for more information.
  • A friendly reminder to please be vigilant and aware of your surroundings when traveling through train stations, on platforms, and onboard our trains. If you see something that doesn’t seem like it belongs, please say something to Capitol Corridor, Amtrak personnel, call Amtrak Police or 911. For other safety tips, please review our Rail Safety and Security page.

In closing, if you’re a first-time rider, we welcome you aboard the Capitol Corridor. Let us know your thoughts about your first trip. Your input is essential to our success.

 

 

Three Ways to Get to San Francisco via the Capitol Corridor

April 26, 2024
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People are often surprised to find out they can use the Capitol Corridor service to travel to San Francisco. Just imagine: not having to deal with traffic and pricey parking in a city notorious for both! Instead, you’ll relax on the train, enjoying spacious and comfortable seating, spectacular views, free Wi-Fi, and a CafĂŠ Car stocked with light meals, snacks, and a variety of beverages, including wine, beer, and spirits. You’ll find that, unlike driving, riding the train becomes much more than just a way to get from point A to point B— it’s part of the day’s enjoyment!

The Capitol Corridor offers three main ways to get to the City by the Bay. Here’s a rundown on each trip: how to do it, and where it can take you.

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Take the Capitol Corridor train to the Emeryville Station. There you’ll board a comfortable, Capitol Corridor-dedicated bus that takes you into San Francisco. The bus stops at the Downtown San Francisco, 401 Mission St. The beauty of this option is that you don’t have to worry about figuring out how to make your connection once you get off the train in Emeryville; when you book your trip, you get both your train ride and bus ride in one seamless transaction, on a single ticket. What’s more, since our bus service is dedicated to Capitol Corridor train riders, you can rest assured you won’t miss your connection, even if the train is late.

Where You Can Go

This downtown location provides easy access to many of San Francisco’s popular restaurants, shopping, museums, and other attractions. You’re within short walking distance of Market Street, San Francisco’s main thoroughfare (which features easy, convenient transit connections to other parts of the city), and not much further are the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building, which holds a lively Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. From here you can also connect to San Francisco’s local bus network, Muni, or hail rideshare for travel to the further reaches of this big, bustling city.

 

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Depending on your station of origin, take the Capitol Corridor train to either Richmond or Oakland Coliseum, where you can connect to a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train heading to San Francisco/Daly City or SFO (San Francisco Airport). BART has frequent service that will whisk you into the city in no time. Since BART is not part of the Capitol Corridor or Amtrak systems, Capitol Corridor riders must purchase a separate ticket for BART. BART tickets are sold at most BART stations*, but you can also pay your fare with a Clipper Card— enough to get you to downtown San Francisco and back. (You may need to add more value to your Clipper card for trips beyond downtown San Francisco, such as San Francisco International Airport.)

Where You Can Go

The better question may be, where can’t you go? Connecting to BART is a definitely a good choice if you’re headed to the downtown area of San Francisco anywhere near Market Street. Get off at BART’s Embarcadero station for a short walk to the Ferry Building, Embarcadero Center, the California Street cable car, or Muni connections to Oracle Park. For an afternoon in Chinatown or at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Montgomery station is very close (as is the Powell station). Want to hop on the cable car to Ghiradelli Square? Get off at Powell, which is also a good starting point for the Westfield Shopping Center, Union Square, Yerba Buena Gardens, and the Moscone Center. And for many of the city’s theaters, as well as the War Memorial Opera House, Symphony Hall, Public Library, City Hall, and the Asian Art Museum, take BART to Civic Center.

 

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With this option, you’ll be traveling in style. This trip takes longer than the others, but if you’re not on a tight schedule, it’s a unique and pleasant way to get into the city, combining the comfort of our trains with the relaxing, refreshing, scenic experience of cruising on the San Francisco Bay. Take the train to Oakland Jack London Square, where you’ll connect with the San Francisco Bay Ferry. The ferry dock is an easy, roughly 10-minute walk from the train station through Jack London Square, a destination in itself, with excellent waterfront restaurants and live music venues. Like BART, the ferry is not part of the Capitol Corridor or Amtrak systems, so you’ll need to purchase your ticket separately and plan ahead for making your connection. 

Where You Can Go

The ferry from Jack London Square can take you to Oracle Park (during baseball season and for select events all year round), the San Francisco Ferry Building, San Francisco Pier 41, and South San Francisco.