Frequently Asked Questions

The Capitol Corridor is an intercity passenger rail service with 18 stations between Auburn and San Jose. Visit our Destinations page for trip ideas or view our route map to see where we can take you!

No. The Capitol Corridor is an unreserved route, so no reservations are required, and you can buy your tickets at any time and easily hop on board! Because we are unreserved you may purchase a ticket and use it at a later time or date (within one year of purchase) if your travel plans change. However, certain promotions and discounts may require advance purchase. Additionally, some connecting bus routes require reservations, due to limited seating, so please plan accordingly.

You can find fare and schedule information on our website under Tickets or Routes and Schedules or pick up a schedule at the station or on board the train.

Capitol Corridor also offers several every day discounts for children and seniors, as well as seasonal promotions. Check the Deals and Promotions page for more information.

First, determine if you will be travelling on a weekday or weekend, and which direction you will be going—westbound toward San Jose or eastbound toward Sacramento. Locate your departure and arrival stations, listed vertically along the left side of the chart. Once you have located your stations, simply follow the row across to see all the departure and arrival times for the day. If you follow the column up from your departure or arrival time, you’ll see the respective train numbers. Times that appear in the gray shaded area are for connecting bus service.

If you are unsure if you are reading the schedule correctly, you can go to the home page and enter your travel dates along with the departure and arrival stations to see a list of all the trains for that day. Other Amtrak routes may be listed, so look for Capitol Corridor. You can also call our Call Center (1-877-9-RIDECC) Monday-Friday, 8am – 6pm, for help planning your trip.

There are three ticket options: one-way/round-trip, monthly unlimited, and 10-ride. You can read more about the each ticket option on our Tickets page.

You can buy tickets online, from the station agents at staffed stations, from Ticket Kiosk machines, or on board the train.

Ticket Kiosk machines are located at all stations except Oakland Coliseum and Hayward and accept cash, debit, and credit cards.

If you purchase tickets on board, you will only be able to buy a one way ticket and a surcharge will be applied unless you are boarding at an unstaffed station. The conductor will accept payment with cash or most major credit cards. Certain deals and promotions can only be purchased online and require advance purchase.

In accordance with Amtrak’s refund policies, one-way and round-trip tickets along Capitol Corridor will be refunded minus a 25% refund fee*. Monthly unlimited tickets will be fully refunded only if returned before the month for which it was issued begins. If returned within the first 10 days of the month, you will get a 50% refund. After the first 10 days, you cannot refund your monthly ticket. A 10-ride ticket is fully refundable, only if none of the rides have been used; if one or more rides have been taken, then no refund will be offered. Please note that the 25% refund fee is applied to the total amount refunded on all ticket types.

*Please note, because the Capitol Corridor service is technically unreserved, passengers who cannot travel on their booked departure date may keep their ticket and use it to travel on another day within one year of the travel date without incurring a penalty.

All Amtrak connecting buses require your trip to include at least one train segment, with the exception of South Lake Tahoe. Most bus routes (excluding Emeryville to San Francisco) require you to purchase your tickets in advance. If your trip starts with a bus segment and you don’t have a ticket in hand or on your smart phone, then you will be required to surrender your photo ID to the bus driver temporarily until you arrive at a staffed train station. The buses will be in marked locations at the station, but if you are having trouble locating them, ask a station agent for assistance.

Thank you for your interest in the Capitol Corridor Group Travel Program. We are not currently accepting requests. In the meantime, please check our Deals and Promotions page for other discounts offered through the Capitol Corridor. For assistance with current reservations, please contact us at [email protected].

Capitol Corridor has partnered with local transit agencies in the Sacramento region and Bay Area so that you can easily transfer from the train to a bus or light rail. Ask a station agent or your conductor for up to two free transit transfers, good for one-time use through the dates marked. Visit Connections for more information.

Parking varies by station and is often run by the local municipality. Many of the staffed stations offer validated parking passes with the purchase of a ticket, so you must ask the station agents for a permit to display in your car. At other stations you may have to pay for parking. For parking information specific to your location, please check our Stations page.

Each passenger may bring onboard two pieces of carry-on luggage (this includes bicycles), plus one personal item, such as a small bag, purse, backpack, or laptop. Please speak to the conductor if you have questions about any other items. Each carry-on bag may not exceed 50 lbs. and 28 x 22 x 14 inches. Personal items may not exceed 25 lbs. and 14 x 11 x 7 inches.

The following items are prohibited onboard the train: non-service animals, firearms and ammunition, hover boards, corrosive or dangerous chemicals and materials, incendiaries, martial arts and self-defense items, archery equipment, devices containing propellants, sharp objects, and similar items. For a complete and detailed list of prohibited items, visit the Amtrak website. Read more about luggage on Capitol Corridor.

Yes. You must store your bike on the lower level bike racks or in the designated bike cars of the train. These are usually located either at the end of the train, opposite the locomotive, or the second car from the locomotive. Bike cars can be identified by a bike decal on the outside of the car. Please bring U-lock to keep your bike secure.

Bike space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If there is not enough space available for your bike in your car, follow the conductor’s instructions on where to store your bike. If conditions will compromise the safety and mobility of other passengers, you may be asked to leave your bike at the station. We advise bringing a bungee cord in the event you need to secure your bike to something other than the bike rack.

Securely locking and storing your bike is important for the safety of fellow passengers and for preventing your bike from being stolen. If you do not need your bike at your destination, it is recommended that you park it at the station for when you return. For more information, read Bikes On Board.

Most connecting buses can accommodate a limited number of bikes on a first-come, first-serve basis. You must load and unload your own bike, as on the train. Most buses offer storage underneath the motorcoach in the luggage compartment or on front-end racks. For more information, read Bikes On Board.

Yes! The Wi-Fi is free and available to all passengers. Look for AmtrakConnect in your device’s list of available hot spots. The Wi-Fi does not support high-bandwidth activities such as streaming movies and music or downloading large files. Read more about Wi-Fi and other on-board amenities.

Yes. With Café Cars on all Capitol Corridor trains, passengers can purchase premium sandwiches, fresh salads, snacks, beverages, and more!  Enjoy your purchase in the Café Car’s dining seating or take it back to your seat in the passenger car. You may also bring your own food on board but outside food is not allowed in the Café Car. Additionally, Amtrak does not allow you to drink alcoholic beverages you’ve brought on board, however you may drink alcoholic beverages purchased in the Café Car throughout the train.

• Children 16 and older can travel unaccompanied without restriction, but must have valid photo identification when purchasing tickets and when on board the train or when riding buses. Children 13, 14, and 15 years old may only ride unaccompanied in accordance with the conditions of Amtrak’s Unaccompanied Minor Policy. If your child is 12 years old or younger, they are not permitted to travel alone and must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 18 years old.
• Please be advised that as of January 2024, Oakland Jack London (OKJ) and Martinez (MTZ) stations no longer handle unaccompanied minors for travel on Capitol Corridor trains. Unaccompanied minors may travel between other staffed stations, Sacramento (SAC), Davis (DAV), Emeryville (EMY), and San Jose Diridon (SJC).

All Capitol Corridor trains welcome passengers with special needs. Our trains and stations are wheelchair-accessible and allow service animals. The train can accommodate standard wheelchairs, either manual or battery-powered, that do not exceed 30” wide and 48” long. The combined weight of the passenger and the wheelchair cannot exceed 600 lbs. Wheelchair accessible bathrooms are located on the bottom floors of each car.

Service animals are animals that have been trained to perform a specific task for the benefit of a person with a disability. Animals that are for emotional support, security, or comfort are not considered service animals, and you cannot bring them on board. You must have control over your service animal at all times. If your animal causes disruption or harm to other passengers, the conductor may ask you to remove the animal from the train. Read more about accessibility on Capitol Corridor.

Cats and dogs under 20lbs are allowed on all Capitol Corridor trains. Booking needs to happen in advance and only one pet reservation is allowed per customer. Pets cannot be booked with multi-ride tickets, bus connections or with unaccompanied minors. Learn more about our Carry-on Pets policy.

The lost and found is located at the Sacramento Station. Please call 916-444-7907 and leave a message or email [email protected] with a detailed description of the item you lost, along with the date of travel and the train number you were riding or the station you visited.

The Capitol Corridor’s operating partner, Amtrak, has implemented a new and improved way for customers to report and track items lost or misplaced on the train or at the station. The new system uses a cloud-based software program called Chargerback to reunite people with their lost items.

What to Do When You Lose Something

If you lose or misplace an item, simply visit the Lost & Found page of the Amtrak website. This will link you to a form for reporting your lost item. On the form, you will need to provide a description of the lost item, plus details about where and when the item was lost, how you can be contacted, and where the lost item should be shipped (if you would like to have it shipped back to you).

Automatic Notification

Once you submit the lost item report online, you will receive a confirmation email or text with an ID tracking number for your lost item. Based on the report, Amtrak staff will look for your item, and you will receive regular updates on the status of the search. A representative from Amtrak will contact you if they believe the item has been found or if more information is needed. If your item is not located within 30 days from the time it was reported, it’s not likely that it was turned in.

Getting your Item Back

If/when your item is found, you have two ways to retrieve it:

Amtrak can ship the item to you, and you will be responsible for paying the shipping fee. (Please note that it is prohibited to ship certain items, such as cigarettes, alcohol, and other potentially hazardous items. See full list here.) You can pick up the item at the station where it was found or returned at no cost.

Other Ways to Report Lost Items

Lost items may also be reported to an Amtrak representative at your arrival station (if staffed), or by calling Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Please let me know when this is added and I can let Priscilla know.

Although the Capitol Corridor would like to provide longer train sets for the early morning and evening trains we are working with very limited equipment. Because we share equipment with the Amtrak San Joaquins route it is nearly impossible to coordinate equipment rescheduling with what we currently own.

In order to keep up with rising passenger needs we cannot give up a passenger car for another bike car. To add on more bike cars would require a huge purchase investment and could take years for the cars to be available as there is only one U.S. manufacturer of these types of train cars. To create more bike storage we have upgraded our on board bike racks and expanded secure at station bike storage options. We continue to encourage bicyclists to bring their bikes on board only when absolutely necessary.

Taking the train is good for you and for the environment. By taking the train, you are reducing the number of car trips you take, which in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions. You can calculate your reduced carbon footprint on our Green Travel page. Aside from the environmental benefit, taking the train reduces your stress caused by traffic, keeping you happier and healthier. Travel time in a car is wasted time; but in a train, you can catch up on work or leisurely activities, or simply enjoy the view!