Capitol Corridor – Oakland Coliseum

I took the Capitol Corridor from Sacramento to Fremont. It was very easy and convenient. The train was clean and in good shape and even provided electrical outlets and free WiFi. The views range from gorgeous to a little creepy, but overall it was very cool to see the Bay Area by train.
I wish I could have made it up to the dining car to get a drink, but I was traveling with luggage and they don’t allow luggage in the area. About an hour and a half into the ride it was time for a bathroom break, but again I didn’t really want to haul my luggage down the stairs and back up with me just to use the restroom. There didn’t seem to be lockers or anything where you could secure luggage and I didn’t want to leave my bag unattended, but I asked a nice lady sitting next to me to watch my bag for me and she happily obliged.
The whole time I was in the bathroom I was imagining someone swooping in and stealing my bag (I promise I am not a paranoid person). Thankfully, it was still there when I returned :)
I also learned that you can use your ticket on any day. I had a momentary panic attack when I realized I had pre-​purchased my ticket for the wrong day. They reassured me that tickets were redeemable at any time.

It seems that most of my recent reviews are about how I feel instead of what I do. Strange. I figure that I should write a review about something that I do, right?!
One of the things that I do often is travel by rail. I take the Coast Starlight to see my parents in San Luis Obispo, the San Joaquins to remind me why I live in the Bay Area, and the Capitol Corridor when I have the opportunity to work with my father in Sacramento or the inclination to fail miserably at igniting a romantic tryst in Davis (which has happened more than I’d care to admit).
The Capitol Corridor is a decent train, for sure. Its fast, efficient, and takes me where I need to go with a minimum of effort. Trains run every hour (which is a little on the low side to make it a truly effective transportation option), and the ride comfort isn’t up to the rest of Amtrak’s routes (Caltrans really fucked up the rolling stock on the Capitol Corridor… but thats a different story for a different time), unless they’re using surplus Superliner equipment. The train gets packed during commute hours, which is understandable, considering its the second most used line in the United States.
Unfortunately, the cost can be prohibitively high (and it rises every year), but its a price I’m willing to pay for be able to drink a cold beer from the café car (or smuggled aboard in my backpack *shh…don’t tell anyone*) and get some work done on their free wi-​fi. The nice views of the Carquinez Strait, the Ghost Fleet and Mount Diablo don’t hurt either.
3.5 Stars rounded up BECAUSE TRAINS ARE COOL, GUYZ (I’m a six year old boy at heart): A decent train which could certainly be better executed.
Tip: If one is going to Sacramento from San Francisco, it is possible to take a San Joaquins to Martinez and transfer to the Capitol Corridor. This tip will save you (drumroll please!)…two dollars.
DO: Get a transit pass from the conductor.
Keep in mind: Trains can be delayed because of freight interference, passenger boarding issues, or «accidents of person» (as the French like to say). There is literally nothing you can do about that, stop complaining on Unilocal.
Note: Make sure you catch sight of the ghost town near Santa Clara. Its on the right side heading south.
Note: This is the only train that stops at the miserable underpass known as the Berkeley Train Station. Relish that fact.

Capitol Corridor may be good for those who commute frequently between Sacramento and the East Bay. But for occasional users, 3 – 6 times per year, the price is ridiculous.
We live in Sacramento. Occasionally we like to take the ferry from Jack London Square to San Francisco for a day in the city or a game at the Phone. I can drive to Jack London Square, park, and drive back to Sacramento for under $ 20, and not worry about missing a train.
Two round-​trip tickets for the Capitol Corridor train at regular price from Sacramento to Jack London Square costs $ 116. That’s six times what it costs to drive. That’s absurd.

Overall, a very time-​efficient and picturesque way to travel. Between the view and the accommodations my trips to the Bay Area are thoroughly enjoyable. Keep it going on, Amtrak CA.

From the onboard accommodations (big seats, café car, power at every seat, tables, and free wifi) to the courtesy of staff the Capitol corridor beats all other Bay Area transit as well as many airline experiences. The main things that can be improved are speed and frequency.

Why anyone drives between The Bay Area and Sacramento baffles me. CC is the ONLY way to go! If only we could have 3 or 4 trains a day between Auburn too — would be perfect!

Love the capital corridor. Always a good experience.

I love love love Capital Corridor! I commute to Emeryville from South Bay, so I’m a frequent rider. There’s always plenty of room on the train, so you don’t have to worry about finding a seat. The interior and seats are clean, and the conductors are very courteous. It’s so nice to sit back, relax, and not deal with the stress of driving in bay area traffic. Plus, there’s free wi-​fi and electrical outlets, so if you want to work or browse the internet, you can.
I only wish there were more trains running! With only two trains that leave San Jose in the morning, I have to wake up super early to catch the first train. That’s the only reason why I don’t take the train half the time — I’d rather get an extra 1.5 hours of sleep: P.

What would be even nicer about this route is if there was 0330 or 0400 train. Really, sometimes you just need to be there earlier and it doesn’t benefit me if I’m arriving at the same time as if I had driven. Conversely, sometimes you just need to leave a little bit later but can’t because the last train leaves earlier than you need. If there was a 2200 or 2300 train, I think I would almost abandon my car.
Besides the normal route times, It definitely beats driving some days. Especially on Fridays from SFBay Area back to Sacramento where the progressive loss of lanes from Fairfield to Dixon squeezes traffic down to a painful stop and go. I’ve seen molasses move faster on a cold day!!! I’m not even going to comment on trying to get through Davis (UGH!) to Sacramento.
Either way, it’s a lifesaver on some days, I just wish there were earlier/​later trains in both directions.

I am currently commuting on a Monthly ticket between Martinez and Sacramento. For the price of a monthly ticket this service is a great value. I have had no problem finding free station parking for the 06:17 departure from Martinez. There’s always been plenty of seats. WIFI is good and there is power at all seats. We usually arrive @SAC near to on-​schedule. It beats driving by a mile.
One thing they ought to get straight is the PA announcements when arriving at the intermediate stops. The PA doesn’t always work in all the cars and in any event the messages are too often delivered in a sort of disinterested mumble. The interior electronic signboards for some reason do not announce the stops and you cannot really see out to the station signage in the dark, even if you are at a window. They perhaps ought to go with a European-​style system of recorded messages.
The snack bar is decent for the money, unless it’s downstairs in one of those «Superliners». I made one trip down narrow stairs and the experience can only be described as a shocker.

Capitol Corridor is a fantastic example of conventional-​speed intercity rail and how it can work for California. The ride is scenic and smooth, allowing the passengers to relax and think about other things besides the numbskulls driving impatiently on I-​80. The website says that there is wi-​fi on board, but I have not used it yet. On a journey between Richmond and Sacramento, the speed averages about 47 mph, which isn’t bad considering the ever-​present congestion and risk of a collision snarl on I-​80 during most of the day. I have heard that freight congestion can delay the trains, but I have only experienced that about 1 in 6 trips. It should also be noted that there are station connections with BART at Coliseum/​Airport and Richmond, the latter especially making access very easy for more people than otherwise. Service would be even better if the investment were made for high speed rail express tracks between Sacramento and Richmond, which may happen within the next 50 years. I highly recommend you consider using Capitol Corridor at some point when traveling between its destinations, especially during the headache peak commute times.

I’m a fan of train travel and have used a Eurail pass to tool around Europe, so when I got the opportunity to take the train I jumped to it. I caught the Capitol Corridor from Sacramento to Richmond. The seats were large and comfortable (you could recline by quite a bit) and the snack car was a nice plus. Sipping a glass of wine while the Solano Marshes whisk past is much more preferable than sitting in traffic on Interstate 80.

I have set up four field trips taking students down to SJ from JLS to visit the tech museum and other locations in SJ. Setting up the field trips had been easy contacting Capital Corridor and getting discount tickets for my five students. This time was not so easy and extremely frustrating. I had been contacting the man who does the group travel since Feb 28^th for a field trip on Mar 22. My students have learning differences and I wanted to make sure that we could have a space where our noise would not bother others and make it an easier day by planning ahead and having the tickets already purchased.
As I finally got in contact with the person, he was very unhelpful and told me I need to send in a request 3 weeks in advance for discounted tickets. I have never been told this before and he kept suggesting I contacted Amtrak instead of Capital Corridor for tickets in mistake. This now makes for a stressful field trip, trying to get seats together, purchasing tickets at full price and having someone unwilling to help out a school group take a trip to further their learning about government.

Five stars for fast, convenient, cheap, comfortable, clean transit with WIFI– what more can you ask for? Extra bonus points for Jon the conductor who was more concerned with the name of my service pooch than if ZOMG, is that a DOG ON MY TRAIN?!? GTFO!!!

Easy commuting Sacramento to Emeryville. Comfortable and clean cars, café car with all the goodies you need for 1.5 hour trips. Take earplugs if you want quiet — I do use them occasionally. Beautiful scenic ride through the Suisun Marsh, Carquinez Strait, Richmond Bay, San Francisco Bay. $ 24 one way with no discount. Buy multiple trip tickets and get cheaper rides. Great staff — thanks for your work!

The bad: Sometimes public transportation gets delayed. It happens, and it sucks, but it’s not unique to Capitol Corridor, so I can hardly blame them, but it is irksome. It’s also a problem that it costs considerably more to take the train than to drive. I commute from the bay to Davis, and $ 22 each way is pretty steep (a ten ride cuts that in half, roughly, and if I were going every day, a monthly pass would cut it more, but spending $ 350 on my commute each month still seems expensive).
The good: You can always find a seat, and often a table to get work done at. Staff has always been helpful and friendly. And – this is the point that probably outweighs the rest of them – dining cart means you can have a beer on your way home from work. Try to do that stuck in traffic on 80 watching the HOV lane inch by. I didn’t think so.

trains are awesome! i don’t know what you have in your glove compartment, but i bet it’s not a whole café car! i don’t know why anyone would drive when they can take the capitol corridor. the trains are generally on time (the only time i’ve ever missed it is when i was late), the conductors are super nice, and they have super delicious cheap treats in the café car.
the very best is when there is a superliner in the morning, a dark luxury car where the seats are basically like recliners.
you can sleep, you can work, you can look at pretty scenery. and if you get a pass, it’s not that expensive.

The train we were on is new and comfortable. The conductor is nice and the Bar Car guy is efficient and nice. We are not driving, so we can enjoy the view slip by. What more do you need?

I’ve been a frequent Capitol Corridor rider since my Davis days. Back then, there were delays probably 90 percent of the time when I rode the train from Emeryville to Davis. Not so much now, and that’s why I give it 4 stars.
I love the spacious seating and its cleanliness. They even have curtains now for those days when you want to just nap and not have the sun blind you! Not every mile is scenic (especially the portion between Martinez and Richmond where it can be dumpy), but the view of the bay can make your ride quite relaxing.
I’m glad this train is available approximately every 1.5 hours during the day. I’m not a big fan of the price, but it’s worth the sanity from driving when you can just sit back, read a book, take a nap or do whatever you so choose (even drink!) for a few hours.

Love the Capitol Corridor. It has very good on-​time ratings and has turned my commute time between Berkeley and the Capitol into nap time. Nap time is good. Therefore, Capitol Corridor is good too.