Fall 2004 Vol 1 No 1 A Sweet Deal for Capitol Corridor Riders Maybe you ve noticed our bright blue car covered with gigantic scoops of ice cream on trains this summer. We just couldn t resist announcing one sweet deal for our passengers Kids Ride Free on Weekends! This fall is the perfect time to get away for some great family fun. Take the train to a football game and spend an afternoon cheering on the California Golden Bears. Or, get your thrills on the roller coasters at Six Flags Marine World and Great America. Go play at ZEUM, or Children s Discovery Museum, two great interactive museums designed for kids. When you take the train you ll get there relaxed, stress free, and well fed. Each Capitol Corridor train has a Café Car for snacks and beverages. And since Kids Ride Free on Weekends, you ll get there with more money in your pockets too. For more information about Kids Ride Free on Weekends or other great destinations, visit www.capitolcorridor.org. Some restrictions may apply. From left to right, CCJPA s Eugene Skoropowski, David Kutrosky, Priscilla Kalugdan, and Mari Hirabayashi Take the Train to the Game Hey CAL fans, do you hate game day traffic more than you hate Stanford? Then take the train to CAL football games this year! Coach Tedford and the Golden Bears are poised to once again make it to the postseason after last season s Insight Bowl victory against Virginia Tech. Enjoy great college football, awesome views of the Bay Area, and the spirit and tradition of Memorial Stadium. Home games include New Mexico State, UCLA, Arizona State University, Oregon, and Stanford. Getting to the stadium from Capitol Corridor is easy. Take Capitol Corridor to the Richmond station and transfer to BART by walking, or taking the elevator, downstairs. You can purchase discounted BART tickets aboard Capitol Corridor trains in the Café Car. BART will drop you off at the Downtown Berkeley station. The stadium is an easy 10-minute walk through campus, or you can catch the Bear Express, a free shuttle to the stadium. Stay tuned for updates on Capitol Corridor Day at CAL on our website. For more information, visit the Capitol Corridor website www.capitolcorridor.org or check out www.calbears.com. Santa Cruz Metro A New Way to get to the Beach Thanks to the new Santa Cruz Metro Highway 17 Express Bus Service, getting between San Jose and Santa Cruz is much more convenient. The transfer of San Jose-Santa Cruz Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service to Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District s Highway 17 Express bus service provides expanded service levels, increased connections to the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin train lines, and lowers bus fares for Capitol Corridor passengers. continued on page 5 In This Issue Wi-Fi Expansion page 4 Getaway to Monterey page 3 School Group Discounts page 5
Upcoming Events OCTOBER Spookomotive, Sacramento Halloween-themed Spookomotive trains run October 16 31. Join the skeleton crew for a fun 40-minute, 6-mile roundtrip ride along the Sacramento River. Contact the California State Railroad Museum for more information at (916) 445-6645 or online at www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the Sacramento Station. The station is just a block from Old Town Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum. Follow the signs from the platform to Old Sacramento. Sacramento Art & Wine Festival Right in the heart of Sacramento on Capitol Mall, the Sacramento Art & Wine Festival features the work of 200 Northern California artisians as well as a wine garden, kids activities, and live music. The festival takes place the weekend of October 9 10 and is free to the public. For times and more information, visit www.sacfestival.com How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the Sacramento station. Capitol Mall is a short walk from the train station. Arboretum Plant Faire, Davis The UC Davis Arboretum is a public garden with over 4,000 kinds of trees and plants, as well as a living museum. At the Plant Faire on Saturday, October 2, a variety of beautiful plants will be available for sale from 10:00 am 4:00pm. For more information, visit www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to Davis. Take the A line on Unitrans to Shields Library. The Arboretum is just a few blocks walk from the library. Take Unitrans for free with Capitol Corridor s Transit Transfer program. Just ask the train conductor for a 2-part Transit Transfer, which will get you on the bus for free, both ways. NOVEMBER The Great Wine Escape Weekend, Monterey The Monterey County Vintners Association shows off its members wines during this full weekend, November 11-14. Events include a wine-pairing seminar and luncheon, winemaker dinners, tastings, open houses, and Monterey wine country tours. Visit the website for a detailed schedule www.montereywines.org How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the San Jose Station and transfer to a Metro Highway 17 Express bus.. Capitol Corridor Day at CAL Football Come cheer on the California Golden Bears as they battle Division rival Oregon on November 6 at Memorial stadium in Berkeley. Capitol Corridor riders will be able to buy reserved tickets for the game. For more information on taking Capitol Corridor to Cal Football games, visit www.capitolcorridor.org How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the Richmond Station and then transfer to BART by walking, or taking the elevator, downstairs. Buy discounted BART tickets aboard Capitol Corridor trains in the Café Car. BART will drop you off at the Downtown Berkeley station. The stadium is an easy 10-minute walk through the beautiful Cal campus, or you can catch the Bear Express, a free shuttle to the stadium from the BART station Holiday Tree Lighting, Oakland On Friday, November 26 join the official lighting of the Jack London Square holiday tree. From noon to 8pm there will be live entertainment, an arts & crafts fair, and family fun. For more information, visit www.jacklondonsquare.com/eventsframe.html How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the Oakland Station. Jack London Square is just two blocks away. DECEMBER Lighted Yacht Parade, Oakland The Encinal Yacht Club with the support of the Oakland Yacht Club will be sponsoring the Lighted Yacht Parade on Saturday, December 11th. Starting at 5pm decorated yachts parade down the estuary. Jack London Square has one of the best views for watching this great show. For more information, visit: www.jacklondonsquare.com/eventsframe How to get there: Take Capitol Corridor to the Oakland Station. Jack London Square is just two blocks away. Open House, Tree Lighting, Children s Parade, Davis Enjoy some holiday cheer in Downtown Davis December 2 from 6:00pm 8:30pm. Listen to local musical groups, take a free carriage ride, and meet Santa Claus at this annual free event. For more information, visit www.davisdowntown.com or call (530) 756-8763. How to get there: Take the train to Davis. From the station, walk along G street and throughout downtown Davis to partake in the festivities. Did You Know? You can get real time updates on the website at www.capitolcorridor.org? $10 BART tickets are available for sale on board in the Café Car for only $8? Amtrak has a Guest Rewards program where you could be earning points toward travel and entertainment deals every time you ride the train? Our CC Rail Mail newsletter can be delivered to your e-mail inbox to keep you abreast of all upcoming news and events? Visit our website to join. Free Transit Transfers are available for easy transfer to local connecting services? Just ask your conductor. Other great travel tips and more information about taking Capitol Corridor is available on the website, www.capitolcorridor.org
Getaway this weekend to Monterey The magnificent Monterey Peninsula has been called the greatest meeting of land, sea, and sky and serves as an ideal vacation or business destination. This beautiful seaside community offers the charm of small town America, but provides a wealth of activities to keep you entertained. With historic Fisherman s Wharf and Cannery Row, seventeen world-class golf courses, the world s best aquarium, a unique variety of shops and galleries and a spectacular assortment of parks and natural areas there s something for everyone to enjoy. Monterey is a relaxing place for your next getaway, and you won t even have to stray too far from home! It s easy to get to Monterey. Take Capitol Corridor to the San Jose station. From there you can transfer to Metro HIghway 17 Express Service to one of the Monterey locations, or to Salinas. Get to the Bay Area on BART The Richmond Intermodal Station makes traveling around the Bay Area a snap! True to our tagline Travel made Simple, Capitol Corridor is proud to announce that with so many transit connections, traveling throughout the Bay Area has never been easier. The Amtrak platform at the Richmond Intermodal Station connects directly to the BART concourse for a hassle free connection. Simply take the Capitol Corridor train to the Richmond station, disembark on the platform and use the stairs or the elevator to descend into the BART station. It is that easy! Gene Skoropowski, Managing Director of the Capitol Corridor, states, The Richmond Station is quickly becoming one of our busiest stations, because it is so easy to transfer from a Capitol Corridor train to a BART train. Travelers have never had such a convenient way to get to San Francisco before. Plus, as a travel bonus, you can buy your BART ticket on board any Café Car at a discounted price. A $10 ticket costs only $8! Remember taking the Capitol Corridor and BART is the easiest way to get to SFO or the Oakland airport as well! For more information visit www.bart.gov or the Capitol Corridor website. Some great activities you can enjoy in Monterey include: Bike Rentals Outlet Shopping Wax Museum Old Time Portraits Hot-Air Balloon rides Glass-bottom boat rides Whale Watching tours Monterey Art Museum Monterey County Youth Museum Wine tasting Vision Quest Ranch Safari Bed and Breakfast Some of our favorite places are: Cannery Row www.canneryrow.com Specialty shops, great restaurants, nightclubs and beautiful hotels. During summer months look for signs directing you to take the free WAVE visitor shuttle connecting Cannery Row and downtown Monterey. Fisherman s Wharf www.montereywharf.com Come here to dine on incredible seafood or go on a whale-watching tour. (At the end of Alvarado Street) Monterey, CA 93940 Sea Life Tours www.baywatchcruises.com Tour the bay in a glass-bottomed boat. 90 Old Fisherman s Wharf Monterey, CA 93940 800-200-2203 Monterey Bay Aquarium www.mbayaq.org See sharks, dolphins and all sorts of marine life at the Aquarium! Open 9:30 am 6:00 pm daily 886 Cannery Row Monterey, California 93940 831-648-4888 Vision Quest Ranch www.wildthingsinc.com Bed and Breakfast safari style! Listen to the lions and tigers roaring only yards from your African tent style bungalow. Wake to a continental breakfast delivered to your tent (often by animal friends). 400 River Road Salinas, CA 93908 800-228-7382
Go Wireless! Expanded Wi-Fi Service Coming Soon We know you ve been waiting to get online while aboard Capitol Corridor trains, and soon you ll be among the first rail passengers in the nation to try wireless internet (Wi-Fi) service on board passenger trains. PointShot has been partnering with Capitol Corridor since October of 2003 and has been able to extend their initial three month trial for quite some time. Several new wireless internet providers have approached Capitol Corridor to expand the trial program so that cars in all 7 trainsets are expected to be Wi-Fi enabled. This ongoing pilot program offers Internet access to Capitol Corridor passengers allowing them first-time high-quality access to e-mail, the Internet, corporate intranets, instant messaging, and digital entertainment while in transit. In the next ten years, we think that wireless connectivity in most locations, including trains, will be standard. But right now, the technology and business models involved in bringing wireless internet aboard a moving train are so new that internet providers still have much to learn about the process. For this reason we have volunteered the Capitol Corridor to be a testing ground for everything about mobile Wi-Fi service. We even have a representative from Central Japan Railways visiting to observe the process! As a consequence, we are all testing this together. Please be prepared for small inconsistencies, bumps, and hiccups, as we go through the process. In about six months the trial will end and a permanent Wi-Fi solution will be announced. We welcome your feedback during this trial run and you can let us know what you think of the various Wi-Fi providers by signing the Wi-Fi guestbook on our website. Visit www.capitolcorridor.org for more information about Wi-Fi on Capitol Corridor. Frequently Asked Questions How do I use Wi-Fi? SP T CAPITOL CORRIDOR All you need is a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computer, or PDA, to access the broadband wireless service. Wi-fi cards are fairly inexpensive and are available at most office and computer supply stores, as well as online. Some providers will have tech support representatives on board for assistance, or you may visit their company websites to get details on how to begin. How much does it cost to use? Fees will vary by provider, so be sure to check our website for information on usage fees. You may also check on board signage and fliers about the Wi-Fi services. Why do you have so many Wi-Fi providers? This is a pilot program, and we are testing the services of several providers so that we may offer the best possible Wi-Fi service. Before the end of the testing period, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, Amtrak, and the California Department of Transportation will select a Wi-Fi provider to install and operate the service on the entire State-funded Intercity train service by Spring of 2005. Which trains will have Wi-Fi? HOT Visit www.capitolcorridor.org for up-to-date schedule information about Wi-Fi availability. The schedule will show which train numbers offer Wi- Fi service for the next several days. Schedules do change due to mechanical and equipment issues, so be sure to check often. Martinez Amtrak Station Honored Martinez Intermodal Rail Station has received a prestigious Merit Award winner in the Intermodal Transportation Facilities category as part of the Federal Highway Administration Excellence in Highway Design competition. The Martinez Station project was cited by FHWA for increasing transit access and parking for intercity rail passengers and preparing for potential commuter and light rail connections. Amtrak Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin and national long distance trains serve the Martinez station daily.
Introducing the Next Generation to Train Travel: Train Treks Looking for a fun and inexpensive school or youth group field trip? Use Capitol Corridor s Train Treks program - it s a great way to introduce children and students to modern rail service. The Capitol Corridor provides convenient, frequent daily round trips to many fun Northern California destinations. Kids (kindergarten though high school), teachers, and youth groups can ride anywhere along the Capitol Corridor route for as low as $5 per person, round trip. The Capitol Corridor route is broken into 3 segments or zones. Travel within each zone costs $5 roundtrip per person (adult or youth). Round trip from one zone to the next costs $10. Round-trip travel through all three zones costs $15. Train Treks groups are welcome on many of our trains! To make your Train Treks reservation, visit Capitol Corridor s website to download the fax reservation forms and to find schedule information. Some restrictions do apply. Sample Fares Oakland to Sacramento (Within Zone 2) Roseville to Emeryville/San Francisco Pier 39 (Zone 1 to Zone 2) $5 per person round trip $10 per person round trip Ticket Tips: How to Save Time & $$$ $ Time & Money wouldn t you like to save a little of both? Now Capitol Corridor can help! Here are a few of our favorite tips for helping you save time and money on tickets. A Ten-Ride/45-day Ticket is a great way to save money it offers 10 discounted one-way trips, valid for 45 days. An Unlimited Monthly ticket is another money saver valid during the calendar month for which it is issued, you get unlimited rides between stations named on the ticket (or intermediate stations between the two locations). All multi-ride tickets are available at staffed Amtrak stations, QUIK-TRAK ticket vending machines or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL to order tickets. QUIK-TRAK machines in most stations and online booking at www.amtrak.com from home or work makes your train trip easier and helps save time in the station. You can also save money on tickets if you are a Student Advantage Member, AAA member, senior, military veteran or on furlough, or are traveling with children. Santa Cruz, continued from cover You can purchase an all-inclusive Amtrak rail-bus ticket for connections between the Capitol Corridor or San Joaquin services and the Metro Highway 17 Express bus service. Or, pay the bus fare directly by putting cash into the bus fare box or purchasing Santa Cruz Metro passes. For more information about Santa Cruz Metro, visit www.scmtd.com For more information on these tips visit www.capitolcorridor.org or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.
Looking Ahead Emeryville Station Platform and Track Upgrades We are working with Amtrak, the city of Emeryville, and the Union Pacific Railroad to improve the tracks and platforms serving the Emeryville station. The plans are complete, but the funding for construction of this entire project has been delayed. Capitol Corridor was able to secure funds to construct the first phase of improvements, which should be complete by Spring 2005. The goals of this project include improving the passenger traffic at this station, and reconfigured tracks to improve on-time performance. Oakland Maintenance Facility The State of California and Amtrak are jointly funding the construction of a major new maintenance facility in Oakland, to replace the inadequate and antiquated facilities currently in use. This project will provide modern facilities for daily servicing, repair, and overhaul of the Capitol Corridor train equipment as well as other passenger rail equipment used in this area. You can expect cleaner trains and better on-time performance as a result. Also, locomotives will be maintained in Oakland, not shipped to Los Angeles as they have been. Construction on this facility began in early Spring 2003, with completion slated for November 2004. An opening ceremony is tentatively scheduled for sometime in October 2004. Stay tuned. Oakland/San Jose Track Capitol Corridor is working with Union Pacific Railroad, Altamont Commuter Express and Caltrain to implement a major program of track improvements between Oakland and San Jose. Construction has begun and will continue through 2004. More trains, improved on-time reliability, and reduced travel times will result from this work. However, the primary purpose of this project is to allow for an increase in Capitol Corridor train service to San Jose. At initial build-out, this project will allow for up to 14 Capitol Corridor trains per day to operate between Oakland and San Jose. This project also paves the way for a new Intercity Train Station at Oakland Coliseum. This will be the the second Capitol Corridor station to have a direct intermodal connection with BART and will also serve the Oakland International Airport (via existing AirBART shuttle buses and future BART Oakland Airport Connector), as well as sporting/entertainment events at the Oakland Coliseum complex. The new Oakland Coliseum Intercity Train Station is expected to open in the Spring of 2005. Sacramento to Roseville Track Improvement Project In order to extend more Capitol Corridor trains to serve Roseville, Rocklin and Auburn, the CCJPA is working with Union Pacific Railroad to improve the rail corridor between Sacramento and Auburn. These improvements will result in increased track capacity to accommodate more Capitol Corridor trains as well as reduce travel times and improve on-time reliability in this segment. This project will be implemented as soon as construction funds are available. Take Capitol Corridor to Paris, France Capitol Corridor passenger Lee Ferrier discovered Capitol Corridor could take him and his wife all the way to Paris, France! Lee signed up 2for the Amtrak Rapid Rewards program almost four years ago, and has been accumulating his miles ever since. Using the 80,000 miles he acquired by daily trips on the Capitol Corridor, he was able to trade in those miles for two tickets on Alaska Airlines and take his first trip to Paris. Lee and his wife spent three weeks in France soaking up the picturesque sites. For part of their trip, they traveled by train to Spain and visited Bilbao and Barcelona. Returning to Paris the Louvre and Picasso museums were among some of the sites they toured. You can still find Lee on the train every week, using the 45 day ten-ride ticket he purchases to accumulate more miles towards his next vacation. To sign up for Amtrak Rapid Rewards and make the miles you travel on the Capitol Corridor count towards car rentals, hotels, and airline miles as well as various retail stores such as Macy s or Barnes & Noble, please visit www.amtrakguestrewards.com. Who knows? After riding Capitol Corridor you just may find yourself in France! The Capitol Corridor Connection is the pasenger publication of The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) 101 Eighth Street - MET 2, Oakland, CA 94604 e-mail: info@amtrakcapitols.com Website: www.capitolcorridor.org Thomas E. Margro Executive Director, CCJPA Eugene Skoropowski CCJPA Managing Director Graphic Design by Flint Graphics Material may be reproduced if appropriate credit is given