Bakersfield, CA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 TwoSan Joaquins trains at Bakersfield station in December 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 601 Truxtun Avenue Bakersfield, California United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°22′20″N119°0′35″W / 35.37222°N 119.00972°W /35.37222; -119.00972 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Bakersfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | BNSFMojave Subdivision[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1side platform, 1island platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus stands | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bus operators | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Rack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak:BFD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | July 4, 2000 (2000-07-04) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FY 2024 | 389,746[2] (Amtrak) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bakersfield station is anintermodal facility inBakersfield, California. It is the southern terminus ofAmtrak California'sGold Runner route, withAmtrak Thruway buses continuing to Amtrak stations and bus stops throughout Southern California and Nevada. The station opened with a celebration on July 4, 2000. It contains an 8,300-square-foot (770 m2) train station with two platforms and three tracks, as well as a 17-bay bus station.
The original operator for train service on this line was theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. Their station was located at the intersection of 15th Street and F Street (about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) west). It was constructed in 1899 and demolished in 1972. Named Santa Fe passenger trains served at the station included theSan Francisco Chief, andGolden Gate. Starting in 1974,Amtrak operated out of a temporary station at that site, until this station was constructed. Since 1971, direct service south to Los Angeles has not been permitted due to a ban on passenger trains through theTehachapi Loop.
Construction of theSan Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad reachedBakersfield in 1898, and was completed in 1899. However, they would not construct a train station in the city, because once completed, the railroad was purchased byAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. It would also obtain trackage rights overTehachapi Pass from theSouthern Pacific Railroad. They constructed the Bakersfield Santa Fe Station in 1899, at the intersection of F Street and 15th Street.[3]
The station occupied two blocks of land, between D Street and F Street. AHarvey House was located on the east side of the station. In 1901, theBakersfield and Kern Electric Railway was relocated to serve the station.[4] It provided a direct connection between the Bakersfield Santa Fe Station and theBakersfield Southern Pacific Station (about 2.5 miles east inEast Bakersfield). In 1938, Santa Fe began operating intermodal rail service on the San Joaquin Valley line. Trains would travel betweenOakland and Bakersfield on the railroad line. At Bakersfield passengers would transfer to one of several bus routes, which departed for destinations inSouthern California. As a result, bus bays were constructed at the station.[3]
Service continued until 1971, whenAmtrak was formed. Since a rail route along the coast and in theSan Joaquin Valley was considered redundant, the San Joaquin Valley route was dropped. In 1972, the train station was demolished by Santa Fe and replaced with freight offices and a parking lot.[5]
However, train service restarted only two years later, in 1974. It was decided to use the intermodal route previously used by Santa Fe, instead of the Tehachapi route used by Southern Pacific. This would pose a problem for Bakersfield. The city would serve as the transfer point between rail and bus, but did not have any facilities for it.[6]
A temporary structure was erected at the new parking lot (part of the previous site occupied by the station) east of the freight offices, to serve as the station. Buses would park wherever space was available. The station was served by only one track. As ridership increased, the station became ineffective at containing all of the passengers. Also, adding more bus routes forced them to park in an adjacent alley. In 1985, the temporary structure was doubled in size in an attempt to keep up with demand.[6]
In the late 1990s, plans were started for the construction of a new, permanent train station. Land at the intersection of Truxtun Avenue and S Street was selected for the site. It would cost $5.1 million, funded by the State of California with Bakersfield as the lead agency. The station would officially open on July 4, 2000, with a demonstration train breaking through a ceremonial barrier. In attendance were the mayor, state senatorJim Costa, and Amtrak officials. Country music starBuck Owens (who lived in Bakersfield) performed at the event.[3]
The Bakersfield station of theCalifornia High-Speed Rail system was originally to be co-located with the existing station. However, an alternate alignment witha new station further north was adopted in 2014.
Greyhound Lines moved into Bakersfield station in late 2021, after moving out of its 60-year-old bus depot in downtown Bakersfield. Greyhound said that the facility was too large for their needs, and the property had been sold in July 2020. Greyhound added two new bus bays west of the Amtrak Thruway bus bays, a covered outdoor waiting area with storage, and a ticket office inside the city-owned station building.[7]
Gold Runner trains are expected to cease services here onceCalifornia High-Speed Rail operations begin.[8]
Bakersfield's Amtrak station is a staffed station with an enclosed waiting room. Inside, there is both a staffed ticket window and Amtrak's self-service Quik-Trak ticket kiosk, as well as a Greyhound booth. There is seating, a payphone, restrooms, and vending machines. The station also offers checked baggage andAmtrak Express package service.Taxi stands are located to the west and a passenger pick-up and drop-off zone is located directly north of the station building. A free, unattended parking lot is available for passengers.[9]
The station has two tracks and two platforms (oneside platform, and oneisland platform) accessible by passengers. Each platform can hold a six-car train. A third track provides for overnight storage and is not used by passengers. There is also a 15 bay bus station located north of the tracks. The bus bays and one platform are sheltered.[10]
Of the California stations served by Amtrak, Bakersfield was the fifth busiest in Fiscal Year 2018 (behind onlyLos Angeles Union Station,Sacramento Valley,San Diego andEmeryville), boarding or detraining a total of 442,023 passengers.[11] It is also the 25th busiest Amtrak station nationwide, and one of the busiest serving a metro area with fewer than 2 million people.[12]
Bakersfield is the transfer point betweenGold Runner trains and Amtrak Thruway buses connecting to Southern California destinations. The buses are necessary in part because passenger trains are normally not allowed on theTehachapi Loop, the only direct rail link between the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.[13]
| Bay | Route | Terminal A | Stops | Terminal B | Connecting Trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Bakersfield | non-stop service for train connections | Los Angeles | 702, 703, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 719 |
| 4 | 1 | Glendale | |||
| 6 | 1C | Santa Clarita, Hollywood Burbank Airport,Van Nuys, Westwood/UCLA | Santa Monica | 710, 711, 713, 714, 715, 718 | |
| 8 | 19 | La Crescenta, Pasadena,Claremont,Ontario,Riverside | San Bernardino | 713, 716 | |
| 10 | 10 | Fillmore, Santa Paula,Oxnard,Ventura,Carpinteria | Santa Barbara | 712, 719 | |
| 14 | 10 | Tehachapi, Mojave,Barstow | Las Vegas | 712, 719 | |
| Late Night/Early Morning Service | |||||
| 1 | 1 | Bakersfield | Santa Clarita, Hollywood Burbank Airport, Glendale, Los Angeles,Fullerton,Anaheim,Santa Ana,Irvine,San Juan Capistrano,Oceanside,Solana Beach | San Diego | 711, 718 |
| Fresno | Hanford, Bakersfield, Santa Clarita (northbound) | Los Angeles | none | ||
Greyhound Lines service moved here in 2022 after its longtime station on 18th Street closed. They operate out of two bus bays west of the Amtrak Thruway bus bays. Greyhound also has a covered outdoor waiting area and a ticket office inside the station building.[7]
Kern Transit is the regional transit provider forKern County. The station is one of two major hubs used within Bakersfield (the other is the Downtown Transit Center primarily used byGolden Empire Transit). Currently five bus routes connect with half of the train routes. They travel to various locations throughout the county, including: Desert Communities, East San Joaquin Valley,Kern River Valley, Mountain Communities, and West Kern.[14]
To most efficiently integrate the San Joaquins and the interim HSR services, Merced will become the southern terminus for San Joaquins rail service once operations begin on the HSR infrastructure at the end of 2030.
