Gold Runner
Then-San Joaquins train approaches theOakland–Jack London Square station, 2024
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	San Joaquin Valley
Predecessor	Golden Gate,San Joaquin Daylight
First service	March 5, 1974; 51 years ago (1974-03-05)
Current operators	San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, in partnership withAmtrak,Caltrans,SJRRC and Transit Services America
Annual ridership	909,551 (FY 24)[a]  7.3%[b][1]
Website	goldrunner.com
Route
Termini	Oakland orSacramento Bakersfield
Stops	16(Oakland–Bakersfield) 13(Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Distance travelled	315 mi (507 km)(Oakland–Bakersfield) 282 mi (454 km)(Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Average journey time	6 hours(Oakland–Bakersfield) 5 hours(Sacramento–Bakersfield)
Train number	701–704, 710–719
On-board services
Class	Coach Class
Disabled access	All cars (lower level), all stations
Catering facilities	Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead bins, luggage racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	California Car Comet Car EMD F59PHI Siemens Charger Siemens Venture
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed	52 mph (84 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owners	BNSF,UP
Route map Gold Runner highlighted in blue Show interactive map Legend Capitol Corridor toSan Jose Coast Starlight toLos Angeles 315 mi 507 km Oakland–Jack London Square Oakland–16th Street closed 1994 311 mi 501 km Emeryville Berkeley bypassed 1993 303 mi 488 km Richmond Hercules proposed 283 mi 455 km Martinez Capitol Corridor,Coast Starlight, California Zephyr 264 mi 425 km Antioch–Pittsburg Oakley planned 237 mi 381 km Stockton–San Joaquin Street 282 mi 454 km Sacramento Coast Starlight toSeattle Capitol Corridor toAuburn California Zephyr toChicago 246 mi 396 km Lodi 234 mi 377 km Stockton–Downtown Riverbank closed 1999 204 mi 328 km Modesto 192 mi 309 km Turlock–Denair 169 mi 272 km Merced Merced (CAHSR) planned 137 mi 220 km Madera Storey closed 2010 Madera (CAHSR) planned 111 mi 179 km Fresno 81 mi 130 km Hanford 64 mi 103 km Corcoran 45 mi 72 km Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park 26 mi 42 km Wasco 0mi Bakersfield This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram

TheGold Runner^[2] (formerlySan Joaquins) is a state-supportedpassenger train service operated byAmtrak in California'sSan Joaquin Valley. As of 2025, the service operates seven daily round trips between its southern terminus atBakersfield andStockton. Of these, five continue toOakland and two toSacramento. Two additional Sacramento-bound round trips are scheduled to begin infiscal year 2025.^[3]

The service is notable for its extensive network of dedicatedAmtrak Thruway bus routes, which are integral to its overall performance. More than 55% of riders use a Thruway bus for at least one segment of their journey.^[4] These routes are timed to connect with train arrivals and departures, and offer service to destinations across the state, includingSouthern California (notablyLos Angeles Union Station, where passengers can transfer to thePacific Surfliner or Amtrak's long-distance services),San Francisco, theCentral Coast, theNorth Coast, theHigh Desert (includingLas Vegas),Redding,Reno, and theYosemite Valley.

With 909,551 passengers in fiscal year 2024—a 7.3% change from the previous year—theGold Runner ranked as Amtrak's seventh-busiest route nationwide and third-busiest in California.

Like other intercity rail services in California, theGold Runner is managed by ajoint powers authority: theSan Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA). Its board includes two elected representatives from each of the eight counties served by the route. The SJJPA contracts theSan Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to oversee daily operations, Amtrak to operate the trains, and Transit Services America for maintenance of locomotives and passenger cars.Caltrans funds the service and owns the rolling stock.

In 2025, the service was renamed from "San Joaquins" to Gold Runner to better represent the route.

TheGold Runner service uses several routes which once hosted a variety of daily passenger trains. Chiefly, those trains were theGolden Gate of theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (today BNSF), and theSan Joaquin Daylight of theSouthern Pacific Railroad (today Union Pacific). Other named passenger trains which served the Central Valley corridor included Southern Pacific'sOwl Limited, and Santa Fe'sSan Francisco Chief andValley Flyer.

Like the modernGold Runner, the Santa Fe'sGolden Gate service ran from Oakland to Bakersfield, with motor coach connections to Los Angeles.^[5] However, the Southern Pacific'sSan Joaquin Daylight continued beyond Bakersfield, directly to Los Angeles via theTehachapi andNewhall mountain passes; in 1958, the complete journey took just over twelve hours — six hours, fifty-four minutes between the railroad’sOakland 16th Street andBakersfield depots, and a further five hours, eight minutes to Los Angeles.^[6]

In April 1965, as ridership on passenger trains continued to drop, Santa Fe received permission from theInterstate Commerce Commission to severely curtailGolden Gate operations,^[7][8] and the service was entirely discontinued in 1968. The Southern Pacific'sSan Joaquin Daylight was discontinued with the start-up of Amtrak in May 1971.

Amtrak routed all Los Angeles-San Francisco service over the Southern Pacific'sCoast Line in its initial 1971 route structure, leaving theSan Joaquin Valley without service.^[9] In 1972, Amtrak began to revisit the decision at the urging of area congressmen, notablyBernice F. Sisk, who favored service fromBarstow to either Oakland or Sacramento.^[10] The inaugural run occurred on March 5, 1974, and revenue service began the following day — with one daily round-trip between Bakersfield and Oakland, and bus connections from Bakersfield to Los Angeles, and Oakland to San Francisco.^[11] TheSan Joaquin could not continue south of Bakersfield due to capacity limits over theTehachapi Loop, the only line between Bakersfield and points south and one of the world's busiest single-track freight rail lines.^[12] Amtrak chose theSanta Fe route over the Southern Pacific, citing the higher speed of the Santa Fe – 79 miles per hour (127 km/h) versus 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) – and freight congestion on the Southern Pacific. The decision was not without controversy, with Sisk alleging that the Southern Pacific lobbied theNixon administration to influence the decision.^[13]

Madera station andRichmond station were added on October 30, 1977, along with a Stockton–Sacramento connecting bus.^[14] The schedule was changed on July 19, 1979, with an earlier northbound and later southbound departure, allowing single-day round trips to the Bay Area.^[15]

In 1979 Amtrak proposed discontinuing theSan Joaquin as part of system-wide reductions ordered by theCarter administration.^[16] The state of California stepped in to provide a yearly subsidy of (then) $700,000 ($3.03 million adjusted for inflation) to cover the train's operating losses, and it was retained. The state asked Amtrak to add a second round-trip between Oakland and Bakersfield and to extend the service south over theTehachapi Pass toLos Angeles.^[17] Amtrak added the second train on February 4, 1980, but attempts to extend the train over the Tehachapi Loop failed due to Southern Pacific's opposition.^[18][19][20]

A third round trip was added on December 17, 1989.^{[21][22]: 15} Two days later, southboundSan Joaquin train 708 collided with a tractor-trailer rig at a crossing east of Stockton, killing the driver of the rig and two Amtrak engineers.^[23] A fourth round trip was added on October 25, 1992.^[22]: 15 On May 16, 1999, Amtrak added a Sacramento–Bakersfield round trip - the fifth dailySan Joaquins service round trip.^{[24][22]: 15} A second Sacramento–Bakersfield round trip was added on March 18, 2002, along with an infill station atLodi.^{[25][22]: 15 [26]}

Expansion of the service would stagnate after 2002, and 10 years later, frustrated by what was perceived to be Caltrans' slow response to regional concerns, local leaders pushed lawmakers to allow local control of theSan Joaquins service.^[27]

On September 29, 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1779, which enabled regional government agencies to form the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) to assume administration and management of the route, while the state of California would continue to fund operations.^[28] Under thejoint powers authority model, the service would be governed by a board composed of eight elected officials, appointed by an agency in each of the counties the train travels through. The governance structure was modeled after the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which has been operating the Capitol Corridor regional train in Northern California since 1998.^[27]

The first SJJPA board meeting was held on March 22, 2013, to begin planning for the shift in control.^[29] In that time, the SJJPA board contracted with theSan Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to provide day-to-day management of the service and contracted withAmtrak to continue to operate the service and maintain therolling stock (locomotives and passenger cars). Control of theSan Joaquins shifted from Caltrans to the SJJPA on July 1, 2015.^[27]

A fifth Oakland–Bakersfield round trip was added to the service on June 20, 2016, the first expansion of the service in more than 14 years.^[22]: 15

Two years later, the SJJPA established an early-morning "Morning Express Service" between Fresno and Sacramento, allowing same-day trips to the state capitol for the first time, was expected to result in increased ridership from business travelers.^[22]: 34 The change was criticized by Bakersfield-area officials, because it required ending the last southbound train of the day in Fresno, reducing daily service to Bakersfield by one daily round trip.^[30] The service began on May 7, 2018, but proved to be unpopular, with ridership counts showing an average of just 50 people on the train, compared to 130 with the old timetable.^[31] The "Morning Express Service" was eliminated one year later on May 6, 2019, and trains were reverted to their previous schedule.^[32]

Sacramento service was discontinued and one round-trip to Oakland was cancelled on March 25, 2020, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.^[33] The cancelled Oakland trip was restored on June 28, 2021,^[34] and one Sacramento round trip was restored on October 18, 2021.^[35]: 33 As of March 2025^[update], the SJJPA anticipates restoring the second Sacramento round-trip by Fall 2025.^[36]: 5

As of 2025^[update], the SJJPA is studying methods to reduce or eliminate crew expenses. The Authority aims to replace staffed café cars on theGold Runner with more cost-effective alternatives; on May 5, 2025, all onboard food sales — including the sale of hot food and alcoholic drinks — were discontinued, and replaced with complimentary grab-and-go assortments of snacks and soft drinks. The change was billed as providing "equitable service across the board."^[37] The SJJPA is exploring a long-term solution of installing automated vending machines on all trains^{[36]: 9, 55, 62} — similar toautomat cars historically used on Southern Pacific'sSan Joaquin Daylight.

As well, Oakland to Bakersfield trips take just over six hours, which requires an expensive crew change in Merced; previously, the Authority investigated terminating some trains at Emeryville, skipping stops on some trains, increasing current 79-mile-per-hour (127 km/h) speeds to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), and/or operational improvements like decreasing dwell times,^[38]: 27 but these proposals were later removed from the Authority's Business Plan Updates, from 2023 onward.

Under their operating agreement with Amtrak, the SJJPA is provided the rights to use the service mark "AmtrakSan Joaquins" from the railroad, free of charge; the Authority considers the service mark difficult for customers to spell, and believes it limits public understanding of the scope of the services provided by the Authority.^{[36]: 56–57} In March 2025, the Authority adopted a resolution to rebrand the service to the "Gold Runner",^{[39]: 144–147 [40]} and the service was rebranded in November 2025.^[2]

As of 2025^[update], the SJJPA is increasing capacity on its routes to avoid conflicts with freight trains and add additional trips as well as plan for connections to theCalifornia High-Speed Rail system. These improvements are being done in cooperation withAltamont Corridor Express (ACE) as part of theValley Rail project.

TheStockton Diamond, alevel junction in Stockton where the twoGold Runner routes diverge, was the busiest rail junction in the state by 2019. As part of the Valley Rail project, these lines will be grade separated: the north-south Union Pacific line is planned to be elevated over the BNSF line.^{[41][38]: 3} This project is expected to finish construction in Summer 2027 (as of Dec 2024).^[42]

Two additional Sacramento round trips are planned to be added, routed over the Union Pacific RailroadSacramento Subdivision north of Stockton and west of the present route, which uses the Fresno Subdivision north of Stockton. Unlike the 1999-initiated route, the Sacramento Subdivision has spare capacity to allow the increased service.^{[43][36]: 43} Six new stations are planned:Lodi (distinct from theLodi Transit Station),Elk Grove, three locations in Sacramento, andNatomas.^[44] Trains operating on the Sacramento Subdivision route will not serve the existingSacramento Valley Station, butSacRT light rail connections and a shuttle bus toSacramento International Airport are planned elsewhere.^[36]: 28

When the Valley Rail project is complete, ACE will share the route to Natomas from Stockton and add an additional branch south toCeres in 2023 with an extension to Merced in 2027.^[45] When the Natomas runs are initiated, one existing Oakland trip is planned to terminate at Stockton-Downtown, freeing a slot for a full Natomas to Bakersfield round-trip while continuing to provide five trips from the Bay Area.^{[36]: 46–47}

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority will serve as the high-speed rail service provider in the Valley per a memorandum of understanding with theCalifornia High-Speed Rail Authority.^[46] Upon completion of the high-speed rail initial operating segment, trains are expected to terminate at that system's newMerced station to act as a feeder to high-speed service. A new rail link is planned to connect the BNSF and Union Pacific lines, to allowGold Runner trains to access the new station directly.^{[36]: 33, 47}Sacramento to Merced service is thus planned to increase in frequency to hourly service.^[38]: 40

In December 2023, theFederal Railroad Administration accepted an application by Caltrans to enter theGold Runner route into itsCorridor Identification and Development Program. Proposed improvements include additional frequencies and an extension north toChico and Redding. The program grants $500,000 toward service planning and prioritizes the corridor for future federal funding.^[47]

In 2024, the Butte County Association of Governments released a Strategic plan, namedNorth Valley Rail to extend The San Joaquins service to Chico.^[48] Construction is expected to commence in 2029.^[49] The SJJPA is investigating a further extension toRedding.^[38]: 40

Longer-term proposals include extending Oakland trains toOakland Coliseum station to provide a connection toOakland International Airport and an additional BART connection, routing some trains via the ACE route through theTri-Valley, and consolidating all Stockton service at eitherRobert J. Cabral Station, or a station east of the developing Stockton Diamond junction.^{[36]: 48–49} The SJJPA is also working with Caltrans and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority to develop a plan to enable someGold Runner orCapitol Corridor services to be short-turned at Martinez.^{[36]: 7, 30, 51}

TheGold Runner service runs from Bakersfield'sTruxtun Avenue station northward onBNSF Railway'sMojave Subdivision within Bakersfield, theBakersfield Subdivision from Bakersfield toCalwa (Fresno), then on theStockton Subdivision from Calwa toStockton.

At theStockton Diamond the routes split toOakland orSacramento.

The Oakland trains continue west on the Stockton Subdivision toPort Chicago. At Port Chicago they cross to theUnion Pacific Railroad's Tracy Subdivision toMartinez, continue on theMartinez Subdivision toEmeryville, and finally travel a few miles on the Niles Subdivision toOakland's Jack London Square station.

Trains to theSacramento Valley Station diverge in Stockton and run north to Sacramento on Union Pacific'sFresno Subdivision and on the Martinez Subdivision within Sacramento.

If the tracks for the Central Valley segment ofCalifornia High-Speed Rail (HSR) are completed prior to that system's full startup, there are calls for theGold Runner trains to use the HSR infrastructure to speed up traditional rail service to 125 mph.^[50][51]

The route is Amtrak's seventh-busiest service in the nation and the railroad's third-busiest in the state of California.^[52]

The entire route is located in theU.S. state ofCalifornia.

TheGold Runner service has an extensive network of dedicatedAmtrak Thruway buses. Over 55% of passengers on the route used an Amtrak Thruway bus on at least one end of their trip.^[4]

Station	Service		Connections
	OKJ	SAC
Sacramento		●	Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Coast Starlight Amtrak Thruway:3 (Redding–Stockton),20 (Reno),20C (South Lake Tahoe) SacRT:Gold El Dorado Transit,Sacramento RT
Lodi		●	Amtrak Thruway: 3 (Redding–Sacramento–Stockton) Lodi GrapeVine,San Joaquin RTD,South County Transit Greyhound
Stockton–Downtown		●	Amtrak Thruway: 3 (Redding–Sacramento),6 (San Jose) Altamont Corridor Express San Joaquin RTD
Oakland	●		Amtrak:Coast Starlight,Capitol Corridor Amtrak Thruway:17 (San Luis Obispo–San Jose–Santa Barbara) AC Transit
Emeryville	●		Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Coast Starlight Amtrak Thruway:99 (San Francisco) AC Transit,Emery Go-Round
Richmond	●		Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor BART:Orange Line,Red Line AC Transit Flixbus
Martinez	●		Amtrak:California Zephyr,Capitol Corridor,Coast Starlight Amtrak Thruway:7 (Napa–Santa Rosa–Arcata) County Connection,Tri Delta Transit,WestCAT
Antioch–Pittsburg[c]	●		Tri Delta Transit
Oakley[c]	●		Tri Delta Transit
Stockton–San Joaquin Street	●		Amtrak Thruway: 3 (Redding–Sacramento), 6 (San Jose) San Joaquin RTD
Modesto	●	●	StanRTA
Turlock–Denair	●	●
Merced	●	●	Amtrak Thruway:15A (Yosemite National Park) CatTracks,The Bus,YARTS
Madera	●	●
Fresno	●	●	Amtrak Thruway:15B (Yosemite National Park) FAX,FCRTA, YARTS Greyhound
Hanford	●	●	Amtrak Thruway:18 (Central Coast–Visalia) KART Greyhound
Corcoran	●	●	Corcoran Area Transit, KART
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park[d]	●	●
Wasco	●	●	Kern Transit
Bakersfield	●	●	Amtrak Thruway:1 (Los Angeles),10 (Santa Barbara–Las Vegas),19 (Inland Empire) Golden Empire Transit, Kern Transit Greyhound

FY*	Ridership	%±		FY*	Ridership	%±
2024	909,551[52]	7.3%		2015	1,177,073[54]	00.9%
2023	847,364[55]	19.3%		2014	1,188,228[54]	02.6%
2022	710,051[56]	63.6%		2013	1,219,818[57]	06.6%
2021	434,099[58]	28.5%		2012	1,144,616[59]	07.2%
2020	606,728[60]	43.4%		2011	1,067,441[61]	09.2%
2019	1,071,190[62]	00.7%		2010	977,834[63]	05.2%
2018	1,078,707[62]	03.7%		2009	929,172[64]	02.2%
2017	1,120,037[65]	00.2%		2008	949,611[66]	18.0%
2016	1,122,301[67]	04.7%		2007	804,785[66]	—

For its first two years of operation, theSan Joaquin used single-level coaches Amtrak had inherited from other railroads. In October 1976, Amtrak introduced newAmfleet coaches to the service.^[68] From 1987 to 1989 Amtrak usedSuperliner and ex-ATSFHi-Level coaches.^[69] For a short period beginning on June 15, 1987, this included a fulldining car on one of the trains.^[70] Amtrak reequipped theSan Joaquins trains again in 1989, this time with newHorizon coaches, when service expanded to three daily round-trips.^[71] TheSan Joaquins began receiving Superliner-derived, bi-levelCalifornia Cars in 1995.^[72] The bi-level fleet was supplemented by a fleet of single-levelComet Cars (refurbishedNJ Transit cars) between 2013 and 2024.^[73] Between 2024 and 2026, both the bi-level and Comet Car fleets are expected to be replaced by single-levelSiemens Venture trainsets.

Daily inspections, cleaning, and maintenance of equipment are conducted in Oakland, Bakersfield, and Sacramento. Heavy maintenance is performed by Transit Services America in Stockton. Previously, all maintenance took place in Oakland, but both theCapitol Corridor andSan Joaquins voted to shift to a new contractor in 2023, citing the contractor's ability to adhere to high maintenance quality and cleanliness and be more agile with overhaul projects.^[74][75]

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission selected Herzog Transit Services for maintenance of cars and locomotives in 2025.^[76]

TheGold Runner andCapitol Corridor share a combined fleet of 13EMD F59PHI and tenSiemens Charger SC-44 locomotives.^[74]

The Charger locomotives meet EPA Tier IV emission standards and are capable of operating at 125 mph in revenue service.^[74] Many of the F59PHI have been re-engined to meet more stringent EPA Tier II emission standards.^[77]

These locomotives are owned by Caltrans and carry its CDTXreporting marks. Amtrak-owned locomotives are also occasionally used on theGold Runner, including theP42DC.

TheGold Runner service is equipped withAmtrak California's fleet ofCalifornia Car bi-level, high-capacity passenger cars owned byCaltrans. Each trainset typically consists of two coach cars, a coach/baggage car, a café (food service) car, and a cab/coach car. Thecab/coach car is similar to other coaches but with an engineer's operating cab and headlights on one end, allowing the train to be operated inpush-pull mode, which eliminates the need to turn the train at each end-point. Each California Car is named for a geographic feature of California — the coaches for rivers, the coach/baggage cars for bays, the cafés for valleys, and the cab/coach cars for mountains. Caltrans is in the process of refitting the cab/coach cars to have a space on the car's lower level for storage for checked luggage and bikes.

Caltrans also owns several second-generationSurfliner bi-level cars that are used on someGold Runner trainsets. The newer cars look very similar to the California Car fleet, but feature reclining seats, open overhead luggage racks, and a restroom on the upper level of each car. There are several kinds of Surfliner Cars in service onGold Runner trains: coach cars, cab/baggage/coach cars, and café cars. These follow a similar naming convention as the California Cars, with the Surfliner cafés named for California islands, the coach cars named for beaches, and the cab cars for peninsulas, or "points".

The bi-level fleet is pooled between theGold Runner andCapitol Corridor routes. The cars have doors which can be operated remotely on either side of the train from a single point of control. This feature allows the operator to maximize passenger flow in boarding and alighting operations, and minimize station dwell time.^[74]

Increasing ridership on theSan Joaquins service led Caltrans to purchase 14Comet IB rail cars fromNew Jersey Transit in 2008 for $75,000 each. The former commuter cars were refurbished and reconfigured by Amtrak'sBeech Grove Shops to serve as intercity coaches at a cost of approximately $20 million. The refurbished cars have reclining seats with tray tables and two power outlets for each seat pair; additionally, each car features Wi-Fi, luggage racks, waste receptacles, restrooms, and table seating.^[73]

Caltrans had planned to use the Comet trainsets beginning July 2013, but their refurbishment took longer than expected. The first Comet trainset entered revenue service on October 21, 2013,^[78] and the second trainset followed on April 15, 2014. The Comet sets replaced two bi-levelSan Joaquins consists, and the California Cars from these trainsets were then added to the remainingSan Joaquins bi-level trains, as well as severalCapitol Corridor trains.^[73]

Caltrans previously paid to lease threeHorizon dinettes, to serve as café cars on Comet trainsets.^[73] The Horizon dinettes were returned to Amtrak, as a consequence of service cuts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and conductors later offered complimentary snacks and water bottles instead.

Presently, one Comet car has been added to each of the bi-level trainsets on theGold Runner service, to meet minimum train lengths imposed by BNSF Railway — in this use, the Comet cars do not carry passengers.^[74] BNSF requiresGold Runner trains to have a minimum of 28 axles to protect againsttrack circuit malfunctions, an issue known as "loss of shunt." When not properly mitigated, loss of shunt can interfere with the safe operation ofblock signaling systems, and can preventgrade crossing signals from activating.^[79]

Caltrans plans to reassign the Comet cars to services in Southern California after delivery of the Siemens Venture cars is complete.^[74] In June 2024, seven of the Comet cars entered service on thePacific Surfliner.^[80]

In November 2017,Caltrans announced that it would be ordering sevenSiemens Venture trainsets through its contractorSumitomo Corporation.^[81] The state had initially contracted Sumitomo, which in turn subcontracted withNippon Sharyo, to build theNext Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car, but a prototype car failed abuff strength test in August 2015. After the test failure, Sumitomo canceled its contract with Nippon Sharyo, and turned to Siemens to be the new subcontractor.

Unlike the bi-level equipment, the Venture cars will be used exclusively on theGold Runner service. Caltrans has ordered 49 cars, forming seven total trainsets of seven cars each: five coaches, a café car, and one cab-control car with passenger seating and a compartment for checked baggage.^[82] The Venture consists are semi-permanentlycoupled trainsets, which allows for widergangways between cars — thus providing mobility-impaired passengers access to the entire train.^[36]: 24 Like the bi-level cars, the Venture trainsets have doors that can be operated remotely on either side of the train from a single point of control. To accommodate the low-level platforms along the line, the Venture cars also have automatically deployed stair steps. These features maximize passenger flow in boarding and alighting operations, and minimize station dwell time.^[36]: 23

Though the Venture trainsets are designed for use at high-platform stations, all stations on theGold Runner route have low-platforms; to increase accessibility for mobility-impaired passengers, the SJJPA is exploring the modification of all stations to include twomini-high platforms. These platforms will be short lengths of high platform, each long enough for one Venture vestibule, with an accessible ramp up from the low platform;^[83] in conjunction with the mini-high platforms, Caltrans is designing a portable bridge plate to be carried aboard the cars. Additionally, the SJJPA has directed Siemens to procure electrically-operated car-borne wheelchair lifts, to replace the hand-cranked lifts currently utilized by eachGold Runner station.^[36]: 24

The first trainset was intended to enter revenue service in 2020,^[84] though Caltrans only began accepting deliveries of the new rolling stock in late 2022,^[85] and the first set entered service on December 21, 2023.^[86] As of 2025, four trainsets — each comprising six coach cars, and either one locomotive and one leased Amtrak NPCU, or two locomotives arrangedtop-and-tail — rotate through revenue service on theGold Runner; contingent on the delivery of the cab-control cars, the SJJPA anticipates all seven trainsets to be available for revenue service by mid-2026.^[36]: 5 The Authority has not yet disclosed a date for the café or cab-control equipment to enter service, though they are investigating the use of unstaffed vending machines to provide food service on their Venture sets; presently, the only food service available on Venture sets are "Snack Stations" — grab-and-go selections of complimentary snacks and beverages.^{[36]: 9, 55}

In 2013, Caltrans paid Amtrak for the refurbishment of threenon-powered control units (NPCUs) from Amtrak, for use on theSan Joaquins service.^{[36]: 6, 23, 55} These are ex-EMD F40PH locomotives, which have had their prime movers and traction motors removed, and the control stand in the cab left in place; a floor and retrofitted roll-up side-doors allow for baggage service, leading to the nickname "cabbages" — aportmanteau of "cab" and "baggage".^[87] These NPCUs were painted in a striped blue-and-teal livery, reminiscent of a paint scheme formerly used byCaltrain, and each was named for the terminal stations on theSan Joaquins route —Bakersfield,Oakland, andSacramento.^[88]

Use of NPCUs allows for push-pull service onGold Runner trains which do not utilize California or Surfliner bi-level equipment. Previously, the three Caltrans units were used in rotation across two Comet trainsets, but in June of 2024, two were moved to Southern California with seven Comet cars, for service on thePacific Surfliner.^[89] As of 2025, Caltrans leases an additional fourth NPCU from Amtrak,^[90] to allow two units to remain in service on theSan Joaquins trains which use Siemens Venture equipment.

In September 2022,CalSTA ordered four zero-emissionmultiple-unit (ZEMU)hydrogen-powered trainsets fromStadler Rail, with delivery expected in early 2027.^[74] The trainsets will be used for the Merced–Sacramento portion of theGold Runner after the first segment of California High-Speed Rail begins service. The order includes an option for 25 additional trainsets for Amtrak California services.^[91]

• Rail Passenger Development Plan: 1988-93 Fiscal Years. Sacramento, CA: Division of Mass Transportation, Caltrans. 1988.OCLC 18113227.
• Solomon, Brian (1999).Southern Pacific Railroad. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company.ISBN 0-7603-0614-1.^{[permanent dead link]}

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSan Joaquin (train).

• Gold Runner website
• San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority website

• Public transportation in the San Joaquin Valley Area
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• Public transportation in Fresno County, California
• Public transportation in Madera County, California
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• Public transportation in San Joaquin County, California
• Public transportation in Sacramento County, California
• Public transportation in Contra Costa County, California
• Public transportation in Alameda County, California
• Public transportation in Los Angeles County, California
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• San Joaquin Valley
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• Articles with permanently dead external links
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles using KML from Wikidata
• Pages using the Kartographer extension