Amtrak San Joaquin Solves Capacity Issue via the ‘Make it Suck so Nobody Rides’ Strategy

In the before times, I used to take Amtrak’s San Joaquin train from Jack London Square to Bakersfield and, via a bus connection, to L.A., several times a year. It was always slow and somewhat unreliable, but it had a nice cafe car with plenty of coffee. The seating was comfortable with big tables and plenty of room to spread out. Plus, the station in Oakland is only a couple of blocks from my home, which makes it super easy to get on board, whip out the laptop, get caffeinated, and just turn it into a normal workday.

But during the pandemic, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA), which manages the service, decided to eliminate the cafe cars. As a result, I hadn’t taken it beyond Martinez in years. Last time I went to Southern California, I flew. But when I was trying to figure out how to get down to L.A. and then to San Diego for my mother’s 84th birthday last week, I decided to give the train another whirl.

Knowing about the lack of food, I made a bagel and salmon sandwich the night before and filled my lunch bag with fresh, healthy snacks to get through the nine-hour journey.

It was, as expected, relaxing enough, and I got some work done. There’s also plenty of space to stand and stretch out regularly. That was especially important given the narrow, granite-filled seats (that don’t recline) on the train’s new Siemens-built rolling stock.

The experience underscored that the SJJPA has taken what used to be a nice service and made it as no-frills as it gets. But you wouldn’t know that from the deceptive marketing for the “Gold Runner” train, as they’ve now re-branded it. Here’s one of the many examples from the Gold Runner website:

COMPLIMENTARY SNACK AND BEVERAGE SERVICE
Gold Runner now offers complimentary onboard food service, featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of fresh, locally sourced snacks and beverages. In partnership with trusted vendors and small businesses along our route, we bring the vibrant flavors and agricultural richness of the Central Valley directly to your journey.

And this is what they “curated” for my trip:

Again, that’s for a 6.5-hour journey; 9 hours including bus connections. More if the train is late or there’s traffic.

For readers who think I’m just being bougie, consider this: gas prices are skyrocketing and Amtrak ridership is up almost everywhere. But not on the Gold Runner. Here are the 2025 v. 2024 ridership numbers for the state-sponsored, Amtrak Western Routes most comparable:

And that’s despite the fact that the Gold Runner has brand-new equipment, which is technically better than its peer services: it runs more smoothly than the old trains and has nice big windows.

Clearly, the drop in ridership isn’t about equipment shortages or schedule reductions due to strained budgets. All the Amtrak services are straining against equipment and staffing shortages. Besides, if that were the main problem on the Gold Runner, all the seats would be filled. My train was maybe half full by Fresno, by which time it would normally have been packed, especially on a weekend.

Look at any social media post about the Gold Runner and read the comments. I’m not, by any stretch, the only one pissed off about the lack of real food. Here’s an example I lifted from Facebook, asking when people will next ride:

It was a galactically stupid decision to eliminate the cafe car. But I wonder, until they get that fixed, why can’t the SJJPA at least buy some coffee urns and an ice chest? Or do as the marketing suggests and buy snacks that aren’t garbage. That said, I don’t know what the SJJPA is going to do about the horribly uncomfortable seats on the new trains.

I spent the evening in Los Angeles visiting friends. It was more than worth the downside of riding the Gold Runner. The next day, I took the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. As shown in the ridership chart, it has a cafe car. When I sat in the older Amtrak seat, I had this weird feeling: wait, why isn’t my back throbbing? Oh, that’s just what it feels like to sit in a normal seat.

There’s occasionally talk of extending the Surfliner north and/or the Capitol Corridor, which now runs between Sacramento and San Jose, south to create another service between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Ultimately, I wish the state would restore “the Lark,” a sleeper train that used to run between San Francisco and L.A. Wouldn’t it be nice to settle into a berth in Oakland and wake up in LA for breakfast? But that’s too nice; can’t have that. And, of course, at some point in the future, there will be a bullet train that does the entire trip in about three hours.

Sadly, for my return journey, none of those options exist yet. So I took the Coast Starlight, which goes from LA to Seattle, for my trip back to Oakland. It’s even slower, and more expensive. But that scenic train comes with a full-service diner, complete with real silverware and linen table cloths, and a snack car with sandwiches, cold drinks, and hot tea and coffee. I even had a beer.

For what it’s worth, the staff on the trains, including the Gold Runner, were great. And the trains were bang on time with one exception: the Coast Starlight was delayed for an hour on the way home in East Oakland because of a car on the tracks. Can’t really fault the railroad for that.

Which is all to say, I still like train travel. It remains relaxing and fun and it’s often a productive way to get around. But until the SJJPA gets its sh*t together, the Gold Runner train is off the menu.