AT THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY STATION TODAY. SERVICE RESTORATION IS CRITICAL. DOZENS OF PASSENGERS ARRIVED IN SACRAMENTO ON THE NEWLY REINSTATED GOLD RUNNER TRAIN SERVICE. I GOT UP EARLY JUST FOR THIS TRAIN. I DON’T LIKE DRIVING TO SACRAMENTO. THE TRAFFIC. THIS IS GOING TO BE A HIT. MONDAY WAS THE FIRST DAY IN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS THAT IT RAN ITS SEVENTH DAILY TRIP, RETURNING TO ITS PRE-PANDEMIC SCHEDULE. THIS SEVENTH ROUND TRIP FILLS A CRITICAL MID-DAY GAP. IT MAKES THAT CRITICAL MIDDAY CONNECTION SO THAT PEOPLE DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE AT O’DARK 30 FROM WHEREVER THEY’RE DEPARTING IN ORDER TO GET TO SACRAMENTO. THE GOLD RUNNER CONNECTS BAKERSFIELD TO SACRAMENTO WITH STOPS IN MODESTO, STOCKTON, AND LODI. THIS CONNECTION IS CRITICAL TO MAKING THE TRAIN AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEIR LIVES NEED IT, NOT JUST WHEN THE TRAIN IS RUNNING. WE’RE GOING TO FRESNO TO SEE THIS RESTORED, THIS DAILY TRIP ON THE GOLD RUNNER IS A GREAT LANDMARK, BUT WE NEED TO DO SO MUCH MORE. SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE JOINED BY LEADERS FROM NEARBY CITIES AS THE SAN JOAQUIN REGIONAL RAIL COMMISSION LOOKS TO EXPAND ITS SERVICE. THE VALLEY RAIL PROJECT INCLUDES NEW TRACKS AND UPGRADED INFRASTRUCTURE, MORE FREQUENT TRAINS AND NEW STATIONS IN PLACES LIKE ELK GROVE AND NATOMAS, AND EVENTUALLY EXTENDING NORTH TO PLUMAS, LAKE AND MARYSVILLE IN YUBA COUNTY AND CHICO IN BUTTE COUNTY. THESE PROJECTS TAKE DECADES. THESE ARE MASSIVE, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS THAT TAKE TIME. AND HERE WE ARE AT THIS IMPORTANT MOMENT, THIS MILESTONE, NOT JUST RECOGNIZING THE EXPANSION AND RESTORATION OF THE SERVICE, BUT ALSO A RECOMMITMENT SACRAMENTO IS VERY MUCH A TRAIN TOWN. WE HAVE A HISTORY OF BEING NOT JUST THE CONFLUENCE OF TWO RIVERS, BUT THE JUNCTION FOR SO MANY RAILROADS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO EXPAND ON THAT HISTORY, TO EXPAND ON ON THAT OPPORTUNITY. FOR NOW, PASSENGERS ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE RETURN OF THIS SEVENTH DAILY TRIP. I’VE TAKEN AMTRAK 50 YEARS, AND THESE CREW MEMBERS WERE AMAZING. LISA GONZALES TAKE CARE. HAVE A GREAT DAY. KCRA THREE NEWS. THE MIDDAY TRAIN LEAVES MODESTO AT 1052 AND ARRIVES IN SACRAMENTO A

The Gold Runner train service has resumed its seventh daily trip, returning to its pre-pandemic schedule for the first time in over five years, with dozens of passengers arriving in Sacramento on Monday.The Gold Runner connects Bakersfield to Sacramento, with stops in Modesto, Stockton, and Lodi. Sacramento City Council members and leaders from nearby cities gathered to celebrate this milestone, as the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission plans to expand its service. The valley rail project includes new tracks, updated infrastructure, more frequent trains, and new stations in places like Elk Grove and Natomas, with eventual expansion north to Plumas Lake, Marysville in Yuba County, and Chico in Butte County. “These are massive infrastructure investments,” noted Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum. “Here we are at this important moment, this milestone, not just recognizing the expansion and restoration of the service, but also a recommitment. Sacramento is very much a train town. We have a history of being, not just a confluence of two rivers, but a junction for so many railroads. This is an opportunity for us to expand on that history.”The mid-day train leaves Modesto at 10:52 a.m. and arrives in Sacramento at 12:38 p.m., making stops in Stockton and Lodi. Passengers expressed excitement about the return of this service, with one passenger noting, “I don’t like driving to Sacramento with the traffic. This is going to be a hit.”The restoration of the Gold Runner service is not only a recognition of the expansion and restoration of the service but also a recommitment to Sacramento’s rich history as a train town.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The Gold Runner train service has resumed its seventh daily trip, returning to its pre-pandemic schedule for the first time in over five years, with dozens of passengers arriving in Sacramento on Monday.

The Gold Runner connects Bakersfield to Sacramento, with stops in Modesto, Stockton, and Lodi.

Sacramento City Council members and leaders from nearby cities gathered to celebrate this milestone, as the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission plans to expand its service.

The valley rail project includes new tracks, updated infrastructure, more frequent trains, and new stations in places like Elk Grove and Natomas, with eventual expansion north to Plumas Lake, Marysville in Yuba County, and Chico in Butte County.

“These are massive infrastructure investments,” noted Sacramento City Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum. “Here we are at this important moment, this milestone, not just recognizing the expansion and restoration of the service, but also a recommitment. Sacramento is very much a train town. We have a history of being, not just a confluence of two rivers, but a junction for so many railroads. This is an opportunity for us to expand on that history.”

The mid-day train leaves Modesto at 10:52 a.m. and arrives in Sacramento at 12:38 p.m., making stops in Stockton and Lodi.

Passengers expressed excitement about the return of this service, with one passenger noting, “I don’t like driving to Sacramento with the traffic. This is going to be a hit.”

The restoration of the Gold Runner service is not only a recognition of the expansion and restoration of the service but also a recommitment to Sacramento’s rich history as a train town.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel