Serving Antioch, Martinez and Richmond stations

Riders are encouraged to book early during peak holiday travel times

Amtrak San Joaquins is expecting to see a significant increase in ridership this Thanksgiving travel season and is advising riders to book their tickets early. The holiday period typically sees some of the highest ridership levels of the year, and it is expected that many customers who have been delaying travel during the pandemic will be making plans to visit family and friends.

“We have seen ridership returning over the past year, although we are still below our pre-pandemic levels at this point,” said David Lipari, Marketing Manager for Amtrak San Joaquins. “We expect the Thanksgiving travel week to be a key indicator of continued recovery and ridership growth as families take trips that have been long-delayed. We are excited for travelers to make Amtrak San Joaquins part of their holiday plan, and to experience train ridership as a comfortable, convenient, and memorable way to travel.”

The Amtrak San Joaquins route travels daily between Sacramento, Stockton, Oakland, Fresno and Bakersfield, including Antioch, Martinez and Richmond in Contra Costa County, along with Thruway buses that provide connecting service to 135 destinations in California and Nevada, including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Napa Valley, Las Vegas and Reno. It also serves students traveling to and from a number of colleges and universities including Sac State, Fresno State, UC Merced and more.

Passengers are encouraged to plan ahead and book their train tickets early as it is expected for many of the trains to be at maximum capacity during the most popular travel times. Additionally, Amtrak San Joaquins advises passengers to look at a broader range of travel dates before and after Thanksgiving to access additional booking capacity.

Amtrak San Joaquins provides an easy and comfortable way to travel this holiday season – with a traffic-free, airport-free, stress-free experience.  Travelers will continue to experience enhanced safety, cleaning and physical distancing measures that have been put in place to promote public health. These protocols include required face coverings, contactless amenities, regular cleaning and disinfection, social distancing on board and in stations, and sophisticated air filtration. Amtrak San Joaquins has information about its COVID-19 response here.

Ticketing and reservations are available on AmtrakSanJoaquins.com, the Amtrak app, or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL.