Agency chosen to handle takeover of Amtrak's San Joaquin passenger trains

[brooklynite]

Fresno Bee:

The agency that operates commuter trains in the Bay Area has been selected by a consortium of Central Valley counties to orchestrate the transition of Amtrak service from the state Department of Transportation.

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority, representing 10 counties in the Central Valley and the East Bay, voted Friday to hire the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to handle the takeover of Amtrak’s San Joaquin trains, which run through the Valley from Sacramento and Oakland in the north to Bakersfield in the south.

A formal contract for the transition is expected to be approved by the board of the newly formed San Joaquin JPA in September.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission operates the Altamont Commuter Express trains between Stockton and San Jose, and for months has been volunteering its staff to help the new Valley joint powers group get started.

This would be the longest (290 miles) non-Amtrak passenger service in the nation. It possibly also forebodes a growing tendency by States to withdraw services from the Amtrak network if they're obliged to pay for them because of reduced Amtrak Federal funds.

[KamaAina]

1. It would still operate under the Amtrak brand

just as the Capital Corridor service from San Jose to Sacramento via Oakland does.