California and the San Francisco Bay Area have a long railroad history. One important part of that story is the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail service, which is among the many local transit options that make travel easier for Hacienda tenants and residents. In October, the ACE rail service will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Originally called Altamont Commuter Express, the service was designed to serve Central Valley residents who worked in the Tri-Valley and Silicon Valley.

In October 1998, ACE trains began running from Stockton to San Jose each business morning and from San Jose to Stockton at the end of each business day. The route today encompasses stops at Lathrop/Manteca, Tracy, South Vasco Road in Livermore, Railroad Avenue in Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont, Great America in Santa Clara, and Railroad Avenue in Santa Clara before the final stop in San Jose. Currently, ACE has four westbound trains leaving Pleasanton between 5:23 and 8:45 am in the morning and four eastbound trains arriving in Pleasanton between 4:28 and 7:31 pm in the afternoon and evening.

Popular Service
Before the Covid pandemic, ACE had a healthy ridership base that met or exceeded capacity, according to Marques Cook, Marketing Manager for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which oversees the ACE rail service. The popular service offers ACE passengers access to free Wi-Fi, comfortable seating, and ample storage space within the train, according to ACE officials. There are restrooms situated on the ground floor of each car, and bike racks in designated cars make it easy for cyclists to bring their bicycles along on the journey. Individuals who choose to use rail rather than motor vehicles for their commute to work, college, or other schools are contributing to the region's quality of life as well as their own comfort.

"ACE Rail's whole purpose was to solve the congestion issues that exist in the Altamont corridor," notes Cook. "They still exist today, which is why ACE is a vital service to the area. ACE also helps alleviate some of the negative environmental impacts that heavy, regular commuting creates."

Since the pandemic, ridership has decreased, and rail officials are exploring how best to keep existing passengers and attract new ones. ACE recently did a passenger-on-board survey and is conducting a market research survey to help identify the best timing for its trains and gather information on other issues as well, Cook says. "With this new sort of work environment where people can work in hybrid schedules, do we need to shift some of our trains to cover the midday to encourage people to use the train as opposed to using a car? We're also looking at whether we may need to run trains later for leisure opportunities. We are finding out how we can best restructure the service to make sure that we are meeting the greatest needs of our ridership base."

Valley Rail to Expand Rail Service
Under the joint Valley Rail program now underway, both ACE rail and Amtrak San Joaquins services will be expanded and improved over the next several years. Currently, Amtrak San Joaquins passenger service runs six daily round trips between Bakersfield in the South of the Central Valley and Stockton in the North, with connecting service to Sacramento and Oakland. "The Valley Rail Program consists of several project segments that together improve rail service on ACE and the San Joaquins for the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay Area," according to officials. Project segments include an extension from Lathrop to Ceres, a Sacramento extension, a Ceres to Merced extension, work on the Stockton Diamond Grade Separation, relocating the Madera Station, and building a new Oakley Station.
"Over the next ten years, we are going to expand the footprint of the service as we know it today," says Cook. Ultimately, the Valley Rail program will add two new daily round trips to the Amtrak San Joaquins rail service "to better connect San Joaquin Valley travelers with the Sacramento Area," officials say, while extending ACE service between Sacramento and Merced. The program will also convert the entire fleet, including the thruway bus network, to renewable diesel fuel. That move is expected to reduce the production of greenhouse gases across the existing 449 miles of tracks and after completion the 119 miles of proposed expanded tracks that will serve the San Joaquins and ACE services.

The rail improvements built into the Valley Rail program are good news for Tri-Valley employers seeking talent and for the Central Valley residents who have not had convenient access to higher paying jobs in the Bay Area, Cook notes. "There is still a lack of inventory when it comes to housing in the Bay Area. There's a lack of affordability in the Bay Area. ACE is critical to being able to address those needs and concerns. The Valley Rail vision will also position ACE as a feeder to a future high speed rail system, which would go from Merced to Bakersfield. With Valley Rail, the idea is that we will be able to move people all throughout Northern California to the Central Valley in the most expedient way possible using ground travel."

The Valley Rail program has the funding needed for construction, which is slated to start next year. ACE is in the process of getting new equipment in the form of new train cars and better technology onboard the cars, which include improved Wi-Fi connections, digital displays inside the cars, and an improved audio system to serve passengers. Pulling those cars will be "the cleanest fuel-burning locomotives that are available today," according to Cook.

In the rail industry, changes do not come quickly but the projects planned will make a significant difference to passengers both regionally and across California once they are implemented. In the meantime, ACE officials are working to improve the rail experience for their passengers, who include students from the Tri-Valley who attend Santa Clara University and San Jose State.

"We recognize that Hacienda is home to not only business but also residential tenants," Cook says, and notes that ACE may add special service for large concerts at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara or other destinations that cater to entertainment and leisure. It is too early to know all the different ways that ACE will be upgrading its service but greater passenger capacity, cleaner operations, and improved Wi-Fi are definitely on their way.

For more information about the Altamont Corridor Express, please visit www.acerail.com.

For more information about the Valley Rail program, please visit www.sjrrc.com/valley-rail.