How to Traintrek: Free transfers

One advantage of traveling by Amtrak is connecting with local transit systems, making longer journeys easier.

But something many people may not know is that Amtrak's Capitol Corridor passengers can get free transfers to ride local public transit systems.

In fact, you can even get two transfers to make a round trip on local transit: One to take a local bus or train from your Amtrak destination station, and another to get back to that Amtrak station for the trip home. This is not only a great convenience, but it saves money.

In my own case, I often ride Sacramento Regional Transit light rail trains from my neighborhood in East Sacramento to the Amtrak station downtown. I pay out of pocket for the RT ride into the station. But on the ride home aboard Amtrak, I ask for a transfer, so the ride home on RT is free. This saves me as much as $2, not to mention the time and trouble of obtaining that local transit ticket.

It's simple: When you board Amtrak and the conductor asks for your Amtrak ticket, ask him or her for a transfer (or two, if you need it) to use the relevant local transit service. On the Capitol Corridor, this includes Sacramento Regional Transit, AC Transit in the East Bay, VTA in the Santa Clara Valley, WestCAT in Martinez, and others.

For more on the transfer program, click here.

Unfortunately, you cannot get a transfer for BART trains. But you can get a discount on BART fares. For more on that, click here.

Sacramento's historic train station, where transfers to local public transit are easy.

 

2 new hikes available - in Sacramento!

I've just posted two new hiking guides accessible from Amtrak's Sacramento station:

Pedestrian passage from Amtrak station to Old
Sacramento State Historic Park

Sacramento River Parkway - North
Sacramento River Parkway - South

These can also be accessed from "The Map" page, above.

Like all the Traintreks guides, these are available for free on Scribd, where you can print them out, download them to your computer, e-reader or phone.

These two hikes are sort of close to my heart, as they are located in the city where I live. Both are "urban" hikes, but still offer plenty of interesting experiences and natural scenery. And they are super convenient to access from the Amtrak station.

Both hikes will be familiar to many people who live in Sacramento, but probably new to those who don't. They are interesting enough in themselves for a day-trip by train from the Bay Area, but also provide access to plenty of diversions such as museums, shopping and restaurants.

I hope you'll check them out, and please provide any feedback as you do so!