Did You Know?
1) Why is it called Amtrak California? Amtrak California is managed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in partnership with Amtrak. While Amtrak operates the system, the State of California (through the Caltrans Division of Rail), is responsible for managing many aspects of the service such as equipment, track construction, food services, and marketing.
2) Caltrans manages two of California's intercity passenger rail corridors: The Pacific Surfliner and the San Joaquin. The Capitol Corridor is managed by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, but they share the rail equipment owned by Caltrans.
3) Many locomotives and train cars used by Amtrak California are common to the entire Amtrak system. The same type of equipment can be found on Amtrak's California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Southwest Chief, and Sunset Limited.
4) Equipment owned by Caltrans is painted in Amtrak California colors. California cars are painted in Silver, Blue, Orange and Gold. You can tell if it is a California car by the large orange triangles located near the doors. California Cars are used on the San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor routes. The Pacific Surfliner is painted in a different color scheme of silver and blue.