How to Book Train Travel From Sacramento to Bakersfield

Travel from California's state capital to Bakersfield by train to make the most of your journey. Whether it's for business or pleasure, spending 5 or more hours on the train beats fighting it out with other cars on the highway, and when you leave the driving to the conductor, you free up your time for reading, catching up on emails or just enjoying the scenery as it passes your window.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Valid picture I.D.
• Computer with Internet access for making reservations.

Plan Your Trip

1. Depart as early as 6:35 a.m. and as late as 4:25 p.m. for Bakersfield from Sacramento on the San Joaquins Line. There are 2 direct trains to Bakersfield daily from Sacramento station.
2. Connect with trains in Stockton by thruway bus service. There are 4 departures daily from the Sacramento station which are coordinated to arrive in time to catch trains departing from the Stockton San Joaquin Street station.
3. Read the train schedule for the San Joaquins line carefully. There are often exceptions to the schedule printed--there is typically definitions of symbols found on the schedule which will help you decipher it.

Purchase Your Train Ticket

4. Purchase tickets online or at the station from either the ticket counter or the Quik-Trak machine. The operating hours are 4:15 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily.
5. Look for promotion codes on Amtrak advertisements to save a little money when you book your train travel to Bakersfield. These are typically one letter and three number combinations found at the bottom of ads placed by the company.
6. Plan to spend at least $60 on train fare from Sacramento to Bakersfield. If you choose a service connecting through Stockton, you may pay $20 to $30 more.

Board the Train

7. Find the Sacramento train station in a building formerly owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad. If train history is one of your passions, take a quick side trip to the State Railroad Museum, which is only a short walk away.
8. Grab a snack in the Cafe Car aboard the train to Bakersfield. One of the few amenities offered on this rail line, you will find snacks and beverages for purchase here.
9. Catch a thruway bus connection to Los Angeles from Bakersfield. Book this ticket when you make your train travel arrangements.

Tips & Warnings

• Research weekly specials to save the most money when you book your ticket.
• Call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit the link below.