Wasco, CA
Wasco station in December 2019, the station building has since been demolished.
General information
Location700 G Street
Wasco, California
United States
Coordinates35°35′39″N 119°19′55″W / 35.5941°N 119.3319°W / 35.5941; -119.3319
Owned byCity of Wasco
Line(s)BNSF Bakersfield Subdivision[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport Kern Regional Transit: 110, 115
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: WAC
History
OpenedOctober 26, 1975[2]
RebuiltSeptember 21, 2006
Original companySan Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Passengers
FY 202222,781[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Corcoran
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
 San Joaquins Bakersfield
Terminus
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
(limited service for groups only)
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
Former services
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Elmo
toward Richmond
 Valley Division Shafter
toward Barstow
Location

Wasco station is an Amtrak station on the San Joaquin located in Wasco, California, United States. The station has one platform on the west side of a single track.

History

The former station in 1974

When construction of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJ) had reached the future townsite, a small, open-air, two story station was constructed. It cost $4,500 and followed their standard No. 2 design. There was also a large window, facing the tracks, for the station master to observe activity down the tracks. The town, named Dewey, would develop around the station. It would later be renamed Wasco.[4]

In 1899, the SF&SJ was purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (part of the Valley Division) which continued to use the station for passenger and freight service. In 1907, the station was extended, to serve a growing demand for freight. In the 1950s, the waiting room was enclosed. The second floor was also reorganized as sleeping quarters.[4]

The station closed in 1971, when Amtrak was formed and none of the routes in the San Joaquin Valley continued to run. In 1974, the San Joaquin route began operating through the valley. Initially, the train did not stop in Wasco. Amtrak added Wasco as a flag stop on October 26, 1975.[2] The train station was demolished in 1978 and replaced with a couple of benches and a parking lot. Part of the train station would be used in the restoration of the Shafter Santa Fe station.[4]

At some point, Wasco became a regular stop for the San Joaquin route, and a shelter was built. In 2006, an entirely new station was constructed. It was designed as an open-air station, built in the Spanish Revival style. It would also house the Wasco Chamber of Commerce.[4]

With the coming of California High-Speed Rail, Wasco city officials have expressed concerns that the Amtrak service might be discontinued.[5] As of August 2020, no decision has been announced.[6]

The station building was demolished in April 2021 to make room for California High-Speed Rail (HSR), though the platform remains in use.[7] A crossing is being built as part of the HSR project's Construction Package 4 to provide pedestrian access from the corner of G & 7th Streets, under the future High-Speed tracks, to the Amtrak platform. San Joaquins are expected to cease services here once high-speed operations begin.[8]

References

  1. ↑ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 11.
  2. 1 2 "Amtrak Makes First Pickups in Wasco". The Bakersfield Californian. October 27, 1975. p. 8. Retrieved March 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Wasco, CA (WAC)". Amtrak. Retrieved 13 Sep 2013.
  5. ↑ "City of Wasco speaks out against High Speed Rail Authority". The Bakersfield Californian. August 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. ↑ Hewerdine, Makayla (2020-08-13). "City of Wasco speaks of challenges High Speed Rail is posing to their community". KERO-TV. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  7. ↑ Morgen, Sam (April 3, 2021). "With demolition of Amtrak station in Wasco, the high speed rail slowly but surely creeps into Kern County". Tehachapi News. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  8. ↑ "DRAFT 2023 BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE" (PDF). SJRRA. p. 36. Retrieved 25 October 2023. To most efficiently integrate the San Joaquins and the interim HSR services, Merced will become the southern terminus for San Joaquins rail service once operations begin on the HSR infrastructure at the end of 2030.
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