Wasco station

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

Wasco, CA
Wasco station in December 2019
Location700 G Street, Wasco, California
Coordinates35.5941°N 119.3319°W / 35.5941; -119.3319
Owned byCity of Wasco
Line(s)BNSF Bakersfield Subdivision[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Connections Kern Regional Transit: 110, 115
Construction
Parkingfree
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeWAC
History
OpenedSeptember 21, 2006 (2006-09-21)
Original companySan Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Traffic
Passengers (2018)36,566[2][3]  12.6% (Amtrak)
Rank45th in California[2]
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 group tours only)
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
Former services
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Elmo
toward Oakland
 Oakland – Barstow Shafter
toward Barstow
Location

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 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. The next year, it became a flag stop. 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 high speed rail project, Wasco city officials have expressed concerns that the Amtrak service might be discontinued.[5] As of August 2020, no decision has been announced.[6]

References
  1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 11.
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. June 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  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.
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