I have been a fan of train travel ever since my first Amtrak adventure at the age of 30-something. Even now, I thrill at the sound of the whistle blast. And my nose is often pressed against the window taking in all of the back-road scenery.
Most often, I'm traveling the Capitol Corridor from Sacramento to somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. When my husband was living in Oakland it was the easiest way to commute back and forth. These days, there are so many commuters, the train runs regularly and on time. Any chance to take the train...I'm all over it.
Most recently, a business meeting took me to the tiny valley town of Suisun...not far from Fairfield and Travis AFB for the destination challenged. It's only about 45 miles from Sacramento but with today's fuel prices it still made more sense as a single passenger to ride Amtrak. With a 3-day advance purchase, my AAA card gave me a 10% discount bringing the fare down to $27. The 90-mile, round-trip car ride would have consumed about $18 in fuel -- my darling Subaru gets about 24MPH on the freeway -- but taking the train kept me away from the Friday traffic hassles especially on my return trip. Plus, the trip from Sacramento was less than 40 minutes and was just so relaxing...I'll be doing it again this Friday. Anything I can do to take one more car off the road...
Okay, back to the little thing. On my return trip from Suisun the conductor asked me if I would like a "bus or Light Rail transfer for Sacramento." Looking dazed and confused I asked, "For free!?" He went on to explain that Amtrak provides free transfers from the Capitol Corridor to a number of regional transit systems including Sacramento's Regional Transit, Yolobus, Delta Breeze and more. In fact, if my friend hadn't picked my up in Suisun a free transit pass would also have been available.
"Is this something new?" I asked. Well, only if you consider the last five years new!!! I don't know where or how they publicize this, but they need to spread the word. So here I am doing my best to support this "little thing" that is really a very BIG THING! As well as the "green" thing to do!
All-l-l-l-l-l-l-l Aboard!
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