Santa Fe Passenger Depot (Fresno, California)

"Fresno station" redirects here. For the proposed California High-Speed Rail station, see Fresno station (California High-Speed Rail).

The Santa Fe Passenger Depot, also known as Fresno station, is an historic railroad station and transportation hub in downtown Fresno, California. It is served by San Joaquins inter-city passenger trains, Greyhound inter-city buses, and regional transit services including Fresno Area Express and the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency.

Fresno, CA
Santa Fe Passenger Depot in 2009
General information
Other names	Santa Fe Passenger Depot
Location	2650 Tulare Street Fresno, California United States
Coordinates	36°44′18″N 119°46′55″W
Owned by	City of Fresno
Line(s)	BNSF Stockton Subdivision[1]
Platforms	1 side platform 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	See Bus connections section
Construction
Parking	11 short term spaces, 98 long term spaces[2]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: FNO
History
Opened	1899 (1899)[3]
Rebuilt	2005
Original company	San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Passengers
FY 2023	278,603 (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Madera toward Oakland or Sacramento San Joaquins Hanford toward Bakersfield
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Storey until 2010 toward Oakland or Sacramento San Joaquins Hanford toward Bakersfield Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Figarden toward Richmond Valley Division Calwa toward Barstow
Santa Fe Passenger Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	1.1 acres (0.4 ha)
Architect	William Benson Storey
Architectural style	California Mission
NRHP reference No.	76000482[4]
Added to NRHP	November 7, 1976
Location

History

Depot c. 1910

The station was built in 1899 for the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJV)^[5] and was designed by William Benson Storey for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF or Santa Fe). It is very similar to the Stockton – San Joaquin Street Station.^[6] The station was once the Santa Fe's Valley Division Headquarters, and was expanded or renovated nine times between 1908 and 1985. Santa Fe closed the station for passenger service in 1966 and completely shuttered the building in the early 1990s. When passenger service to Fresno was reinstated on March 5, 1974, Amtrak used a space in the nearby freight house. By the time the city of Fresno purchased the station in 2003, it had fallen into disrepair. The station reopened on February 12, 2005, after a US$6 million renovation project largely restored it to its original 1899 appearance.^[3] After renovations there are now is 5,400 sq ft (500 m²) dedicated to passenger service and another 12,300 sq ft (1,140 m²) available for lease. The Santa Fe Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The Santa Fe sign on the Fresno Depot

From its beginning until Amtrak took over nearly all passenger rail service within the United States in 1971, the station was served by ATSF trains, including the famous San Francisco Chief and the Oakland-Barstow line.^[7] For the first few years after Amtrak's inception Fresno had no rail service. In 1974 service by Amtrak/Amtrak California's San Joaquin began. Initially, service only included daily service (once in each direction) between Oakland and Bakersfield.^[8] Originally, the next northbound stop was Merced, but by 1978 the Storey Train Station was added. (However, under Amtrak that station was known as Madera, rather than Storey.)^[9] As the years went by service increased substantially and by 2002 the San Joaquin ran twice daily (in each direction) between Sacramento and Bakersfield and four times daily (in each direction) between Oakland and Bakersfield.^[10]

San Joaquins are expected to cease services here once California High-Speed Rail operations begin.^[11]

Description

The station is located at 2650 Tulare Street,^[2] just off Santa Fe Street, across the street from Fresno City Hall. It is situated in the middle of a rough triangle formed by the three freeways in the city (California State Route 99, California State Route 41, and California State Route 180) and is easily accessible from all three.

In Fiscal Year 2023, 278,603 passengers boarded or detrained at Fresno station.^[12] Excluding passengers who are transferring to a Thruway Bus, Fresno has the highest ridership on the San Joaquins service.^[13]

Facilities

The station has an indoor waiting room open from 5:45 am to 10:00 pm daily. Inside the station there is a staffed ticket counter with baggage check services. In addition to the ticketing counter, there is a automated ticket kiosk. There is also a bathroom and vending machines. The station has 11 short term and 98 long term parking spaces.^[2]

Notable nearby destinations

• Chukchansi Park
• Fresno City Hall
• Fresno Convention Center
• Meux Home Museum
• Saroyan Theatre
• Selland Arena

Services

Train platforms

The Santa Fe passenger depot has two tracks, but only one side platform sees regular service. Amtrak trains switch onto this track just north or south of the station, leaving the Main Line clear for freight trains. There is a very narrow island platform between the tracks that is occasionally used when Amtrak trains are not able to switch onto the station track. Passengers are not allowed to wait on the island platform.

Bus connections

• Amtrak Thruway: 1 to Los Angeles via Bakersfield (late night/early morning only), 15B to Yosemite National Park (seasonal, May–September)
• Fresno Area Express: 22 (more routes serve the nearby Courthouse Park)
• Fresno County Rural Transit Agency: Coalinga, Orange Cove, Southeast, Westside
• Greyhound Lines
• Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System: Highway 41 Route (seasonal, May–September)
• V-LINE connections to Visalia are available daily from the nearby Courthouse Park^[14]

References

1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 10.
2. "Fresno, CA (FNO)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
3. "Great American Stations: Fresno, CA (FNO)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
5. "Santa Fe Railroad Depot (1899)". historicfresno.org. Retrieved July 6, 2014. Adapted from the National Register of Historic Places nomination, originally prepared by Dianne E. Seeger
6. Reiring, Ron (January 8, 2008). "Fresno, CA. train station". flickr.com. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
7. Bowen, Eric H. "The San Francisco Chief". streamlinerschedules.com. Retrieved July 5, 2014. Information copied from original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway timetable dated June 6, 1954.
8. Amtrak (May 19, 1974). "All-American Schedules". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 50. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
9. Amtrak (January 8, 1978). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 46. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
10. Amtrak (April 29, 2002). "National Timetable: Spring Summer 2002". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 59. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
11. "DRAFT 2023 BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE" (PDF). SJRRA. p. 36. Retrieved October 25, 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.
12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
13. "2019 San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Business Plan Update" (PDF). p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
14. "Schedule". V-LINE. Retrieved March 6, 2024.

External links

Media related to Fresno station at Wikimedia Commons

• Fresno, CA – Amtrak
• Fresno, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Fresno, CA – USA RailGuide (TrainWeb)