All aboard for Super Bowl 50 – and some 49ers games, too

Pro football fans can catch commuter trains from the Valley to San Francisco 49ers games again this year, and to Super Bowl 50 in February, if rail leaders give approval Friday.

In last year’s experiment, Altamont Corridor Express trains to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara performed better than the football team. The 49ers won half of their regular-season home games, while ACE ridership topped the 600-level needed to break even on five of nine trains for an average of 621 people per train.

ACE hopes to extend a line to Modesto by 2018 and to Turlock and perhaps Merced by 2022.

The 2014 season was disappointing for the 49ers, who missed the postseason and since have changed head coaches and lost a number of veteran players. But rail staff wants ACE’s governing board to take a chance that fans will continue flocking to see one of the most popular franchises in professional sports.

“People seem to be loyal,” said Brian Schmidt, operations director for the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission. “In baseball, you have 82 (home) games to go to; in football, you only have eight.”

Actually, it’s 81 home games in baseball, and the 49ers will have eight regular season home games, plus two preseason.

Dozens of festive 49er faithful quizzed by The Modesto Bee last fall swore by the trains, which deposit fans a short walk to the stadium. They paid $30 round-trip fares; this year, the price is expected to jump to $35.

Now for the bad news, for hundreds of fans of both rail and football: ACE trains will not head to the Sept. 14 regular-season opener against Minnesota, nor to the Oct. 22 matchup against division rival Seattle. They’ll also miss a Sept. 3 preseason game against San Diego.

Why? Because ACE’s core mission is moving thousands of commuters from this part of California to weekday jobs in the East Bay and Silicon Valley. ACE cannot do that and take fans to games on the same day, and the Minnesota, Seattle and San Diego games all fall on weekdays.

To be exact, the Minnesota game is that week’s NFL Monday Night Football feature, and the Seattle and San Diego games are on Thursdays.

So, ACE trains will serve seven 49ers games this season: one preseason (Aug. 23, Dallas) and six regular season (Oct. 4, Green Bay; Oct. 18, Baltimore; Nov. 8, Atlanta; Nov. 29, Arizona; Dec. 20, Cincinnati; and Jan. 3, St. Louis). All are Sundays.

If the 49ers make the Super Bowl – calm down, haters; yes, it’s a long shot, but stranger things have happened in pro sports – that would make eight trains to 49ers games, one less than last year.

Super Bowl 50 will be held Feb. 7, also a Sunday – the first time the title game has been in the Bay Area since Super Bowl XIX in January 1985 when it was in Stanford. By the way, the NFL plans to return to the Roman numeral convention for Super Bowl LI in February 2017, awarded to Houston.

ACE will gauge enthusiasm before deciding whether to add a rare second train for Super Bowl 50.

Last year, ACE expected to serve 10 49ers games, including two preseason, but the Aug. 24 Napa earthquake canceled all Bay Area trains and ACE couldn’t get to Santa Clara. For the record, the 49ers beat San Diego that day, giving San Francisco an even home record of 4-4 regular season; 5-5 including the preseason; 4-5 for games served by ACE trains; and 8-8 regular season overall, for a third-place finish in the NFC West.

This year, ACE will try promoting the Nov. 29, Dec. 20 and Jan. 3 trains to families who might share trains with 49ers fans to attend San Jose’s Christmas in the Park.

ACE’s Stockton depot drew more 49ers passengers last year (1,387) than its six other stops, followed by Pleasanton (1,267). Modesto-area riders presumably prefer the station between Manteca and Lathrop, which had the third-highest total (901).

Last fall, some customers said they liked carpooling to Levi’s Stadium in cars to tailgate with friends and riding the train home. Others tailgated in the train parking lot before catching the train. The ticket fare is the same whether people ride one way or two.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission will consider 49ers game trains at a meeting starting at 8 a.m. Friday, 949 E. Channel St., Stockton. For more information, go to www.acerail.com/getdoc/ff406eb2-15fd-461e-a699-62ce800caf58/default.

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 11:42 AM with the headline "All aboard for Super Bowl 50 – and some 49ers games, too."