ACE will launch Saturday trains to San Jose. And you can sleep in a little.
The Altamont Corridor Express is expanding into Saturday service as of this week, with two round trips between Stockton and San Jose.
These trains will head west a little later in the morning than the weekday service, which mainly serves commuters to Silicon Valley and other job centers. The trains will return in the late afternoon and early evening.
Saturday service is a one-year pilot program of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Authority, which runs the system.
ACE started in 1998 and now has four round trips each weekday. It is in the midst of a major expansion that will bring branches to Ceres and Sacramento as early as 2021 and to Merced as early as 2023.
The current route has stations in Stockton, Manteca/Lathrop, Tracy, Livermore, Pleasanton, Fremont, Santa Clara and San Jose. An on-time train can make the trip in 2 hours, 12 minutes, gliding past people stuck in Altamont Pass traffic.
Saturday trains will leave Stockton at 7:25 and 8:40 a.m. The return trips will start from San Jose at 3:50 and 5 p.m.
The Saturday trains will have the same fare structure as the weekday service.
“ACE Saturday service is something that the communities we serve have long desired, and we’re excited to offer this new service,” said Christina Fugazi, who chairs the authority, in a news release. “Our hope is that commuters and families get out of their cars on Saturdays and spend quality time relaxing while riding the train.”
More information is at www.acrerail.com.
This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 3:21 PM.
