The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority — which works with Amtrak — has changed the Central Valley train-and-bus service’s name to Gold Runner, hearkening back to the days when a train called the Golden Gate operated on parts of the same route.
Formerly, the Gold Runner was called the San Joaquins, and most of its route lies within the San Joaquin Valley.
Gold Runner train service goes between Oakland and Bakersfield, and twice a day the train continues from Stockton to Sacramento. The bus connects to Sacramento far more frequently, and Amtrak reports that more than half of Gold Runner travelers use the organization’s connecting buses as part of their journey. Passengers looking to go beyond Bakersfield into Los Angeles also ride the bus…