Riverside (train station)

Riverside
Amtrak and Metrolink commuter rail station

Metrolink #887 waits at the station's south platform.
Location 4066 Vine Street
Riverside, CA 92507
Coordinates 33°58′33″N 117°22′12″W / 33.9757°N 117.3699°WCoordinates: 33°58′33″N 117°22′12″W / 33.9757°N 117.3699°W
Owned by Riverside County Transportation Commission, BNSF Railway
Line(s)

Amtrak


Metrolink

  91 Line
Platforms 1 side platform, 2 island platforms
Tracks 6
Connections Riverside Transit Agency
Construction
Parking 710 free spaces
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code RIV
History
Opened 1993
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 12,431[1] Increase 1.9% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Los Angeles
Southwest Chief
toward Chicago
Riverside-La Sierra
91 LineTerminus
Riverside Line
Terminus
Inland Empire–Orange County Line
Riverside-La Sierra
toward Oceanside
Location
Location of the Riverside Train Station.
Location within California

Riverside or Riverside-Downtown is a train station in Riverside, California, United States that opened in 1993. It is served by one Amtrak intercity rail line and three Metrolink commuter rail lines, as well as Riverside Transit Agency buses and Amtrak Thruway coach service. The station is referred to as "Riverside" by Amtrak and as "Riverside-Downtown" by Metrolink.

History

The current station opened on June 14, 1993, returning rail service to Riverside following the closure of the Santa Fe depot in 1984. The original depot, built in 1927, still stands a few blocks north of the current station.[2] The Southwest Chief added a stop in Riverside in April 2002, after 18 years of not stopping at Riverside.[3]

Current services

The Southwest Chief provides one train per day in each direction through the station, one to Los Angeles and one to Chicago, which boards from the station's South platform. In conjunction with the California Department of Transportation, Amtrak California also provides two Thruway Motorcoach routes: to Bakersfield, with connections to the San Joaquins for the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento; and to Fullerton, with connections to the Pacific Surfliner for San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.

Megabus began providing service from the station to the South Strip Transfer Center in Las Vegas on December 12, 2012.[4]

The station is a hub for Metrolink commuter rail, with three lines serving the station on weekdays, and two on weekends. Trains traveling to and from Orange County board from the South platform, which is accessible via a bridge over the tracks. All weekend trains board on the South platform, across the bridge.

No ticketing agents are on site. Tickets for Metrolink may be purchased from the ticket vending machines located on all platforms. All Amtrak services require advanced reservations, but tickets can be picked up from Metrolink's ticket machines once reservations have been made either online or via telephone. Megabus reservations can only be made on their web site.

The Riverside Transit Agency provides free connecting transit service to Metrolink (but not Amtrak) passengers at the station on routes 1 and 16. The station is also a key link in the agency's CommuterLink express bus system, with routes 208, 210, and 212 providing connections to Temecula, Banning and Hemet respectively. These routes are also free with a valid Metrolink ticket or pass.

Platforms and tracks

North platforms ■Riverside Line toward L.A. Union Station (Pedley)
Center tracks ■Bypass/Freight lines No passenger service
South platforms ■Southwest Chief toward Los Angeles (Fullerton)
■Southwest Chief toward Chicago (San Bernardino)
■91 Line toward L.A. Union Station (Riverside–La Sierra)
■Inland Empire–Orange County Line toward Oceanside (Riverside–La Sierra)
■Inland Empire–Orange County Line toward San Bernardino (Terminus)

References

  1. ↑ "2013 California Report" (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  2. ↑ http://www.insidetheie.com/Historical-Buildings-Riverside
  3. ↑ http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/RIV/Station_view
  4. ↑ http://us.megabus.com/.aspx

External links