Wasco station
Wasco, CA | |||||||||||||
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 Wasco station in December 2019, the station building has since been demolished. | |||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||
| Location | 700 G Street Wasco, California United States | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°35′39″N 119°19′55″W / 35.5941°N 119.3319°W | ||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Wasco | ||||||||||||
| Line(s) | BNSF Bakersfield Subdivision[1] | ||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Connections |  Kern Regional Transit: 110, 115 | ||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||
| Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Station code | Amtrak: WAC | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
| Opened | October 26, 1975[2] | ||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | September 21, 2006 | ||||||||||||
| Original company | San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad | ||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||
| FY 2023 | 25,830[3] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||
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Wasco station is an Amtrak station on the San Joaquin located in Wasco, California, United States. The station has one platform on the west side of a single track.
History
When construction of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJ) had reached the future townsite, a small, open-air, two story station was constructed. It cost $4,500 and followed their standard No. 2 design. There was also a large window, facing the tracks, for the station master to observe activity down the tracks. The town, named Dewey, would develop around the station. It would later be renamed Wasco.[4]
In 1899, the SF&SJ was purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (part of the Valley Division) which continued to use the station for passenger and freight service. In 1907, the station was extended, to serve a growing demand for freight. In the 1950s, the waiting room was enclosed. The second floor was also reorganized as sleeping quarters.[4]
The station closed in 1971, when Amtrak was formed and none of the routes in the San Joaquin Valley continued to run. In 1974, the San Joaquin route began operating through the valley. Initially, the train did not stop in Wasco. Amtrak added Wasco as a flag stop on October 26, 1975.[2] The train station was demolished in 1978 and replaced with a couple of benches and a parking lot. Part of the train station would be used in the restoration of the Shafter Santa Fe station.[4]
At some point,[when?] Wasco became a regular stop for the San Joaquin route, and a shelter was built. In 2006, an entirely new station was constructed. It was designed as an open-air station, built in the Spanish Revival style. It would also house the Wasco Chamber of Commerce.[4]
With the coming of high speed rail project, Wasco city officials have expressed concerns that the Amtrak service might be discontinued.[5] As of August 2020[update], no decision has been announced.[6]
The station building was demolished in April 2021 to make room for California High-Speed Rail, though the platform remains in use.[7]
References
- ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Amtrak Makes First Pickups in Wasco". The Bakersfield Californian. October 27, 1975. p. 8. Retrieved March 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Wasco, CA (WAC)". Amtrak. Retrieved 13 Sep 2013.
- ^ "City of Wasco speaks out against High Speed Rail Authority". The Bakersfield Californian. August 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
- ^ Hewerdine, Makayla (2020-08-13). "City of Wasco speaks of challenges High Speed Rail is posing to their community". KERO-TV. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Morgen, Sam (April 3, 2021). "With demolition of Amtrak station in Wasco, the high speed rail slowly but surely creeps into Kern County". Tehachapi News. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
