Round trip train service has officially returned to Lodi.

The San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority hosted passenger appreciation and ribbon cutting for Amtrak's Gold Runner intercity rail service at the Downtown Lodi Transit Station Friday.

The silver passenger train with blue and gold stripes has been arriving in Lodi at 11:42 a.m. and 10:38 p.m. bound for Sacramento on a daily basis since December, and makes a return trip from the capital city at 7:47 a.m. and 5:58 p.m.

But it doesn't just take Lodians to Sacramento and vice versa. The Gold Runner connects the city with the entire state.

"That means lots of opportunities for thoe here in Lodi, and lots of opportunities for people to come to Lodi," JPA CEO Chris Orlando said. "We talk a lot at Gold Runner about the passenger experience, but we also know it's not just the journey. It's the journey plus the destination that makes up the experience, and for Lodi that brings the destination part to life. Everything the city has to offer is now accessible by train."

Formerly known as Amtrak San Joaquins, daily service in Lodi was cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the only northbound train out of the city would depart late at night, and the inconvenient time made the Lodi depot one of the least utilized stations on the San Joaquins route.

Now, Lodians can hop on a train to Sacramento and in time for afternoon activities or appointments and return by dinner, for $18 round trip.

Lodi City Councilwoman Lisa Craig-Hensley serves as the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission chair, and said bringing daily service back to the city had been a "dream" since first being appointed to the board.

"I rode rail for about 30 years of my life back east, and regional rail is so important to our local economy," she said. "Now we have this train stopping Lodi around noon... people get off, they can go to the restaurants, they can go to the shops, they can do a little wine tasting and strolling downtown. It's the kind of small scale economic development that we need because that's the type of businesses we are."

Craig-Hensley added with the train station as a backdrop to Downtown Lodi, the city will benefit from the new passengers the Gold Runner brings from as far south as Bakersfield.

"This is an exciting day bringing daytime service back to Lodi," Visit Lodi CEO Wes Rhea said. "This is a win for Lodi and a win for the entire Central Valley. If you think about all the great communities between Bakersfield and Lodi, I would challenge any of them to have their train station in the heart of their historic downtown, where you can walk to a movie theater, a science museum, bowling alley, shops, tasting rooms and breweries within hundreds of feet of the train station."

Other stops between Bakersfield and Sacramento include Wasco, Corcoran, Hanford, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Turlock, Modesto, Stockton and Elk Grove.

However, once passengers depart at their destinations, they can board the Gold Runner Thruway Bus and travel to Los Angeles, San Diego, Mammoth Lakes, the San Francisco Bay Area, Redding, Cal Poly Humboldt and various stops in between.

For more information about Gold Runner service and schedules, visit goldrunner.com.

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