Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center
History
When the station opened on September 7, 1985, it was the largest new rail station built in the United States since the completion of the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal circa 1955. The center was erected on the site of a former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway combination depot that had been constructed in 1939 and closed in 1982. The station, which cost approximately $17 million, was funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, California Department of Transportation, and the city of Santa Ana.
In FY2010 Santa Ana was the 22nd-busiest of Amtrak's 73 California stations, boarding or detraining an average of about 420 passengers daily.
Future service
Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center will be the eastern terminus of the OC Streetcar, a 4.15-mile (6.68 km) streetcar line through Downtown Santa Ana, a major regional employment area, to a new transit center and Park and Ride in Garden Grove at Harbor Boulevard and Westminster Avenue (both major bus corridors).
Design
The station was designed by the Blurock Partnership architectural firm in the Spanish Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival architectural styles to complement the region's older buildings. Features include red barrel roof tiles, arcades, colonnades, exterior walls finished to resemble stucco, and the extensive use of painted tiles for decoration.
Service
Train hours and frequency
Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is served by 20 Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (ten in each direction) evenly spaced throughout the day.
Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is served by 26 Metrolink Orange County Line trains (13 in each direction) each weekday, evenly spaced throughout the day. Weekend service consists of 4 trains (2 in each direction) on both Saturday and Sunday, running in each direction in the morning and evening.
Additionally, the station is served by 18 Metrolink Inland Empire–Orange County Line trains (9 in each direction) each weekday, running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel. Weekend service consists of 4 trains (2 in each direction) on both Saturday and Sunday, heading towards Orange County in the morning and towards the Inland Empire in the evening.
Bus services
- OC Bus: 59, 83, Bravo! 560, 862
- Crucero USA
- Greyhound Lines
In popular culture
The last scene in the movie Rain Man was filmed at the station. Its exterior and interior appeared in the second season of True Detective in 2015.
References
- ^ Elston, Bob (February 23, 1994). "SANTA ANA : Station Is More Than a Train Depot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 25.
- ^ Rose, Andy (September 8, 1985). "Santa Ana : Officials Dedicate Transportation Center". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Paulson, Wendy (May 17, 1990). "Tracking Progress : Irvine Hub Dedicated as Start of 'Railroad Renaissance'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- ^ Gustafson, Lee and Phil Serpico (1974). Santa Fe Coast Lines Depots: Los Angeles Division. Omni Publications, Palmdale, CA. ISBN 0-88418-003-4.
- ^ Great American Stations. Accessed March 12, 2013.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- ^ "Pacific Surfliner Timetable" (PDF). Pacific Surfliner. October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
- ^ "Metrolink Timetable" (PDF). Metrolink. October 21, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
- ^ Internet Movie Database
- ^ "California High Speed Rail Blog » True Detective Finale Open Thread". Archived from the original on August 13, 2015.