Hollister - Taking the train will be a little more convenient for locals thanks to a new feeder bus route that connects the Central Coast region to the Amtrak station in Merced.
Amtrak and Caltrans officials spent Monday taking an inaugural ribbon-cutting trip on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach, which runs between Monterey and Merced. This is the first time Amtrak, which uses buses to connect communities to it train stations, has had a route that comes through Hollister. The new route started on Oct. 31.
The bus will make two round trips from Monterey to Merced seven days a week, 365 days a year. In addition to stopping at Maple and San Felipe in Hollister, the bus will make stops at the Windmill Market in San Juan Bautista, as well as at locations in Salinas and Los Banos. The bus will depart from Hollister each day at 7:55am and 4:20pm. It will return to the city at 12:35pm and 8:50pm.
Amtrak spokesman Charles Seifert said the bus, which can be ridden by Amtrak ticket holders only to connect with trains in Merced, has already had a fair number of passengers already in its first week, though he didn't have hard numbers.
Monday's bus arrival gave Vice Mayor Robert Scattini, who is filling in for Mayor Pauline Valdivia while she recuperates from surgery, a chance to perform his first ribbon cutting.
"I think its great," Scattini said. "Any time we have transportation to and from a major transportation agency like Amtrak, it's good."
Caltrans Division of Rail, which manages the federal Amtrak's rail transportation in the state, established the new bus route to bring in revenue, according Eric Schatmeier, manager of rail operations and marketing for Caltrans.
"We're always looking for new places to make profit," he said.
In order to break even, which is required by state law, Amtrak has to have about seven passengers per bus, but Schatmeier is hopeful that more people will use the service.
"If that happens we could expand frequency," he said.
Once at the Merced Amtrak station, passengers can head north by train to Stockton, Sacramento and Oakland. Also, there is a train that heads south to Bakersfield, where there is another bus that travels to Los Angeles. The Merced station also has a bus route that heads east to Yosemite.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lroney@freelancenews.com
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