Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center

The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is a passenger rail station and transportation center in Santa Ana, California. It is used by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Orange County Line and Inland Empire–Orange County Line trains. It is also a Greyhound station and a hub for the Orange County Transportation Authority bus system as well as a terminal for international bus services to Mexico.

Santa Ana, CA
Santa Ana station, 2008
General information
Other namesSanta Ana Regional Transportation Center
Location1000 East Santa Ana Boulevard
Santa Ana, California
Coordinates33°45′06″N 117°51′23″W / 33.7516°N 117.8565°W / 33.7516; -117.8565
Owned byCity of Santa Ana[1]
Line(s)SCRRA Orange Subdivision[2]
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Train operatorsMetrolink and Amtrak
Connections
Construction
Parking578 spaces, 13 accessible spaces
Bicycle facilitiesRacks and lockers
AccessibleYes
ArchitectThe Blurock Partnership
Architectural styleMediterranean Revival/Spanish Colonial Revival
Other information
StatusStaffed, station building with waiting room
Station codeAmtrak: SNA
History
OpenedSeptember 7, 1985 (1985-09-07)[3]
Passengers
FY 202372,613[4] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Anaheim Pacific Surfliner Irvine
toward San Diego
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Orange Inland Empire–Orange County Line Tustin
toward Oceanside
Orange Orange County Line
Future services
Preceding station OCTA Following station
Lacy OC Streetcar Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Orange Surf Line San Juan Capistrano
toward San Diego
Location
Map

History

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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.[citation needed] 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.[5]: 189 [failed verification] 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.[6]

In FY2010 Santa Ana was the 22nd-busiest of Amtrak's 73 California stations, boarding or detraining an average of about 420 passengers daily.[7]

 
The Amtrak platform at Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center

Future service

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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

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Pedestrian bridge linking northbound Track 1 to The Depot and Track 2.

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.[6]

Service

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Train hours and frequency

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Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is served by 20 Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (ten in each direction) evenly spaced throughout the day.[8]

Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is served by 19 Metrolink Orange County Line trains (10 northbound and 9 southbound) 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, running in each direction in the morning and evening.[9]

Additionally, the station is served by 14 Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains (7 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.[9]

Bus services

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The last scene in the movie Rain Man was filmed at the station.[1][10] Its exterior and interior appeared in the second season of True Detective in 2015.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Elston, Bob (February 23, 1994). "SANTA ANA : Station Is More Than a Train Depot". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  2. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 25.
  3. ^ Rose, Andy (September 8, 1985). "Santa Ana : Officials Dedicate Transportation Center". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Gustafson, Lee and Phil Serpico (1974). Santa Fe Coast Lines Depots: Los Angeles Division. Omni Publications, Palmdale, CA. ISBN 0-88418-003-4.
  6. ^ a b Great American Stations. Accessed March 12, 2013.
  7. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  8. ^ "Pacific Surfliner Timetable" (PDF). Pacific Surfliner. October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Internet Movie Database
  10. ^ "California High Speed Rail Blog » True Detective Finale Open Thread". Archived from the original on August 13, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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