Riverside–Downtown station

Riverside–Downtown station (officially the Joseph Tavaglione Riverside Downtown Station) is a train station in Riverside, California, United States. It is served by three Metrolink commuter rail lines – the 91/Perris Valley Line, Inland Empire–Orange County Line, and Riverside Line – and Amtrak intercity rail service on the Southwest Chief. The station is owned by the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

Riverside–Downtown
A Metrolink train at the station in 2013
General information
Other namesJoseph Tavaglione Riverside Downtown Station
Location4066 Vine Street
Riverside, California
United States
Coordinates33°58′33″N 117°22′12″W / 33.9757°N 117.3699°W / 33.9757; -117.3699
Owned byRiverside County Transportation Commission
Line(s)BNSF San Bernardino Subdivision
UP Los Angeles Subsidivision[1]
Platforms1 side platform, 2 island platforms
Tracks6
Connections
Construction
Parking710 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: RIV
History
OpenedJune 14, 1993 (1993-06-14)
Passengers
FY 202324,163[2] (Amtrak only)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Fullerton Southwest Chief San Bernardino
toward Chicago
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Riverside–La Sierra 91/Perris Valley Line Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR
Riverside–La Sierra
toward Oceanside
Inland Empire–Orange County Line San Bernardino–Depot
Jurupa Valley/Pedley Riverside Line Terminus
Location
Map

Station layout

edit

The station has two island platforms and one side platform. It is located at the east end of the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) Los Angeles Subdivision at its junction with the BNSF San Bernardino Subdivision. The northern island platform and the side platform serve the UP main track and a stub-end siding; they are used only by Riverside Line trains. The three-track BNSF mainline is between the island platforms; the southern island platform (used by Amtrak, 91/Perris Valley Line, and Inland Empire–Orange County Line trains) serves the southern main track and a siding track.[1]

Hours and frequency

edit

Riverside–Downtown station is served by 12 Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line trains (5 westbound and 7 eastbound) 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 westbound in the morning and eastbound in the evening.[3]

The station is served by 11 Metrolink Riverside Line trains (6 westbound and 5 eastbound) each weekday, running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel.[3]

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.[3]

History

edit
 
The ex-AT&SF station in 1981

The current station opened for Metrolink Riverside Line service on June 14, 1993.[4] The original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot (located about 1,000 feet [300 m] to the northeast) closed on May 15, 1968, when the Grand Canyon was re-routed via Pasadena to replace the discontinued Chief.[5] Intercity service at the nearby Union Pacific Railroad station lasted until May 1971.[6]

Inland Empire–Orange County Line service began on October 2, 1995;[7] Riverside was the terminus of that line until the following year when the extension to San Bernardino opened.[8] Amtrak's Southwest Chief began stopping at Riverside in April 2002.[9] Metrolink's 91/Perris Valley Line (then the 91 Line), began operating on May 6, 2002.[10] Riverside was the terminus until the Perris Valley extension opened in 2016.[11]

In December 2012, the station was renamed after Joseph Tavaglione, a local businessman and chair of the California Transportation Commission.[12][13][14][15] The adjacent Vine Street Mobility Hub opened on January 14, 2024, with 16 bus bays for Riverside Transit Agency and Omnitrans.[16] Riverside is a planned stop for the proposed Coachella Valley Rail Service.[17]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "Metrolink holds 2 open houses". The San Bernardino County Sun. June 13, 1993. p. 33. Retrieved August 5, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Leppard, Henry (May 15, 1968). "Last Passenger Train out of City Leaves Tomorrow". Corona Daily Independent. Corona, California. p. 1.
  5. ^ Lamb, David (May 3, 1971). "City of L.A. Pulls In, Ends Chapter of Rails". Los Angeles Times. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ Anderson, Lynn (October 3, 1995). "Metrolink opens Riverside-Irvine line". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 17. Retrieved July 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Anderson, Lynn (February 23, 1996). "Orange County rail line to make debut". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 9. Retrieved July 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Riverside, CA (RIV) – Great American Stations".
  9. ^ McKibben, Dave (May 7, 2002). "Riverside-L.A. Commute by Rail Cut to 90 Minutes". Los Angeles Times. p. 13. Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "TRANSPORTATION: Perris Valley Line rolls out right on schedule". The Press-Enterprise. June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  11. ^ "Greater Riverside Business – January 2013 Issue by Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce". Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  12. ^ "Riverside-Downtown Metrolink Station dedicated to longtime transit advocate" (PDF). Metrolink Matters. February 2013. p. 2. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  13. ^ "RCTC – on the Move". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  14. ^ "Forward Motion, Dec. 2012". 20 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Vine Street Mobility Hub is Now Open" (Press release). Riverside Transit Agency. January 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Mayer, Anne. "Coachella Valley San Gorgonio Pass Rail Corridor Study Tier 2 Environmental Impact Report and Conceptual Engineering Development Report" (PDF). Riverside County Transportation Commission. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
edit

  Media related to Riverside-Downtown station at Wikimedia Commons