Madera station (Amtrak)

Madera is an unstaffed train station near Madera, California, that is served by Amtrak's San Joaquins trains, which runs seven daily round-trips between Oakland or Sacramento and Bakersfield, California.

Madera, CA
Madera station in October 2012 (before the addition of the bathroom building)
Location18770 Road 26
Madera, California 93638[1]
United States
Coordinates37°01′21″N 120°04′30″W
Owned byMadera County
Line(s)BNSF Stockton Subdivision[2]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Parking32 spaces (2 reserved for persons with disabilities and 2 reserved for electric vehicle charging)
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeMDR
History
OpenedNovember 4, 2010 (2010-11-04)
Passengers
201828,384[3][4]  2.3% (Amtrak)
Rank48th in California[3]
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Merced
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
 San Joaquins Fresno
toward Bakersfield
Location

Description

The station is located at 18770 Road 26, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of the city limits of Madera, and immediately north of the boundary of Madera Acres. It is easily accessible from Highway 99 (Golden State Highway) by taking the Cleveland Avenue interchange (Exit 155) and then heading east as Cleveland Avenue quickly curves to the north and becomes Country Club Drive. Continue north on Country Club Drive, which eventually becomes Road 26, until the station is reached (at what would be about Avenue 18¾). The Madera Golf and Country Club is located just northwest of the station.

The station has a payphone, Quik-Trak automated ticket kiosk, restrooms, and two shelters, but no indoor waiting area.[1][5] An unattended 26 space parking lot is available at the station, but long-term parking is discouraged.

Of the 78 California stations regularly served by Amtrak, Madera was the 51st-busiest in Fiscal Year 2013, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 75 passengers daily.[6]

The April 2016 revisions to California High-Speed Rail's business plan added a stop at the existing Madera station.[7] The station is not intended to be a full-service passenger station, but a transfer point to Amtrak trains, as this will be the only Phase I station in the Central Valley where both services are co-located. The addition was partially the result of comments from the public review period. Several Madera County officials praised the addition of the high-speed rail stop.[8]

Layout

The station has one side platform which serves the single track.

Main track ■ San Joaquin toward Oakland or Sacramento (Merced)
■ San Joaquin toward Bakersfield (Fresno)

History
Former Storey (Madera) station, December 2001

For over a hundred years, the area was served by the former Storey Train Station, which was located about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east-northeast of Madera in the community of Storey. That "station" consisted of not much more than a sign along the tracks indicating where the train would stop if it was flagged.[9] When Amtrak took over nearly all passenger rail service in the United States in 1971, there was no longer any passenger service to the area. Amtrak resumed passenger rail served to Storey station (which Amtrak called Madera) with the San Joaquin on October 30, 1977.[10] Although Amtrak substantially improved the conditions at the former Madera (Storey) station,[9] after about dozen years of service, official discussion began regarding improving the station. However, it took nearly a decade for any action. As the project plans developed over the next decade, the option of an entirely new station was selected over improvements to the existing one.

Madera station passenger platform

In August 2010, ground was broken on this new station. The grand opening of the new Amtrak station took place on November 4, 2010,[11] but regular service did not begin until the 8th. The $2 million station project, which included a new platform, shelter, lighting, access road and landscaping, involved the city of Madera, Amtrak, BNSF Railway and Caltrans. Funding came from Madera County's “Measure T,” a ½ cent transportation improvement sales tax, the state of California and the California Transportation Commission.[5] Over the next three years, the new station saw a nearly 25% increase in ridership[12] and received additional improvements to the station, including solar panels.[13][14] Since being replaced, nearly all evidence of the former Madera (Storey) station has been entirely removed.

When the new station opened, service by the San Joaquin had increased substantially from the once daily runs in each direction. By 2010 the San Joaquin ran twice daily (in each direction) between Sacramento and Bakersfield and four times daily (in each direction) between Oakland and Bakersfield.[15][16]

Future
Main article: Madera station (California High-Speed Rail)

The 2016 California High-Speed Rail Business Plan included yet another relocated Madera station in order to provide greater accessibility and connections between that system and San Joaquin services.[17] Funding for that station was provided as part of the Valley Rail project in 2018.[18] Work on station relocation is ongoing as of November 2019, as the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority has entered into negotiations with CAHSR, Madera County, and the city of Madera.[19] As of 2020 the new station at Avenue 12 is expected to open in 2023.[20]

References
  1. "Madera, CA (MDR)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  2. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 10.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. June 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. "Great American Stations: Madera, CA (MDR)". greatamericanstations.com. Amtrak. Retrieved 1 Jul 2014.
  6. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of California" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. Nov 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  7. Meacham, Jody (2016-04-21). "High-speed rail authority plans to add Merced, Bakersfield to its initial service". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  8. Sheehan, Tim (2016-05-02). "High-speed rail plans Madera stop". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  9. jim61773. "Madera Amtrak station". flicker.com. Retrieved 1 Jul 2014.
  10. "New Fall Schedule Changes Include Shortened Travel Times". Amtrak NEWS. Vol. 4 no. 20. Amtrak. November 1, 1977. p. 2.
  11. "Meeting Agenda" (PDF). San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee. Retrieved 26 Oct 2010.
  12. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of California" (PDF). amtrak.com. Amtrak. Nov 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 29 Jun 2014.
  13. Cox, Jeremiah (21 Feb 2011). "Madera". subwaynut.com. Retrieved 5 Jul 2014.
  14. Cox, Jeremiah (19 Jan 2014). "Madera". subwaynut.com. Retrieved 5 Jul 2014.
  15. Amtrak (10 May 2010). "Amtrak System Timetable: Spring Summer 2010". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 108. Retrieved 1 Jul 2014.
  16. Amtrak (10 May 2010). "Amtrak System Timetable: Spring Summer 2010". timetables.org. The Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 109. Retrieved 1 Jul 2014.
  17. "SAN JOAQUIN JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY: DRAFT 2018 SJJPA BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE" (PDF). SJJPA. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  18. "Rail link to Sacramento airport in planning stage". Tracy Press. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  19. "San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Draft 2019 Business Plan Update" (PDF). SJJPA. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  20. "MADERA STATION RELOCATION" (PDF). San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. May 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
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