San Juan Capistrano station is a train station in

San Juan Capistrano, California San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...

, United States served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

, the national railroad passenger system, and Metrolink, a

commuter railroad Commuter rail services in the United States, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica provide common carrier passenger transportation along railway tracks, with scheduled service on fixed routes on a non-reservation basis, primarily for sho ...

. The station has a single

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platfo ...

serving the single track of the SCRRA's Orange Subdivision. The station is served by Amtrak's ''

Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...

,'' and with few exceptions is the last stop in Orange County; a few trains stop at

San Clemente Pier San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwe ...

before crossing into

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

. It is also served by Metrolink's

Orange County Line The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passenger ...

and Inland Empire-Orange County Line. Amtrak's ridership at the station dropped 53.4% to 90,699 in 2020, largely due to complications of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

pandemic and two stay at home orders issued by

California Governor The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California f ...

Hours and frequency

History

The San Juan Capistrano station was originally opened October 27, 1894 by the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

. It was one of the earliest examples of

Mission Revival Style architecture The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

in railway stations. In 1966, the station was closed, two years ahead of the end of Santa Fe passenger service to the city. Amtrak added San Juan Capistrano as a

flag stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, s ...

on its Los Angeles–San Diego '' San Diegan'' service on May 19, 1974. A year later, the depot was converted into a restaurant, with vintage

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles ca ...

used to expand the space. ''

Orange County Commuter The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passenger ...

'' service terminated here starting on April 30, 1990, and that service was conveyed to Metrolink when the

opened on March 28, 1994. In 1995, the complex received a refurbishment, resulting in two restaurants, one located in the depot building, as well as

ticketing services and a waiting room, located in two

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...

s. The station serviced 237,776 passengers in 2018. File:San Juan Capistrano ATSF Depot October 27 1894.jpg, Postcard of the original Santa Fe depot in 1894 File:San Juan Capistrano railway station c.1895.jpg, The station in 1895 File:2019 San Juan Capistrano station 4.jpg, Trackside view from the south (2019)

References

Notes Bibliography *

External links

San Juan Capistrano Amtrak-Metrolink Station(USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
The original Santa Fe depot in San Juan Capistrano taken between 1894 and 1910 (Denver Public Library)
-> Mission Revival architecture in California Amtrak stations in Orange County, California Metrolink stations in Orange County, California Former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stations in California San Juan Capistrano, California Railway stations in the United States opened in 1894 1894 establishments in California Railway stations closed in 1966 1966 disestablishments in California 1974 establishments in California Railway stations in the United States opened in 1974 {{California-railstation-stub