Wasco station is an Amtrak station on the San Joaquin located in Wasco, California, United States. The station has one platform on the west side of a single track.

Wasco, CA
Wasco station in December 2019, the station building has since been demolished.
General information
Location	700 G Street Wasco, California United States
Coordinates	35.5941°N 119.3319°W / 35.5941; -119.3319
Owned by	City of Wasco
Line(s)	BNSF Bakersfield Subdivision[1]
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Kern Regional Transit: 110, 115
Construction
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: WAC
History
Opened	October 26, 1975[2]
Rebuilt	September 21, 2006
Original company	San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Passengers
FY 2021	13,916[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Corcoran toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento San Joaquins Bakersfield Terminus Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park (limited service for groups only) toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
Former services Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Elmo toward Oakland Pier Oakland – Barstow Shafter toward Barstow
Location

History

When construction of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJ) had reached the future townsite, a small, open-air, two story station was constructed. It cost $4,500 and followed their standard No. 2 design. There was also a large window, facing the tracks, for the station master to observe activity down the tracks. The town, named Dewey, would develop around the station. It would later be renamed Wasco.[4]

In 1899, the SF&SJ was purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (part of the Valley Division) which continued to use the station for passenger and freight service. In 1907, the station was extended, to serve a growing demand for freight. In the 1950s, the waiting room was enclosed. The second floor was also reorganized as sleeping quarters.[4]

The station closed in 1971, when Amtrak was formed and none of the routes in the San Joaquin Valley continued to run. In 1974, the San Joaquin route began operating through the valley. Initially, the train did not stop in Wasco. Amtrak added Wasco as a flag stop on October 26, 1975.[2] The train station was demolished in 1978 and replaced with a couple of benches and a parking lot. Part of the train station would be used in the restoration of the Shafter Santa Fe station.[4]

At some point,^[when?] Wasco became a regular stop for the San Joaquin route, and a shelter was built. In 2006, an entirely new station was constructed. It was designed as an open-air station, built in the Spanish Revival style. It would also house the Wasco Chamber of Commerce.[4]

With the coming of high speed rail project, Wasco city officials have expressed concerns that the Amtrak service might be discontinued.[5] As of August 2020^[update], no decision has been announced.[6]

The station building was demolished in April 2021 to make room for California High-Speed Rail, though the platform remains in use.[7]

References

External links

• Wasco, CA – Amtrak
• Wasco, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Wasco, CA – USA Rail Guide (TrainWeb)