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Guest
Guest
DOES ANYONE KNOW AFTER GETTING OFF THE CZ AND ONTO THE THRUWAY BUSES WHAT THE ORDER OF THE BUS STOPS ARE AND IF WE DECIDE TO GET OFF AT A LATER STOP THAN THE ONE WE CHOSE WILL IT EVEN MATTER OR SHOULD WE CONFIRM A STOP WITH AMTRAK?
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yarrow
Engineer
OAKLAND - Beginning 8:00 p.m. Friday evening, August 31 through 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, September 4, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed to all traffic due to extensive bridge work. As a result, regular Thruway Motorcoach connections to the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight and California Zepyhr trains will be suspended between San Francisco and Emeryville/Oakland.
Alternate service will be available:
Passengers on Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins trains will use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains between San Francisco and Richmond, where a direct transfer to and from Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins trains can be made.
Passengers on the California Zephyr, and on the Coast Starlight to and from the north, will be transferred between Martinez and San Francisco by bus.
Passengers on the Coast Starlight to and from the south will be transferred between San Jose and San Francisco by bus.
Within San Francisco — buses will operate between the Embarcadero BART station, the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. There will be no service to the Financial District or Shopping Center, or Caltrain stops.
For more information regarding the San Joaquins, Coast Starlight and California Zephyr trains, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL. For information on connections between San Francisco and Capitol Corridor trains visit www.capitolcorridor.org or call 1-877-9-RIDECC.
Amtrak California Thruway motorcoaches provide service to over 150 additional destinations throughout California from the three major routes — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner.
don't know if the above info applies to you. when we took the bus from emeryville it didn't matter which stop you got off at. first stop was the ferry bldg, then 4th and market(where we got off) then i think fisherman's wharf and then a caltrans station
Alternate service will be available:
Passengers on Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins trains will use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains between San Francisco and Richmond, where a direct transfer to and from Capitol Corridor and San Joaquins trains can be made.
Passengers on the California Zephyr, and on the Coast Starlight to and from the north, will be transferred between Martinez and San Francisco by bus.
Passengers on the Coast Starlight to and from the south will be transferred between San Jose and San Francisco by bus.
Within San Francisco — buses will operate between the Embarcadero BART station, the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. There will be no service to the Financial District or Shopping Center, or Caltrain stops.
For more information regarding the San Joaquins, Coast Starlight and California Zephyr trains, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL. For information on connections between San Francisco and Capitol Corridor trains visit www.capitolcorridor.org or call 1-877-9-RIDECC.
Amtrak California Thruway motorcoaches provide service to over 150 additional destinations throughout California from the three major routes — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner.
don't know if the above info applies to you. when we took the bus from emeryville it didn't matter which stop you got off at. first stop was the ferry bldg, then 4th and market(where we got off) then i think fisherman's wharf and then a caltrans station
RailFanLNK
Conductor
In March of 2006 the "driver with an attitude" chose to run the route "backwards" compared to the way its usually run and the way its suppose to be ran. Luckily, a "regular" told us when to get off and that the particular driver has an attitude problem. We couldn't understand what he was saying either (all of us, not just a two country bumpkins from Nebraska) so we were grateful for the local who helped us out.
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The order of the stops is
Ferry Building
Fisherman's Wharf
SF Shopping Center (Market Street)
CalTrain Station
You can get off at any stop regardless of what your ticket says. However, checked baggage is only handled at the Ferry Building stop.
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That is indeed the normal order of the stops, but note that if the CZ is running late, many drivers will ask if anyone is going to the CalTrain stop to catch a train. If the answer is yes, the driver may go there first if time is of the essence to connect with a CalTrain departure.
Beyond that possible exception for CalTrain though, the bus should run in the order noted by PRR60.
My bus over the bay experience is from OKJ, not EMY, but the stops are the same. The "Ferry Building" stop is in fact the TransBay Terminal, which is a few yards away from the Ferry Building. The names are fairly interchangeable, and yeah, checked baggage is only handled at TransBay. BTW, TransBay is Amtrak's San Francisco station (but no trains there), and the place you want to go if there are ticketing or other issues that may need to be resolved in person.
The Fisherman's Wharf stop is at Pier 39. As with Ferry Building/TransBay Terminal, very close by, but not quite the same. One should be prepared to hear either name from the driver. There was no CalTrain stop on my last ride because it was late at night; no CalTrains running, so no reason to stop there. And the "SF Shopping Center" stop is Market and 4th street. There's a Muni/BART station right there (underground), and it's a central place for getting an F Line streetcar, bus, or cab. Most Muni trolley bus lines run along there, and there's a route map posted at each bus shelter. If you've done your homework and know where you're going, the maps are quite a help. Oh yeah: To catch an F Line streetcar and certain buses you may have to stand on an island in the middle of Market Street. Don't worry - most people don't get killed doing that. HAHAHA!!!
My bus driver in July announced at the beginning of the ride from OKJ that after the scheduled stops he would take people to individual hotel stops if they negotiated with him regarding extra money. Nobody on my bus took him up on it, with the final several people, including me, alighting at 4th & Market.
Superliner Diner
Conductor
No, TransBay Terminal used to be the main downtown SF stop that was attended and had checked baggage, but due to increased crime in TransBay, a haven for vagrants, and dirty conditions, Amtrak moved to the Ferry Building. The Oakland-San Francisco Thruway buses, which connect with the Coast Starlight to/from the south, also serve the Ferry Building and all of the above stops in the city.
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Amtrak's "Ferry Building" bus station is located in the Ferry Station Post Office Building: one block south of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero at Mission. The building dates from 1915, was once a Post Office (hence the name), and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Amtrak was located in the actual Ferry Building until about four (?) years ago. They left and moved a block south when the Ferry Building was redeveloped as a retail and dining facility. The Amtrak station was where Taylor's Refresher is now located.
Amtrak was located in the actual Ferry Building until about four (?) years ago. They left and moved a block south when the Ferry Building was redeveloped as a retail and dining facility. The Amtrak station was where Taylor's Refresher is now located.
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Being there only a of month ago, it sure didn't seem to be that far, from the ferry building, like equivalent of across the street, along the harbor. I never used it or noticed the name as on that trip I stayed in Oakland, Jack London Square, and rode the bay ferry back and fourth.
What a great time there.
Aloha
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You are right. The Ferry Building itself is a very long building that extends more than half way from Market toward Mission. The Amtrak stop is one block south of the Ferry Building's official location at Market Street, but the south edge of the building is only a hundred yards or so north of the Amtrak stop.
Whatever the historical accuracy of the nomenclature regarding the San Francisco Amtrak bus stop, one should be prepared to hear the place referred to as either TransBay Terminal or Ferry Building. In my experience those interchangeable names are what both Amtrak people and bus drivers will call it. It's the same place, down by the water. Given that, it really doesn't matter that the old TransBay Terminal is no more.
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The Ferry Building and the Transbay Terminal are not interchangeable names for the same facility. The Transbay terminal is still open and operating about a half mile from the Ferry Building. It is the bus terminal located at Mission and Freemont Street and serves local San Francisco and Bay Area bus lines plus is the San Francisco stop for Greyhound. The Amtrak thruway bus routes do not stop at the Transbay Terminal.
Transbay Terminal
Ferry Building
Superliner Diner
Conductor
Primary tenants of the Transbay Terminal are AC Transit (which serves East Bay over the Bay Bridge), and Golden Gate Transit (which serves North Bay over the GG Bridge). Transbay may become a railroad station if/when CalTrain is electrified and extended beyond its current terminus at 4th & King.
rtabern
Conductor
Yeah, that's what happened to me around Memorial Day.
I was connecting at EMY from 5 to 14... and was supposed to have about 3 hours to explore around SF... but only got about 2 hours because the guy decided to hit Cal Trans and then SFW last. Ugghh!
I know people have CalTran connections, but should drivers be allowed to go off-schedule? I DONT THINK SO!!!
wkaemena
Lead Service Attendant
on this wonderful interactive picture ( Quicktime required) you can see the ferry building and all other landmarks, even Oakland...
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Mags
Guest
I will be arriving via the CZ as a female, travelling on my own, I am bit apprenhensive about arriving so late at night and getting to my hotel. Could someone recommend the safest bus stop to get off at and catch a cab to my hotel?
Which hotel?
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M
mags
Guest
Around Union Square
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That is the published order of stops however, the drivers can and do deviate from this when they get into town. My experience though is from riding the Capitol Corridor to and from SF the busses for the LD trains might be different.
As long as they go to all of them that is!
Going by the schedule I've got on my rail reservation it says it takes an hour to go from Emeryville to SF Shopping Centre (although I am now going to be staying in Fishermans Wharf) so I guess thats an added problem if your train is late, not like it's a 10 minute journey to your destination.
Going by the schedule I've got on my rail reservation it says it takes an hour to go from Emeryville to SF Shopping Centre (although I am now going to be staying in Fishermans Wharf) so I guess thats an added problem if your train is late, not like it's a 10 minute journey to your destination.
The only time I'vce ever been on one of the busses that didn't stop at one of the stops is when no one on the bus was going there. If the train is late the busses are held to meet the train so you won't be stranded at the station.
It only takes an hour if the traffic is bad. Otherwise it shouldn't take more then half an hour.
AKA
OBS Chief
Last May there were 4 pax for the fishermans wharf stop. Train was very late due to the derail that forced the CZ to go thru Kansas City. I of course was on that train. It was well into the night or I should say early morning. I ask the driver at EMY about stopping at our hotel in SF. He was not inclined to do so at that time. However when 2 other pax ask the same question about the same hotel he said we would see. He of course was not happy about waiting for the CZ wel into the early morning hours. When we got to the Fishermans Wharf stop he said nothing and made us get off the bus. He then got back on the bus and ask the bus pax if it was ok to drop us at our hotel right around the corner because of the hour. The ohter bus pax may have seen the hand writing on the wall and said yes. I guess thinking that thier turn to ask the same question was coming quickly and they did not want to be turned out on the street at that hour eather. The 4 of us gave the driver a nice tip and our thanks and debused at our hotel. You just never how it will turn out. Amtrak is an adventure and I would not have any other way. 
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