While Amtrak California has some of the highest ridership outside the Northeast Corridor, I'd say the dynamic of the service is different. The two routes in Northern California tend to service a different demographic of passenger as well as more casual travelers compared to commuters. In Hanford, rail service is not nearly as frequent as the Northeast Corridor. The San Joaquin route serves more casual and occasional travelers than the Northeast Corridor. If you are looking more frequent rail service or more commuter rail service you could take the San Joaquin to Hanford to the Bay Area.
Hanford is more in the rural heartland of California, the Central Valley. And as BCL mentioned the summers get HOT!