OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor service will cancel seven trains for a month beginning today (Jan. 26) because of ongoing equipment issues, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority has announced.
Canceled through Feb. 27 are five weekday trains and two on weekends:
- On weekdays: Sacramento-Oakland trains 531, an 8:53 a.m. departure, and 537, a 10:53 a.m. departure; Oakland-Sacramento trains 520, a 5:28 a.m. departure, 526, an 8:58 a.m. departure, and 534, a 1:58 p.m. departure.
- On weekends, Sacramento-Oakland train 737, an 11:53 a.m. departure, and Oakland-Sacramento 736, a 2:58 p.m. departure. These trains will run on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 8.
The temporary schedule reflecting these changes is available here.
In a message to riders, Capitol Corridor Managing Director Rob Padgette says the cancellations stem from “limited locomotive availability” in the fleet shared with the San Joaquin Valley’s Gold Runner service. The Gold Runners previously announced cancellation of one round trip through March 5 because of equipment issues [see “Gold Runners cancel …,” Trains.com, Jan. 7, 2026].
“Under normal conditions, we rely on additional standby locomotives to fill in when mechanical issues occur,” Padgette writes. “In recent weeks, those standby locomotives have not been available, which has made it more difficult to recover quickly from mechanical problems and has led to an increase in cancellations.” The authority is pursuing short-term lease of additional locomotives, and is working to return sidelined equipment to service, he says, while Caltrans is moving forward with an overhaul program for the operation’s older locomotives.
The Capitol Corridor and Gold Runner operations began experiencing extended equipment-related cancellations in September. Maintenance for locomotives and cars is overseen by Herzog Transit Services subsidiary Transit America, a move that took place in August [see “Maintenance responsibilities shift …,” Trains.com, Sept. 29, 2025].
— Updated to correct timing of Transit America assuming responsibility for equipment maintenance. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
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