Orange station (California)

Orange station, formally the Orange Transportation Center, is an intermodal transit station in Orange, California.[2] It serves Metrolink trains as well as Orange County Transportation Authority buses. The station is located at the site of two former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway combination depots. The present depot structure was dedicated on May 1, 1938, and was closed with the Santa Fe's discontinuation of passenger service in 1971. The building was granted historic landmark status by the City on November 15, 1990.[3]

Orange
The former Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway depot at the station site, now a restaurant
General information
Other namesOrange Transportation Center
Location100 North Atchison Street
Orange, California
Coordinates33.7888°N 117.8573°W / 33.7888; -117.8573
Owned byCity of Orange
Line(s)SCRRA Orange Subdivision[1]
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Parking225 spaces
AccessibleYes
History
Opened1888 (1888)
Rebuilt1938, 1993
Services
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Anaheim Canyon
toward San Bernardino–Downtown
 Inland Empire–Orange County Line Santa Ana
toward Oceanside
Anaheim
toward L.A. Union Station
 Orange County Line
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Anaheim
toward Los Angeles
 Orange County Commuter Santa Ana
toward San Juan Capistrano
Anaheim
toward San Luis Obispo
 Pacific Surfliner Santa Ana
toward San Diego
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Anaheim
toward Los Angeles
 Surf Line Santa Ana
toward San Diego
Location

History

The town's first rail service, the Santa Ana, Orange & Tustin Street Railway, was a 4.04 mile (6.5 km) long horsecar line that ran between Santa Ana and Orange, beginning in 1886. One year later the Santa Ana & Orange Motor Road Company purchased the line, using a steam "dummy" car and a single gasoline motorcar as its means of conveyance. In 1906 Henry E. Huntington acquired the company under the auspices of the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway and electrified the line. Passenger service over the new line operated by Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway began on June 8, 1914, originating at the PE's depot on Lemon Street. The route provided freight service to the local citrus growers in direct competition with the Santa Fe. In 1961 Pacific Electric sold out to the Southern Pacific Railroad, who ultimately abandoned the line in 1964.

The Santa Fe, under its affiliate the Southern California Railway, laid its first tracks through Orange in 1886 and established its first Orange depot in 1888.[4] The route would become part of the railroad's famous "Surf Line" and by 1925 sixteen daily passenger trains (the Santa Fe's San Diegan) made stops in Orange. During peak growing seasons, as many as 48 carloads of citrus fruits, olives, and walnuts were shipped daily from the Orange depot as well.

Service returned to the station on December 6, 1993, when Amtrak's Orange County Commuter began stopping there.[5] The Orange County Commuter became Metrolink's Orange County Line on March 28, 1994. The Inland Empire–Orange County Line began stopping here with its October 2, 1995 opening.[6]

The depot now hosts a restaurant.

On October 29, 2007 Amtrak added a stop at Orange to the Pacific Surfliner route. Just two morning and two evening trains stopped at this station each day. But by 2010 the station was only serving an average of seven passengers a day.[7] Because of the weak ridership the stop was cancelled in early 2013.

Service

Rail connections to Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and Northern San Diego County are provided by the Metrolink regional commuter rail network. The Metrolink platform is situated adjacent to the former Santa Fe depot in the downtown Historic District, which is also home to an Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) bus station. The former Santa Fe mainline links the cities of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego via a junction north of the station.

Hours and frequency

Orange station is served by 19 Metrolink Orange County Line trains (10 northbound and 9 southbound) each weekday running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel. Weekend service consists of 4 trains (2 in each direction) on both Saturday and Sunday running in each direction in the morning and evening.[8]

Additionally, the station is served by 14 Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County Line trains (7 in each direction) each weekday running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel. Weekend service consists of 4 trains (2 in each direction) on both Saturday and Sunday heading towards Orange County in the morning and towards the Inland Empire in the evening.[8]

Bus docks

References
  1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Gustafson, Lee; Serpico, Phil (1974). Santa Fe Coast Lines Depots: Los Angeles Division. Omni Publications, Palmdale, CA. p. 187. ISBN 0-88418-003-4.
  4. Richardson, Rob (2010). Railroads and Depots of Orange County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7385-8011-1.
  5. Powell, Laura-Lynne (December 5, 1993). "Trains set to roll into Orange again beginning Monday". Orange County Register. Santa Ana, California. p. Metro 9.
  6. NARP (March 25, 1994). "NARP March 1994 Hotlines". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  7. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2011.

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