Amtrak Train Station – Suisun City

Toot toot! Quick stop along the Capital Corridor to San Francisco. First time on this train so wasn’t sure of the routine. Will ride again!

The Amtrak station in Suisun City is one of the better ones I’ve visited in the Bay Area. The waiting area is clean and surrounded by some cute local businesses. It feels really safe there, which for a young person traveling alone can go a long way. Parking seems adequate for those that need to be picked up from the station (most, I’d guess) and there is some limited time parking right near the tracks to say goodbye to your loved ones.
Taking the train is always lovely, if not a bit over-​cooled. Most people are quiet and respectful, so you can read or get work done if you’re not too distracted by the pleasant view out your window.

This train station is actually nice. The location is relatively safe, no worries at all during daylight. There is a parking lot that is large enough. I get there around 7.15am and by then the spots closest to the train station are all full but I always find a spot and have to walk less than 5 min to the station. The parking lot seems relatively safe though I have seen two cars in the past 6 months that had their windshield broken to bits for whatever reason.
The location is nice enough. A bit far away from where I live but that is just me. There are a few nice restaurants close by if you want to go out for dinner when you return (great Japanese, Italian and Mexican restaurants are right by the train station). There is also a great little coffee place just down the street. Another coffee place is right within the train station. It’s business hours are very limited but you can get a coffee and a donut (cash only) if in a hurry. Also nice, there is free wifi at the train station.
The station is not staffed so you have to buy your ticket at one of the two vending machines or on the train (which will cost extra).
Inside the train station are many seats and outside are a couple of benches as well. The station is generally clean. There are restrooms inside.
The train I take (Suisun to Davis) is however, not usually on time. Generally it is just a delay of 5 – 10 min but it has been up to one hour on several occasions. The staff on the train is very friendly and helpful. The trains are clean and comfortable, I enjoy the ride looking out of the large windows. On most days I get a seat, just Friday nights are tough. I like that you can take your bike on the train for free, however, sometimes it is difficult finding a place for the bike since many people going to and from Davis have bikes.
The train tickets are pretty expensive though. Monthly passes are ok but individual tickets are very expensive. If I was buying single rides I would pay three times as much for the ticket than I would pay on gasoline but you can get 10 ride passes which are almost 50% off and the monthly passes are even better, however, they are restricted to the calender month, i.e. they start on the first of each month.
What I dislike most about the train is the following: The doors of the middle car of each train never opens. I was told that this is where all Amtrak workers such as conductors sit and that is why the door does not open, I guess they want to discourage regular (paying !!!) passengers from sitting there. Once in the train you can enter that car and sit there. Now of course I am insulted that the conductors don’t want to sit with the (paying !!!) passengers and it is rude in itself that those doors don’t open. However, I see a particular issue here because it is the middle car, the one closest to the train station, the one that would otherwise be the first choice for disabled people, people with heavy luggage or strollers.
So for whatever reason, Amtrak is making the life of their customers a lot more challenging than necessary.
Also, these doors are not marked in any way, so if you are new to taking Amtrak you will head for those doors and wait for them to open, by the time you realize they won’t open you really need to hurry to a different door to be able to get on or off the train before it leaves the station. This is incomprehensible to me. I think Amtrak should show more respect to their customers and open all doors to the train. If that is not an option they should place the conductors into a car at the front or back of the train and make the middle car accessible to people with limited mobility.

I recently used Amtrak for a mini-​trip that I had the other day. It was my first time in about 16 years of riding a train so I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Checking in and printing my ticket was super simple and I really appreciated the help I received, from the staff, getting onto and out of the train (since I’m still on crutches). So far so good!

I’ll give you one good reason to take Amtrak to Suisin City: the IT’S IT Factory Store is just steps away from the train platform. Other than that, this place is in the middle of nowhere.
But, I gotta say… that 50 minute ride from Berkeley to Suisin City was more comfy and scenic than I ever imagined. The train chugs smoothly along the coastline (there are beaches in Richmond?! Who knew?), through farm land, and over bridges. It was like watching a peaceful movie of the California landscape I rarely see when I’ve gotta keep my eyes on the road.
The wi-​fi is super spotty, but it’s a great trip for just reading the paper or zoning out. Amtrak, you’ve made quite a first impression! I’ll welcome our next ride together.

Between the Davis and Martinez Amtrak Stations is Suisun City. It’s close to Fairfield and I’ve stopped here many a time on the Capital Corridor. The Train Station is located under the State Road 12 Overpass. And whenever I stop here, my reaction is usually, «So Soon?».

Easy transition.

Nice place, I hope not to see it again.

You don’t know how many times I’ve come here, but never when the café is open.
I finally got a chance to see the inside of the café. The bathrooms are a little dirty on the floor, but I’m no stickler; it’s a floor. I would love to be able to grab some breakfast, but they only accept cash and I have $ 18 on my card. The ATM fee is $ 2.50. Guess I’ll be buying food on the train. Bummer.

Oh the joys of being a pedestrian… When you can’t drive yourself places its necessary to find alternative modes of transportation. For me, trying to get myself to Sacramento, here is where Amtrak came in to save the day!
For $ 14 (which I paid online, printed my receipt and brought to the station) I was able to get to the SAC station in a leisure 40 minute ride. It was as simple as scanning my receipt at the kiosk, printing my ticket and waiting for the train. Once it arrived I went into the open doors and found a seat. A minute later the ticket taker asked for mine and ripped off the end then put a little paper above my head to indicate I paid. The person across from me paid cash and got a handwritten receipt.
The seating is comfortable. I sat at a table with four chairs and a lot of room. There are some transportation brochures and stuff available on the train. OH, Don’t be fooled, there’s no Wifi yet, however there was electrical outlets available right by the table.
I would definitely use this station again!

Parking my car at the amtrak park and ride has been «iffy» for me. I’m not so sure about the Suisun City park and ride, but it seems safe to me. Police officers are always around, so I feel that the place is pretty secure.
At this train station, they don’t have main staff working, so you’ll have to end up purchasing your ticket at the electronic kiosk or you can purchase your ticket through the conductor. This train station has a small coffee shop, opened 5am — 5pm M-​Sat called «El Capitan.» The coffee shop serves AWESOME coffee and smoothies. The service is great, though, you’ve got to be patient with the service, because there is only one person working the joint. (And he’s always there with a smile, and always friendly, no matter if the customer is rude, he’s always nice.) That’s always a plus!
This station seems like it’s safe. If there isn’t a security officer around, then there are cop cars roaming the streets near by. I know for a fact that at night time it’s kind of creepy, but it really isn’t. (That’s what I think…)
The other nice side to this station is that it’s kept clean. Graffiti may have been a problem before, but it looks like it’s under control now.
I recommend this place for a train station.