Last month, I had the opportunity to explore the national parks in California. Instead of simply flying directly to Fresno, I decided to take advantage of the trip to experience California's Amtrak services. I flew into LAX, and my journey began with an express bus to Los Angeles Union Station.

With a few hours to spare, I used the convenient bag check service at the station and spent the afternoon exploring Los Angeles. After a great day of sightseeing, I returned to the station to catch my Amtrak Thruway bus to Bakersfield.

California boasts a variety of passenger rail services, ranging from long-distance

routes terminating in LA to local and regional rail options. One of these is the Amtrak San Joaquins service, which runs through the Central Valley. However, there’s a gap in service between Bakersfield and LA, which is currently bridged by multiple Amtrak Thruway buses that run daily.

My bus arrived early at LA Union Station, a bustling multimodal transportation hub. The bus was full of diverse passengers, all friendly and in good spirits. The bus itself was clean and well-maintained—nicer than domestic Delta First Class! The ride was smooth, taking about three hours through stunning mountain and agricultural landscapes, and we arrived in Bakersfield ahead of schedule.

When we reached Bakersfield, buses from various cities converged, and passengers seamlessly transferred onto the waiting train. Luggage was efficiently handled, either distributed to passengers or transferred as checked baggage. Finally, we were off! Another two hours of scenic views, and I arrived in Fresno, ready to embark on a fantastic trip through the national parks.

Throughout the journey, I couldn’t help but think about how a similar approach could benefit Ohio as we develop our rail network. Not all population centers are covered by the current corridor ID and long-distance rail proposals. By offering bus services that connect other city centers to stations along the rail route, we could make rail travel more accessible to a broader population, which would surely boost ridership. I’m excited to share this experience with local leaders and propose this multimodal solution to enhance transit accessibility across Ohio.