Wasco Amtrak Station (WAC) is the first stop north of Bakersfield on the Gold Runner, the state-supported Central Valley corridor that was called the San Joaquins until its 2025 renaming. Wasco is a farm town in Kern County that grows more than half of the roses raised in the United States, and Amtrak counted 23,537 boardings and alightings here in its most recent published year.
Today the stop is a single platform with a shelter on the west side of one track. A Spanish Revival open-air station opened here in September 2006, but it was demolished in April 2021 to clear the route for California High-Speed Rail, and only the platform remains in use.
What Is the Location of Wasco Amtrak Station?
Amtrak lists the station at:
700 G Street, Wasco, CA 93280-2026
The platform lies along the former Santa Fe line through the center of Wasco. As part of the high-speed rail works, a pedestrian crossing is being built from the corner of G and 7th Streets, under the future high-speed tracks, to the Amtrak platform.
Nearby Landmarks
- Downtown Wasco, around G Street
- Wasco City Hall
- Rose fields surrounding the town
- California High-Speed Rail construction along the tracks
Contact Information
Official Website: Amtrak
Amtrak Customer Service: 1-800-872-7245
| Station: | Wasco Station |
| Station Code: | WAC |
| Contact Number: | 1-800-872-7245 |
| Email: | etickets@amtrak.com |
| Lost and Found: | Online Form |
| Police: | +1-800-331-0008 |
| Working Hours: | No staffed hours; unstaffed platform with shelter and a 24-hour Quik-Trak kiosk |
| Nearby Airport: | Meadows Field Airport (BFL), Bakersfield |
| Website: | https://www.amtrak.com/home |
| YouTube: | https://www.youtube.com/amtrak |
| Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/Amtrak/ |
| Instagram: | https://www.instagram.com/amtrak |
| X (Twitter): | https://www.twitter.com/amtrak |
| LinkedIn: | https://www.linkedin.com/company/amtrak |
| Pinterest: | https://www.pinterest.com/amtraktravels/ |
Wasco Amtrak Station Layout Map
The tracks here belong to BNSF Railway, which also owns the platform; the City of Wasco owns the parking lot. Searching for 700 G Street or the code WAC finds the stop in mapping apps.
With no station building, the layout is simply parking lot, shelter and platform. Amtrak lists the platform as accessible but notes there is no wheelchair lift and no high-level platform.
Amtrak asks passengers to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure, which matters here because there is no agent to hold a train or sell a ticket.
List of all Amtrak Stations.
Amtrak Routes and Schedule Information
Wasco is served by the Gold Runner, formerly the San Joaquins, which runs the length of the Central Valley between Bakersfield and the Bay Area or Sacramento.
Major Destinations
- Bakersfield
- Fresno
- Stockton
- Sacramento
- Oakland
- Emeryville
Several Gold Runner round trips call at Wasco each day. Travel to Los Angeles and Southern California continues by Amtrak Thruway bus from Bakersfield, because no passenger trains run over the Tehachapi Mountains.
The Gold Runner shares BNSF freight track through Wasco, so the live status on Amtrak.com or the app is the reliable guide to arrival times.
How to Contact the Station
No one works at the Wasco stop. Ticketing, changes and travel assistance are handled online, in the Amtrak app or by phone.
Contact Options
- Phone: 1-800-USA-RAIL
- Mobile App: Amtrak App
- Website: Amtrak Station Information
Amtrak lists a Quik-Trak ticket kiosk at Wasco, available 24 hours a day, which is the only way to buy a ticket on site.
Station Arrivals and Departures
Northbound trains continue toward Fresno, Stockton and then either Sacramento or Oakland; southbound trains end at Bakersfield, one stop away.
Because the platform is open-air, checking train status before leaving home avoids standing outside in Central Valley summer heat or winter fog.
Conductors scan eTickets on board, so a phone with the ticket loaded is enough to travel.
Services and Amenities Available at the Station
Amtrak classifies Wasco as a platform with a shelter. There are no restrooms, no waiting room and no staff.
Available Amenities
- Accessible platform (no wheelchair lift)
- Platform shelter
- Same-day and overnight parking
- Quik-Trak ticket kiosk, 24 hours
- Payphones
Limited Services
- No Wi-Fi service
- No checked baggage handling
- No baggage storage
- No staffed ticket office
- No restrooms or waiting room
Amtrak lists the platform as accessible and accessible parking as available, but the stop has no accessible restrooms, waiting room or water fountain. Amtrak also does not allow unaccompanied minors to travel from Wasco.
Why Choose the Station?
For residents of northwestern Kern County, the platform avoids a drive into Bakersfield to catch the same train.
Since the 2021 demolition, the stop is also a small piece of the state’s high-speed rail project, which is expected to replace Gold Runner service here once high-speed trains begin running.
Wasco’s railroad history goes back to about 1899, when the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad, soon bought by the Santa Fe, built a small depot here; the town was first called Dewey.
Wasco Amtrak Station Parking and Transit Options
Amtrak lists same-day and overnight parking at Wasco, in a lot owned by the City of Wasco. Amtrak notes that fees may apply.
Parking Features
- Same-day parking
- Overnight parking
- Accessible parking spaces
Amtrak does not publish the number of spaces at the lot.
Public Transportation Options
Amtrak’s community links for Wasco point to these local connections.
Local Transit Access
- Kern Transit
- Amtrak Thruway buses from Bakersfield to Southern California
- Taxi and ride-hailing, where available
- Gold Runner trains to Bakersfield and the north
Kern Transit is the county bus operator listed by Amtrak for Wasco; its current routes and times are published by Kern County.
Food Availability Near the Station
The stop has no food service or vending machines.
Nearby Food Options
- No food service at the stop
- No vending machines
- Businesses in downtown Wasco
- Café car on most Gold Runner trains
Gold Runner trains generally carry a café car, but service can vary, so carrying water on hot days is sensible.
Hotels Near the Station
Amtrak publishes no affiliated lodging list for Wasco, and this page does not name hotels it cannot verify.
Lodging in Wasco
Lodging in Wasco itself is limited; current options are best checked through booking sources.
Festival of Roses
Rooms are scarcer around the Festival of Roses, held on the weekend after Labor Day.
Bakersfield Hotels
Bakersfield, one stop south by train, has a much larger choice of hotels.
Wasco shows how small Central Valley stops have changed: from a Santa Fe depot, to benches and a parking lot, to a 2006 station, and now a platform waiting for high-speed rail.
FAQs
Amtrak lists Wasco Station (WAC) at 700 G Street, Wasco, CA 93280. It is an open platform with a shelter; the former station building was demolished in 2021.
The WAC stop has no staff. Amtrak handles questions and tickets at 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245), on Amtrak.com and in the Amtrak app; a Quik-Trak kiosk on the platform also sells tickets.
No. Amtrak lists unaccompanied child travel as not allowed at Wasco, an unstaffed platform.
No. Wasco has no checked baggage service or baggage storage, so luggage travels as carry-on.
Meadows Field Airport (BFL) in Bakersfield, Kern County’s main airline airport, is the nearest airport with scheduled flights.