Gold Runner

The Gold Runner (formerly San Joaquins) is a state-supported passenger train service operated by Amtrak in California's San Joaquin Valley. As of 2025, the service operates seven daily round trips between its southern terminus at Bakersfield and Stockton. Of these, five continue to Oakland and two to Sacramento. Two additional Sacramento-bound round trips are scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2025.

The service is notable for its extensive network of dedicated Amtrak Thruway bus routes, which are integral to its overall performance. More than 55% of riders use a Thruway bus for at least one segment of their journey. These routes are timed to connect with train arrivals and departures, and offer service to destinations across the state, including Southern California (notably Los Angeles Union Station, where passengers can transfer to the Pacific Surfliner or Amtrak's long-distance services), San Francisco, the Central Coast, the North Coast, the High Desert (including Las Vegas), Redding, Reno, and the Yosemite Valley.

With 899,903 passengers in fiscal year 2025—a -1% change from the previous year—the Gold Runner ranked as Amtrak's seventh-busiest route nationwide and third-busiest in California.

Like other intercity rail services in California, the Gold Runner is managed by a joint powers authority: the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA). Its board includes two elected representatives from each of the eight counties served by the route. The SJJPA contracts the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission to oversee daily operations, Amtrak to operate the trains, and TransitAmerica Services for maintenance of locomotives and passenger cars. Caltrans funds the service and owns the rolling stock.

In 2025, the service was renamed from San Joaquins to Gold Runner to better represent the area serviced, which stretches beyond the San Joaquin Valley, and to match the whimsical names of other rail services in California.