I'D ROLL THEM OUT SHAMEFACEDLY TOO.

Streetsblog contributor Roger Rudick looks at the new, single-level Venture cars now running on the San Joaquin trains.

New train cars started rolling on Amtrak's San Joaquin, the state-supported service that connects Oakland and the Central Valley, just before the Christmas break. Unfortunately, Amtrak passengers on these cars discovered they had nothing to eat.

But more on that later.

It's worth noting that the roll-out of the new "Venture" cars pictured in the lead image was done with no fanfare.

That, we shall presently see, is the reason for no fanfare.  "Compared to the bi-levels they are replacing, they are more brightly lit, with high ceilings. There are nice, wide passageways between the cars. They're also quieter, with a smoother ride. And there are easily accessible AC and USB plugs between every seat."  How things have changed in forty years.  The looks I'd get when I'd snag one of the seats on an Amcoach that had an electrical outlet (provided then for use by the car cleaner) and plug in my Model 100.  Now everybody is bringing a computer along.  But those California Service bilevels weren't as friendly to the mobility-challenged.

The new seats are firm and comfortable, but bizarrely narrow. I didn't have anyone sitting next to me, by if I centered my body in the seat my shoulder was partially in the seat next to me. There's also only a single, narrow arm rest between the seats. When the train is packed (and I ride them enough to know they do get packed, especially on weekends and around the holidays), medium-to-large people will literally be rubbing shoulders.

"The narrower seats provide for wider aisles that can be comfortably navigated by a wheelchair user. This feature along with the automatic doors and accessible vestibule area allow for passengers in wheelchairs access to the entire trainset," wrote the San Joaquin's David Lipari, in an email to Streetsblog. "The San Joaquin Joint Power Authority (SJJPA) and Caltrans have prioritized this sort of access as it is in line with our mission to provide access to as many Californians as possible."

So far, only the coach cars have been delivered.  There might be more wheelchair access on the new trains.  Then there's the food service.

The older trains accommodate wheelchair-bound patrons by keeping the wheelchair seating area near the accessible bathroom. As to accessing the rest of the train, where is someone in a wheelchair -- or not in a wheelchair -- going to go?

Well, the cafe car of course. Which brings us back to the food issue: there is no cafe car.

Keep in mind someone riding end-to-end, from Jack London Square to Bakersfield, will be on the train for six and a half hours. Many people in Bakersfield connect to a bus to Los Angeles and other Southern California destinations.

I'm going to refrain from piling on here: had somebody in California built the high-speed section from Glenview to Bakersfield first, using conventional tracks north and south, there would be through service between Oakland and Los Angeles now.  The food service, when it comes?

That means one could be traveling for over nine hours, assuming the train and connecting buses are on time, without any way to buy food.

"The Venture Cars are being phased into operation with certain car types entering into service ahead of others. One of the final car types to be deployed will be Vending Cars, each of which will include vending machines," explained Lipari.

That's a significant downgrade from the full-length cafe cars that currently run on the older San Joaquin trainsets. That car offers drinks, coffee, and a range of food.

Time for a history lesson.  "And here the raison d'etre for Amtrak included discontent with automat cars on Southern Pacific (and some Burlington trains) and Buffeteria cars replacing the full dining cars on the Hiawatha." Until recently, there were those prepackaged meals for sleeper passengers on the Empire Builder and California Zephyr, there is no food service on the Milwaukee trains, even the morning and evening runs that once had a lunch-lounge car, so an automat car on Southern Pacific metals under Amtrak auspices, why not?