Emeryville to SFO

[smee]

Hello all;

I'm considering a trip cross country and then flying home and my biggest question about the trip is getting from the Emeryville station to SFO area for a hotel room and my flight back home.  I'll be traveling solo, most likely with a carry-on sized bag or maybe one a tad larger.  Does anyone know the approximate cost of a taxi/Uber, or is public transit easier and the way to go?

While I'm at it, is early Oct. a good time to take the CZ?

Thank you all for your help.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

You could get off at Richmond, the station before Emeryville and connect to BART. The seating is 2 by 1 on some if not all cars and the trains are wider than on other comparable systems due to a wider gauge, so there is plenty of room for luggage unless it is rush hour peak direction, which would not be the case if arriving on the CZ. One transfer would be necessary to reach the airport, but it is simple as both trains arrive on the same platform. In my opinion, the main downside is that there is no checked baggage service at Richmond.

 

[smee]

Thank you, I don't plan on checking any luggage as I'm going solo .

Looking at the schedule for the CZ in Oct shows it arriving at Richmond around 4pm which here in NYC is basically rush hour.

 

[railiner]

Thank you, I don't plan on checking any luggage as I'm going solo .

Looking at the schedule for the CZ in Oct shows it arriving at Richmond around 4pm which here in NYC is basically rush hour.

But in your case you would be going contra-flow, so it shouldn't be that packed....

 

[seat38a]

Why don't you just book your trip to one of the San Francisco stops? The Amtrak busses will take you into San Francisco from Emeryville.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Take the free add on bus from Amtrak. If you have the Uber app you can get free quotes for Uber rides as well, prices are fluid but gives you an idea.

 

[Shanghai]

If you are going to San Francisco on the CZ (or Coast Starlight) use the booking code SFC.  That's the

Transbay Transportation Center in the city.  The Amtrak Bus will take you from the EMY station directly to

SFC.  The CalTran station is near the Transbay center.

 

[smee]

I have no plans to go to SF.  I just want to enjoy the train ride cross country, and plan on flying home the next day.  

From what I've read in this post I'll most likely go to Richmond and BART to SFO and grab a hotel shuttle and stay at that hotel for the night.

 

[Trogdor]

You should also note that if you are taking BART from Richmond to SFO proper, you will have to transfer to another train heading in the same direction.  Richmond-SF trains go to Millbrae (relatively close to SFO, but not on airport property) on weekdays (until 9 pm), and end at Daly City at other times.  There's also a Richmond-Fremont train, which you could take and transfer to the SFO train.

If you're on a Richmond-Millbrae train, you can transfer (same platform) anywhere from MacArthur to San Bruno (if the train is terminating at Daly City, you'll have to change platforms to transfer).  The Fremont trains will allow a direct transfer at MacArthur or 19th St.

 

[the_traveler]

I have no plans to go to SF.  

As Shanghai said, take the Amtrak bus to SFC. 

Even if you take BART, Uber, Lyft or a taxi, you will be going thru SF between Emeryville and the airport anyway! This would cut down on your expenses .

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Less hassle and more time to relax. Take the train all the way to Emeryville and fly from Oakland the next day it’s a big airport these days you could probably score a cheap one way flight on Spirit.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

As Shanghai said, take the Amtrak bus to SFC. 

Even if you take BART, Uber, Lyft or a taxi, you will be going thru SF between Emeryville and the airport anyway! This would cut down on your expenses .

BART would be the best public transportation option even from downtown SF, and is less than $2 more to travel from Richmond versus downtown. The only way using the Amtrak bus would make sense would be if avoiding local public transportation entirely and using a car service from downtown to the airport.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Less hassle and more time to relax. Take the train all the way to Emeryville and fly from Oakland the next day it’s a big airport these days you could probably score a cheap one way flight on Spirit.

Even if using Oakland Airport, BART from Richmond would likely be the best public transportation option. If the schedule worked out, it would also be possible to take a Capitol Corridor train to the Airport station and the Oakland Airport BART connector from there.

 

[smee]

Less hassle and more time to relax. Take the train all the way to Emeryville and fly from Oakland the next day it’s a big airport these days you could probably score a cheap one way flight on Spirit.

I can't get a Jetblue Mint seat out of Oakland, only SFO

 

[PRR 60]

You can take the Zephyr to Emeryville then the Thruway bus to the San Francisco Financial District (SFF) stop at the Hyatt hotel. The BART Embarcadero station is at the SFF bus stop at Drumm and Market. The BART trip is a one seat ride from Embarcadero to SFO.

 

[GiantsFan]

You can take the Zephyr to Emeryville then the Thruway bus to the San Francisco Financial District (SFF) stop at the Hyatt hotel. The BART Embarcadero station is at the SFF bus stop at Drumm and Market. The BART trip is a one seat ride from Embarcadero to SFO.

I recommend this option!  

 

[railiner]

I have done this several times.  On my last trip, I rode the Techachapi detour on the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles to Oakland, Jack London Square.   In my case, I was in a hurry to get to SFO Airport.   So I used Uber.  It cost me around $40.00 including tip, but I made it in time to fly home on the "red eye", saving me a day, not to mention the cost of a hotel.

If I wasn't in a hurry, I like taking the "cheap way"....take the included Thruway transfer to the Trans Bay Terminal, and then the local SamTrans bus.   It is a long slow multi stop bus, with no provision for bags, but I manage.  And it is very inexpensive, plus it shows you parts of the City that you never see on the freeway's.

If you are not "transit savvy", or too timid to ride with the 'local's', I would recommend PRR 60's suggestion....Thruway to Trans Bay, then BART to SFO.

 

[PRR 60]

If you are not "transit savvy", or too timid to ride with the 'local's', I would recommend PRR 60's suggestion....Thruway to Trans Bay, then BART to SFO.

Not the Trans Bay (SFC), Financial District (SFF). The Trans Bay does not have BART access.  

 

[railiner]

Not the Trans Bay (SFC), Financial District (SFF). The Trans Bay does not have BART access.  

Oops, good catch! :blush:

 

[TiBike]

If the objective is just getting to SFO, connecting to BART at Richmond is the least-hassle method. Rail all the way, no bus rides in commute traffic, no wandering around looking for a connection. Not the most scenic, but it's simple and seamless. FWIW, I'm writing this while travelling on BART - no complaints.

 

[niemi24s]

If the objective is just getting to SFO, connecting to BART at Richmond is the least-hassle method. Rail all the way, no bus rides in commute traffic, no wandering around looking for a connection. Not the most scenic, but it's simple and seamless. FWIW, I'm writing this while travelling on BART - no complaints.

But if you get off the CZ and onto BART at Richmond, don't you have to transfer to the BART Yellow route to get to SFO?   https://www.bart.gov/schedules/bystation   

 

[jis]

But if you get off the CZ and onto BART at Richmond, don't you have to transfer to the BART Yellow route to get to SFO?   [URL="https://www.bart.gov/schedules/bystation"]https://www.bart.gov/schedules/bystation[/url]   

Why? Did they discontinue the direct Richmond - Daly City Red Line while I was not looking?

 

[niemi24s]

Why? Did they discontinue the direct Richmond - Daly City Red Line while I was not looking?

According to the BART Map, the Red Line is still there but it doesn't go to SFO (according to the map).  It gets close to SFO, but only the Yellow Line goes right to SFO.  But all I know about BART is what's on that map.  Maybe the map's wrong or maybe I don't know how to read it.

 

[Trogdor]

Why? Did they discontinue the direct Richmond - Daly City Red Line while I was not looking?

Daly City is not SFO.

 

[TiBike]

Yes, you have to transfer to the SF/Airport (yellow) line. Coming from Richmond, you can get on the first train heading south (Daly City or Millbrae or SF/red or Warm Springs/orange) and transfer at MacArthur station. It's a timed cross platform transfer for the Warm Springs/orange line -- did that this past weekend. Don't recall if the SF/Airport/yellow line transfer is cross platform at MacArthur, but you can do it at any station from MacArthur onward. I usually transfer between the two at Glen Park -- it's a single platform station and relatively lightly used, so you just wait for the next airport train to come along.

Not a hassle.