Featured Image Credit: The Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library

In April 2021 the City of Sacramento approved a plan that will bring new life to the Sacramento Valley Station, an iconic local landmark. This historic train station will become an integral part of the city’s plans for the future, becoming a hub for environmentally-friendly transit. 

The station that will shape the city’s future has also been a significant part of the Sacramento and Railyards history. Learn more about the Sacramento Valley Station’s legacy of innovation.

1862 - The Railroad & Sacramento’s Lost Lake

The grounds where the Sacramento Valley Station now stands were once a swampy lake extending north of I Street, known as Sutter Lake or China Lake.

The lake had been polluted by dumping from railroad operations and tended to flood areas of Central Sacramento. In December of 1861 and January of 1862, Sacramento saw its worst flood period in state history. In some parts of the city, floodwaters were as deep as fifteen to eighteen feet. 

Months after the terrible flooding of the winter of 1861 and 1862, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act into law. The act tasked the Central Pacific Railroad Company to begin building the Transcontinental Railroad in Sacramento headed east over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Central Pacific requested land for the railroad from the City, and Sacramento granted it Sutter Lake and the adjacent lowlands. In return, the City requested it build levees and fill in the lake to address concerns around flooding. Central Pacific began filling in the lake in 1863.

Southern Pacific Railroad, Central Pacific’s successor, took control of the Sutter Lake site in 1906. By 1910, the lake was completely filled. By 1917, agreements were in place to build a railroad station on the newly filled land.

Image features the Sacramento Valley Station in 1926.
Image Credit: The Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library

1926 - The Grand Opening of the Sacramento Valley Station

The Sacramento Valley Station first opened its doors in 1926 under the name of the Southern Pacific Railroad Sacramento Depot.

The historic station is truly a local creation. It was originally designed by the San Francisco firm Bliss and Faville. The building’s distinctive bricks were produced by the Cannon Company of Sacramento, and the striking terra cotta trim was produced by Gladding, McBean, and Company in Lincoln. 

The station opened as a state-of-the-art facility in 1926, and an average of 64 passenger trains passed through daily. 

Image features the Sacramento Valley Station in 1940.
Image Credit: The Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library

1971 - The Creation of Amtrak

Amtrak took over passenger service from Southern Pacific and Union Pacific in May of 1971. After that, the station became Amtrak-only. Its significance in California’s history was recognized in 1975 when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For most of Amtrak’s first twenty years, the Sacramento Valley Station saw long-distance routes like the California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight. Service expanded in 1981 with the introduction of the popular Capitol Corridor route.

Image features the Sacramento Valley Station in 1986.
Image Credit: The Special Collections of the Sacramento Public Library

2006 - A New Dawn for the Sacramento Valley Station

The City of Sacramento purchased the building in 2006 and is now working to transform the Sacramento Valley Station into an innovative, modern transportation hub. In the years since the City has been hard at work turning the station into a bridge between the Railyards and Downtown Sacramento. The station was fully restored in 2016, and future upgrades will bring features like: 

• Expanded parking
• Busy bays with electric charging
• Bike facilities
• Buildings powered by renewable energy

By 2040, up to 30 trains a day will make their way through the Sacramento Valley Station to and from the Bay Area and Roseville. The Sacramento Valley Station has been an integral part of Sacramento’s history, and now it will help transform the city’s future, welcoming visitors and locals alike to the Railyards and to Sacramento.