Been riding ACE for over fifteen years, just saw the Yelp page for it. So here goes.
The cars are commuter type cars, not long haul cars like what you see on Amtrak. The commuter cars are OK for a ride of an hour or less. For the full ride between Stockton and San Jose those cars are miserable. The seats are very uncomfortable, especially in the older cars where they are a couple of inches lower.
If you travel in the quiet cars the train whistle is so loud on the Eastbound trips that "quite car" is a joke.
These cars can get quite crowded between the third stops from each end of the route. That means for the long haul riders you can smell your neighbor for an hour, especially in the Summer. Although, having said that ACE 03/06 has recently added another car and locomotive which has alleviated the crowding significantly. Thumbs up to ACE management for that decision.
The train is frequently late, seems like everyone else has priority. I know it's not the fault of ACE but it's annoying none the less. The train seems to have a significant break down a few times a year, that is really annoying.
At the beginning of 2019 they implemented something called PTC (Positive Train Control). The perspective of most riders is that the train seems to be stopped more than ever, seems like we're always in the middle of nowhere just sitting. Sometimes it creeps along at about walking speed, infuriating at the end of a long day. I guess the train is positively controlled when it's not moving though.
The train has WiFi but it's a little hinky. It's probably OK for entertainment but if you need to do actual work on an Internet connected site you will be disappointed. Online gaming would be difficult also, at least depending on where the train is. For the long haul riders you go through two dead spots about twenty minutes each.
The parking lot in Stockton is horrible, I don't know about the others. I have had four break-ins totaling repair costs of almost $4,000 so far. If you go to the trouble to make a Police report, then submit to ACE, ACE will try to find video of the situation and give to the police. All that does you almost no good, you never get the stolen stuff back and you still have to pay to replace it and repair the car. Most of these costs are so close to your insurance deductible that you don't even bother to make a claim, you just suck it up and cough up the cash. ACE needs to be more pro-active about the Stockton lots. Of course ACE employees have a nice secure parking lot right near the station, probably very few problems there.
The train staff is friendly, seem like a nice bunch of people. Sometimes the Stockton station staff is a little surely, they probably have to put up with annoyed people most of the day.
So the train is tedious and annoying for the long haul riders, but it is still better than driving. That is really about the only good thing to say about the train. Although as others have said, when you pass the Altamont on the way home on a Friday of a three day weekend, the train seems a little better when you see the freeway.
If the train was better suited to long haul passengers, more reliable and safer parking I would give better than two stars. read more
