Well, I did not miss the train. I was at the station. The train didn’t come.

I arrived as usual last week at the Martinez station (MTZ), with plenty of time to spare. It was only after standing around somewhat dumbstruck like a high-school freshman did I realize that the overhead sign read, “Train 520 has been annulled.”

Annulled? What does that mean? (I correctly assumed it meant cancelled but using “annulled” in this case is needlessly cryptic. It didn’t help that it was furlough Friday and the station was a lot less crowded than normal, so there were no discernible visual cues that the train was, um, annulled.) Another information sign inside the station let me know that the train was cancelled because of locomotive issues and that the following train would arrive in 50 minutes. I went back to my car — thank goodness for free parking — and drove to Sacramento. It was a good thing that I didn’t get dropped off or take the bus, or else I’d be delayed an hour.

I tried to find out how I could learn of something like a train being annulled before heading to the station. There is an 800 number I can apparently call, but that is rather inconvenient (although doing anything extra at 6am could be considered inconvenient). Maybe a Twitter feed would work, but then I’d need a Twitter account and an iPhone or something. My assumption moving forward is that train annulments do not happen often, are rare or never occur. If that is not the case, a better notification system is required.

Other things I have learned while riding Capitol Corridor…

• A lot of people sit in their parked cars and wait for the train to arrive at MTZ. I’m not sure if this is normal human behavior, or simply more evidence of a car-centric society (the automobile as personal shelter). Others bring a cup of coffee, sometimes Starbucks or similar in a large white paper cup, but they are unable to purchase quality coffee at the station (there is a small stand inside the station, and coffee is available from the food car on the train). This is something that the future Hercules station will potentially remedy. Not only will the distance from the station to the parking structure force train patrons out of their cars and into societal relations with other patrons, but they will also be able to get a good cup of coffee at the station (along with a bagel or baguette or whatever). This is what life is all about. By the way, I don’t drink coffee.
• There are several issues with at-grade passenger crossings at stations large and small, so even if Hercules is required to pay a significant amount more money in building grade-separated crossings (a very recent requirement handed down from Union Pacific), it is probably adding significant value. For small stations like Suisun/Fairfield, only one train can enter the station at a time (what they call “working the platform”), and at big stations like MTZ, only one train can open up its doors at a time. With the proposed center-loading island and overhead passenger crossing at the Hercules station, two trains will be able to arrive and board at the same time.
• The information signs at the stations that announce arrivals and departures are not inherently useful and sometimes seemingly conflicting. On the way home from Sacramento there are always two trains waiting to depart, but the signs do not tell you which train is leaving for Oakland in three minutes, and which train is leaving for San Joaquin County in five. Unless you are absolutely sure, it is best to ask the platform attendants, because at least once so far, the trains were flipped. The tracks themselves are not clearly marked either, so the overhead announcement — “Train 545 to Oakland now boarding Track 4″ — is essentially meaningless.
• The “quiet car” on the morning train is the one with the lights out. Not everyone follows the rules though. No talking; no cell phones. I’m trying to get some sleep. It’s still dark out.

Construction of the Hercules station starts this Spring, right?