Tracy
Lathrop / Manteca is an ACE station with the single track located on the border between its two namesake cities. It opened with the ACE Rail Line on October 19, 1998. The station platform and the parking lot's single legal access road is in Lathrop. The station is located in an industrial area with the parking lot and access road from Shideler Parkway bounded by a warehouse and the platform overlooking a trucking facility across the single track. The station is a short ways (about a car length) from the Yosemite Avenue grade-crossing with a dirt patch, no trespassing signs and minimal fencing between the platform and grade-crossing. When an ACE Train arrived some passengers were witnessed walking or biking to this grade crossing to get to some of the homes that are nearby to save the long loop around via the access road. The vast majority of passengers though drive to the station and Modesto MAX does run connecting bus service from the ACE station south to Modesto. An ACE Rail branch south from here to Modesto and later Merced via the Union Pacific Tracks, (Amtrak uses the BNSF tracks) is ACE's first expansion objective.
The station's low-level platform itself is quite long and can handle seven cars. It has two small canopy structures that consist of three cream colored beams holding up a curved, teal colored canopy. These two canopies are supplemented by six black bus shelters and all seating is simple black benches without backs. The southern, San Jose-bound end of the platform has a mini-high platform for wheelchairs to board via a bridgeplate. A white fence runs along the edge of the platform with three walkways across the mostly stone with some nicely planted trees drainage ditch between the platform and bus stop and drop off loop along the edge of the station's large parking lot. At the middle entrance, along the edge of the parking lot is a booth with a purple roof and blue base. These are the colors of ACE. It houses a ticket seller who is on duty for at least 20 minutes prior to the departure of each morning ACE train. Along the edge of the parking lot are also a few bike racks and some bike boxes. Continuing into the parking lot, it feels less of a concrete jungle that it might be with plenty of trees planted inside it. At the entrance to the access road to the parking lot along Shideler Parkway is a modern black sign with the new ACE logo and Altamont Corridor Express name.
All Photos taken on 14 June, 2013
