One of the ballot propositions , Proposition 116 , provided the name '' Capitol Corridor '' &mdash; so named because it links the location of California 's first state capitol , San Jose , with the current location , Sacramento . The service was known as the '' Capitols '' until April 29 , 2001 , when Amtrak renamed it the '' Capitol Corridor . '' The '' Capitols '' originally ran via the Coast Line from Elmhurst to Santa Clara , with no stops between Oakland and San Jose . In 1992 , after the completion of track and signal work , the '' Capitols '' were rerouted onto the Niles Subdivision further inland between Elmhurst and Newark . The new route allowed the addition of infill stations at in 1993 and in 1997 . The Oakland Central station , which had been damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , was closed in 1994 , and replaced by new stations at in 1993 and in 1995 . Additional infill stations were added at in 1993 , Oakland Coliseum ( with a close connection to BART ) in 2005 , the existing Caltrain station in in 2012 , and at in 2017
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Capitol Corridor