On December 18, 1989 CalTrans and Amtrak inaugurated a third San Joaquin roundtrip. The Inaugural special pauses at Riverbank as veteren Amtrak Public Relations man Art Lloyd says a few words to the waiting crowd of dignitaries and passengers anxiously waiting to board.	The Merced stop found a much larger crowd than at Riverbank. Merced is an important stop to Amtrak which bills it as  the Gateway To Yosemite, offering a dedicated bus connection to the park during the summer tourist season.

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