Caltrain

13 miles costs $ 16.50 including parking??? That’s way more expensive and takes a heck of a lot longer than driving. I used to ride this to work but they’ve driven me back to my car. It makes no sense for public transit to be priced this way.

Caltrain — I love it. It’s clean and I can eat Hahahaha. I love the Bullitt train. Wish there was free wifi but maybe in the near future. Thanks Caltrain for taking me to places with the hassle of traffic and everything else.

This is the address anyway for the San Francisco terminus for Caltrain. There are two different Muni stops right by this station making for a good here and away and connections. Its fairly big and well laid out. There are lots of automated ticket machines. I have been here when it was very busy though.
About Caltrain in general Its not very fast, especially when they are closed on sections of track like they were then I was in the area. It does though give you a look at lots of the area at a slow enough speed you can really see.
The trains are old but they seem to be clean and in good repair. Unlike Bart and Muni there are steep steps getting in. if the first floor looks to full for you there is also a second floor. I chose first floor because I had to much stuff with me.
One thing I learned that saved time on the way back is that the Millbrae station is served by both Bart and Caltrain. That worked better for me.

Efficient clean and easy way to get to and from the city. Can be a bit of a party train on Giants game nights and the weekend. Clean cars and a smooth ride

I’ve been a periodic Caltrain rider for roughly five years now. With dividing my time between the South Bay and SF and cities in between, I’ve been able to get a good grasp on what to expect when I ride any particular Caltrain on any particular route. Seeing as the SF Caltrain station is (well, at least, to me) Caltrain headquarters, I figured I would use this review to write both about this particular station as well as Caltrain as a whole.
Facts:
* Caltrain is used on a daily basis by countless people within and without the Bay Area to get from point A to point B. As such, especially on the weekdays in the morning and late afternoon/​early evening, trains will be packed. This should come as a surprise to no one.
* In the past five years, fares have increased. I don’t know exactly who or what is to blame, but bottom line… if you plan to take Caltrain frequently, go to Walgreens and buy a monthly pass Clipper card. For a flat fee, you will be able to take unlimited trips between whatever two particular zones you choose for any given month until the month comes to an end. It is also a lot cheaper than having to purchase individual paper tickets for each ride.
* Riding Caltrain is a privilege, NOT a right. Therefore, you are not entitled to a free ride. Conductors will, at random, come around trains and check for tickets and passes. If you don’t have one, you will be either given a citation or ordered to leave at the next stop. I don’t want to hear any lame excuses as to why you didn’t pay your fare. «I was running late.» «My tire went flat by the intersection.» «I forgot.» I DON’T CARE. Like I said before: Riding Caltrain is a privilege, NOT a right. Pay your fair/​fare share like the rest of us.
* Whether you like cyclists or not, they’re allowed to use Caltrain as much as non-​cyclists. There are designated bike cars where the lower level is for cyclists to store their bikes and the upper level is for them to sit. If you are not a cyclist, please do not sit in the bike car. Be courteous and let them sit there.
* On the other hand though, if you’re a cyclist and a non-​cyclist even just walks into the bike car, try to be a little polite when you ask them to vacate the car for you. On multiple occasions, I have seen cyclists flat-​out yell and accost non-​cyclists for merely having the audacity to set foot in the bike car. Don’t be an @$$hole. Be polite and tactful. Otherwise, you’re just giving cyclists a bad name and adding more fuel to the fire of those who hate cyclists.
* Disabled people are allowed to use Caltrain too. If you’re able-​bodied, vacate your seat and/​or move aside for someone who’s disabled. If you don’t, you are simply a bad person in my eyes.
* When people are waiting at a particular station for a train to arrive and it finally does, it is very common for some people to treat boarding the train like it’s a contest. I have seen people shove others and barge their way in because they’re so desperate to get a seat. First off, as a courtesy, wait for those who need to depart the train to get off first. Then, you can make your way on the train. The next rider who shoves me while they’re boarding will be promptly scolded in front of everyone else.
* You’re allowed to drink alcohol on Caltrain, but please try to keep your imbibing to a minimum. Nobody wants to be around an obnoxious wasted individual on Caltrain.
As for this particular station, it’s still pretty good. It’s great for those who want to watch Giants games during baseball season, since it’s located right down the street from AT&T Park. There are also bathrooms and a number of eateries too.
Overall, I’m thankful for Caltrain’s existence as it provides a convenient method of transportation in the South Bay and the Peninsula. I understand the frustration of fare inflation, but I suppose it’s par for the course for living in the Bay Area.
If you take issue with any of the foregoing points, hit me up and we’ll make arrangements to meet up in person so I can play you a tune on the world’s smallest violin while you cry me an ocean.
4 stars

I took two trips to San Francisco via Caltrain to the 4^th St Station. First day, I left from Mountain View and second day, from San Jose Diridon. I only wish this and VTA have some representatives at the major stations for people who don’t use the service at all or for tourists. These guys though are very good at making sure you get off at your stop and know where you’re going. Ticket prices are pricey compared to VTA and last only half the time. There are ‘local trains’ which stop at every designated one, ‘limited’ which stop only at bigger stations, and ‘bullet’ which are like hardly any stops. It’s all based on timings and these are color coded on their site. Prices are based on zones so the larger the difference in zones from your boarding to your destination, the more you’ll be paying. Service is pretty reasonable and seats are very comfortable. I haven’t been on BART or MUNI but Caltrain is a nice service to check out especially if you don’t want to drive to San Francisco with all the traffic!

All caltrain stations are inefficient. 1 caltrain/​hour? Are you kidding? The first train on weekends arrives at SF at 8:30 a.m. And SF tries to have a cleaner air? Think about it. Having a better train system, the number of cars WILL decrease.

Terminal stop in SF, with the entrance to all trains through the glass doors from the north side of the platforms (it’s not an open station). There are bathrooms in this station, as well as a coffee shop and Subway. The Clipper reload machines are a joke — broken more often than not (I would recommend you cross the street and reload at Walgreens, it would be faster than waiting in line for one of these machines and you can designate exactly how much you want to reload).
Do your research on which train will get you to your final destination! Entrances to the platforms have a sign that designate the departure time of the train (not number of the train — that’s only on the LED signs once you’re on the platform) and a sign next to the door that indicates the stops that the train will make (or just pull up the schedule on your phone). Red signs means it’s an express train (so only 4 – 6 stops total), yellow is a limited (which is usually a couple of stops per zone and/​or local part of the way), and regular white signs are local trains (makes EVERY single stop).

When something happens on Caltrain, it’s chaotic. They update tweets, make automated vague announcements but none of it seems united. For instance, I happened to take a 6:31 train to Hillsdale from RWC when something happened and they had to single track both trains going north and south. They completely skipped the hillsdale one! The automated announcement thing kept saying blah blah train will be ahead of 183, repeatedly. So a lot of us gets on that one after waiting nearly an hour and it’s a bullet train direct to Millbrae. Since the 183 was so delayed, why not make that bullet train stop at all stops so that people can get on and off? The 183 comes every hour, which is already a major negative for most folks Needing that route. We’re already all late anyway, what’s another few stops? The logistics just doesn’t seem intuitive and I’m so disappointed at how limited and unreliable Caltrain is compared to other public transportations around the world. After I took the train to Millbrae, I had to go south bound back to Hillsdale and the next train going south was in 46 minutes. By then I had already cancelled dinner plans because it was just ridiculous by then. So from 5:30 until close to 9, I was waiting and waiting while never getting to my destination, despite its closeness. I should have just took Über or walked there. Walking would have been faster I’m sure.
I am just so utterly disappointed with Caltrain. Not only are their prices outrageous for the limited and unreliable service, they can’t even properly serve during rush hours. They don’t have enough trains, enough tracks, resources. They pretty much don’t have anything good except for their ticketing machine which always seem to work.
Weekends are also lacking on Caltrain. They make it so inconvenient for people to travel, forcing you to drive because the train schedule is so infrequent that you’d rather not. And they are so monopolized that there is nothing else you can take. It’s just too much inefficiencies here, and their responses to that less than stellar. I don’t care that maybe the train isn’t in high demand on weekends, but it’s because people are sadly so used to not being able to rely on it that it’s even like this in the first place.
Sorry Caltrain, I don’t really care how clean your cars are. You need to step up.

The restrooms are generally clean, and the machines work. There is no dedicated staff, so you’re on your own. There is a Subway and a coffee shop. The waiting area is more of a place for homeless people to rest than for passengers to wait for the train.

I take the cal train daily from San Jose, Dirdon to San Francisco (4^th and King). This station is great. It offers a subway, local café with coffee, snacks and sandwiches! Super good and great options for healthy folks (hard boiled eggs)
The station is clean, the trains are nice and safe. The station is about 5 minutes (walking disgrace) to the AT&T park, If you’re going to a game I would take cal train any day over Bart :)

I need this place to go home and come into the city, so, Unilocal,that’s what keeps me coming back.
That said, it’s a perfectly adequate train station.
The doors to each train are too small, and it’s varied as to whether or not they’re actually going to check your ticket when you get there. But either way you and hundreds of your soon-​to-​be closest friends are going to be trying to cram yourself through the small, two-​person doorway to get on a train that houses a thousand folks or so.
It can get crowded, and backed up.
That said, on your way home at least, there’s a little bodega where you can get beers and some snacks before you get on the train in the afternoon (drinking is fine on the train, not in the station) and there’s a Walgreens and a Safeway across the street if you want other food.
There’s a relatively easy transfer to the N and the T muni cars, but they come very infrequently. You can catch the 10 or 45 or 30 buses that go down 3^rd, but hustle as driving around the station is insane because of all the construction going on.
It’d be much better if Caltrain went all the way downtown and this station was at the new Transbay Terminal, but for getting further south than Daly City, you’re gonna have to use Caltrain, so buy a beer (or a Diet Coke) and enjoy the ride as best you can.

Schedules? Seating? Good luck…
Newer trains rides are much smoother and the seats seem to be more numerous, but the older generation of trains (built in the 1980’s) are quite rickety, loud and cramped for space. Typically for a rush hour commute (morning or evening) there is standing room only near SF. If you try to make it to a baby bullet service train, you battle the rest of the growing population coming to and from the peninsula, but service is much quicker.
Never expect the train to be exactly on time — for the most part the earlier the train, the more likely you are to get a ride and for that ride to get to your destination on time.
The employees are definitely doing their best, they are the best part of the service, but they are operating with ancient technology and have to deal with a lot of riffraff customers. The employees I’ve had interactions with are usually courteous and much better than the staff of other public transportation in the area.
Also, if you’re a customer reading this: don’t talk on your phone the whole time please! Don’t shake your leg, don’t eat smelly foods or crunchy foods or tasty looking foods… it’s very impolite! Try reading a book, keeping yourself and your belongings to one (1) seat, not 2 or 3 or 4…

Love taking the train. It’s a great way to travel to and from the South Bay. Don’t worry about traffic. It’s a sit back and relax. It can get crowded, but that’s only cause it’s such a great service.

My Caltrain experience was a smooth and successful one. At the Diridon Station, the Caltrain machines are very easy to find, labeled with a huge C logo. From there, ordering your ticket is pretty much self-​explanatory. You can buy your day pass, your round trip pass, etc. Plus, the security officers are very nice and are willing to help you out if you are having trouble. There are also various frames around the station that show you exactly what times the train departs and arrives at certain locations during the weekdays and weekends.
As for the Caltrain ride itself, it was not bad at all. The seats are comfortable and there is enough leg room so you don’t feel like you’re cramping up in a claustrophobic space. When you go with a friend, time flies by at a lightning speed. Before we knew it, we were already in San Francisco. Also, don’t try to sneak in the Caltrain — every time I’ve been on it, an employee checks to see if you’ve purchased a ticket. Don’t be that person that they kick off at a random stop just so you could mooch a free ride because it’s totally not worth, haha. As for food, I believe you can eat on the train… or at least I did.
If you are looking for a convenient and comfortable way to commute to/​from work, I would definitely recommend the Caltrain. The BART is a bit cheaper in price, but it is not as comfortable or clean. As for the Caltrain, it is definitely pricier, but you’re paying for a quality ride.

I took the CalTrain for the first time today and I thought it was as easy as Chicago’s Metra where I’m originally from. Arriving in San Francisco, it was very easy finding my bus stop with the help of a couple of iPhone apps, CaltrainMe and MuniWatch.
By the way, for those rushing from home to catch the train and forget to eat, this station has food, both hot and cold!
Going back to San Jose, I took the baby bullet train (which is not a bullet train like Japan that goes 200mph, but a train that takes a few popular stops only instead of stopping at every station) and it was very easy. I love how there’s outlets here so if you need to charge your phone or laptop, you could easily plug it in. Although, I found it hard to find an open seat just because I got there 5 minutes prior to departure. I’d suggest going earlier to get a good seat.

Caltrain has been come a bit unreliable over time. It’s very hit or miss, however, it’s one of the few ways to get from SF to Southbay. Often times you may end up getting to your destination late anywhere from 5−10minutes, so make sure you take that into account when planning.
One of the worst things is for commuters who have to deal with drunk giants fans. First, the area gets blocked off and they form a line out the door to regulate it, then quite a few people wasted, yelling at strangers, talking way too loudly. I’m glad you’re having a great time — and i totally understand, but it’s tuesday at 10pm, and I just want to ride the train home in peace. oh well.
In general caltrain allows alcohol and food on the train, with the exception for post-​event trains, yet people still break this rule.

Caltrain is a reliable way to get around the peninsula, from San Jose to this main station in San Francisco. The ballpark is just a block away. Just make sure you remember to tap your clipper card or buy a ticket before you get in line and get into the train. Once those doors shut, they’re shut. I don’t recommend jamming yourself into them to shoulder your way in, as you would on Bart. C’mon, we’ve all done it.
Speaking of Bart, it’s not that far away from here. I know it’s a bit of a pain, but just ride the muni from either of the stations at 4^th and King (There’s one for the T and one for the N Muni trains, both will only go one way since this is the end of the line for them), and ride to whichever Bart station you need to go to. Embarcadero will be your first one.
If you happen to work for the Giants and have your badge, you’ll ride Caltrain for free. Ask about additional employee discounts if you work for another SF company. Freakin’ love how you can have alcohol on the train to ballgames.
One last tip: Pay attention to the big signs at the front of the building, when you’re going to take a train back out to the peninsula. There are usually people queued up in front of them. One is usually for All Stops, and sometimes there’s another for Express trains to certain cities. Make sure you pay attention to which is which, because if you get on an express, it ain’t stopping.

Overall this is a great little station and I have come to love cal train.
If they were to redo it there are a few improvements that would be great. Like closer to Bart. That’s the single most important thing that would make this station 1000% better and likely increase ridership logarithmically.
In my humble opinion the next best improvement would be better bike routes to the station. The ones right now are riddled with cracks, pot holes, torn up pavement and idiot drivers. Bike paths separated from the road would increase biking and also increase ridership.
Other than that it is reasonably clean, nice and airy, has a couple food vendors and automated ticket stations. People are amazingly friendly despite being in such a rush. I attribute that to the sunny skies and San Francisco attitude.
So far my trains have always been on time. The reason I’m writing today is that my train is late and I’m killing time. The funny thing is that the message board says it’s on time. I wonder how late a train has to be before it’s no longer on time.
… Tic toc. Tic toc.
Ok. Here is my train. Finally. Gotta go.

We may have varying experiences with Caltrain.
This review is about the placement of the Clipper scanning machine & frequency of service.
I was in a rush to get on the train a few minutes ago and, since I don’t often ride it, I proceeded to board the car with my luggage & backpack.
Then it hit me, did I need to scan my Clipper card before getting on the platform? Yes, I was suppose to.
So with less than 5 minutes left before departure, I got off the car and dashed back into the building. The scanning machine was not near the doorway (oh no!). It was on the wall on the opposite side. When I suggested they move this to 2 Caltrain inspectors by the doorway, they didn’t really express any sympathy. They just didn’t care.
Tired, muscles sore, feeling aggrieved, I hauled my luggage, backpack & self back on the train.
Caltrain is the only way to get down the Peninsula on public transit. It’s helping by taking people out of their cars… that’s good.
But, operationally I think this transit system needs to go back to having conductors on the train. I like seeing a person on the train who can answer questions and help if needed. I don’t like management’s solution of going towards more tech and less people. If I want to spend my time interacting with machines (not with people), I’ll join the the thousands finding solitude in my car.
Isn’t one of the points of having public transit to ease the commute — not give stress? Also, why can’t Caltrain run more frequently rather than once an hour (outside of rush hour)? Is everyone on a break?