
See more

What happens if I don't tap off Caltrain?
In order to have valid fare, Caltrain requires you to tag on and tag off before and after each ride. If you forget to tag on and/or off, you will be subject to citation. If you forget to tag off, pay attention to the Clipper reader's beeping noise when you tag on for your next ride.
Do you need ID for Caltrain?
As of Jan. 1, 2022, Caltrain requires all Go Pass users to present their employer-issued identification (ID) to conductors in conjunction with a valid Go Pass.
Can I use my Bart Clipper card on Caltrain?
Clipper® is a reloadable fare payment card that can be used to store a Caltrain Monthly Pass, 8-ride Ticket and/or cash. Clipper cards are accepted on BART, Caltrain, Muni, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit & Ferry.
What happens if you forget to tag off Clipper card?
What happens if I forget to tag off? If you do not tag off within 4 hours, you will be charged the maximum one-way fare from your starting point. Clipper will deduct this amount from your cash balance.
Is BART faster than Caltrain?
Additionally, BART trains are electric and accelerate and decelerate much faster than Caltrain's diesel trains. This makes BART a faster trip overall.
Is food allowed on Caltrain?
It should be noted that unlike Muni and BART, Caltrain allows the consumption of food (including alcohol) on its trains, except after 9 on special event nights such as baseball games. Let's keep it clean, though! The same courtesy applies to the restrooms, which tend to be in the northernmost car.
What is the difference between BART and Caltrain?
The BART connects directly with the terminal. Ride time into downtown San Francisco is about 30 minutes along the yellow line and will cost adults $8.35 one way. The Caltrain does connect directly with the terminal, but it can be accessed by taking the BART to the Millbrae station.
Does Clipper cover Caltrain?
Caltrain accepts the following on a Clipper card: Cash value: Clipper customers get discounts on one-way fares (55 cents for adults, 15 cents for others). Monthly pass: Unlimited weekday rides for adults within the zones you specify for one calendar month.
Is BART cheaper with Clipper card?
High-value Discount (HVD) For single rides, adult Clipper cards get a 6.25% discount on cash value rides by buying $48 worth of value for $45 or $64 worth of value for $60. HVD applies only to BART rides. You can only purchase an HVD ticket online by setting up Autoload or through a transit benefit program.
Can you swipe a Clipper card twice?
Your clipper card is programmed to allow you unlimited free transfers to other Muni routes for a 90-minute window after you tag the first time to pay your initial fare. So, although your trips are free, you still need to tag on each time you change routes. If you don't, you risk being cited for fare evasion.
How do I avoid my Clipper card fee?
Order your adult card online or buy one in person for just $3. If you order online and set up automatic reloading, your card is free!
Can I use someone else's Clipper card?
2 All Youth and Senior Clipper® cards, as well as RTC Discount Cards and cards loaded with the Clipper® START(SM) discount, are automatically registered, not transferable, and can be used only by the person identified in the Clipper® customer database.
What ID can you use for train?
This can be a valid passport, national identity card, or other national state/federal-issued ID that includes your full name, birthdate, and a photo.
Do you need ID Trainline?
You can use any type of photo ID or a credit or debit card as long as it shows your name.
Can you use Clipper card to pay for Caltrain?
Caltrain accepts the following on a Clipper card: Cash value: Clipper customers get discounts on one-way fares (55 cents for adults, 15 cents for others). Monthly pass: Unlimited weekday rides for adults within the zones you specify for one calendar month.
Does everyone need a Clipper card?
Children 4 and under ride free but everyone else must have a Clipper card (a plastic card or in your digital wallet) or a BART paper ticket (no longer sold at stations except SFO) with funds loaded. Proof of payment is required. Fares are based on distance traveled.
Where is Caltrain in California?
Caltrain ( reporting mark JPBX) is a California commuter rail line in the Santa Clara Valley ( Silicon Valley) and the San Francisco Peninsula. The southern terminus is in San Jose at Tamien station with weekday rush hour service running as far as Gilroy.
What was Caltrain in Los Angeles?
CalTrain was a short-lived commuter rail system in the Los Angeles area which operated between 1982–1983. It connected downtown Los Angeles's Union Station with Oxnard in Ventura County, using the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was the first local rail service in Los Angeles since 1961 and was a forerunner of the modern Metrolink Ventura County Line. Service ended in the face of high costs, lower-than-expected ridership, a changing political climate, and staunch opposition from the Southern Pacific.
What equipment did Caltrans use?
Los Angeles County refused to allow the use of its El Camino equipment, then stored at Bell, so Caltrans looked elsewhere. Throughout its short history CalTrain's equipment situation remained in flux. Initially CalTrain used GE P30CH diesel locomotives and single-level Amfleet coaches leased from Amtrak. Caltrans then leased four bilevel coaches from Chicago 's Regional Transportation Authority to replace the Amfleet coaches. These had barely entered service before the SP ordered all P30CHs in the country sidelined because of a derailment in Texas. CalTrain had to use EMD GP9s and bilevel coaches from the SP's Peninsula Commute equipment pool. The Chicago cars could now not be used because they required head end power (HEP) for heating and the SP's locomotives used steam heat, which was not compatible.
How many cars are in a Caltrain train?
Passenger cars. Currently, Caltrain trains consist of one locomotive and a five or six-car consist. Trains run in a puller configuration (led by the locomotive) towards San Jose and in a pusher configuration (led by the cab car) towards San Francisco, so the orientation of cars remains consistent.
How fast is the Caltrain line?
Trains are predicted to travel at speeds up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) between San Jose and San Francisco.
How long is the Caltrain tunnel?
A 1.3 mi (2.1 km) tunnel has been proposed to extend Caltrain from its north end in San Francisco at 4th and King to the newly built Transbay Transit Center, closer to the job center of San Francisco and BART, Muni, Transbay AC Transit buses, and long-distance buses. As of 2012.
What railroad would run between Union Station and Oxnard?
The train would use the Southern Pacific's Coast Line. Amtrak already operated a single long-distance train, the Coast Starlight, over the route. SP objected to the proposal, alleging that the service would disrupt freight service on the single-track line, leading to a protracted dispute before the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The PUC ruled against the SP several times, with a final order in June 1982, ordering that SP operate the service beginning on October 18.
US-101 Express Lanes open Friday, Feb. 11th
The US-101 Express Lanes run between Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and SR-237 in Sunnyvale. Express lanes also run on SR-85 from US-101 to Grant Road southbound and from Moffett Blvd. to US-101 northbound. Tolling begins Friday, Feb. 11th, 2022. Click here for more information.
Limited parking enforcement, limited Marguerite and transit service on Feb. 21 for Presidents' Day
Visit our Limited Parking Enforcement on Presidents' Day article for details on parking enforcement, Marguerite and transit service.
Check the status of your university-provided transit passes
University-provided Caltrain Go Passes, VTA SmartPasses, and AC Transit EasyPasses remain valid. Current pass holders, or those eligible, can continue free, unlimited travel on Caltrain, VTA, and/or AC Transit.
How to contact Caltrain for free?
For more information, call Caltrain at 1-800-660-4287. If you are eligible for the Go Pass, you can use your Go Pass to ride Caltrain for free. Stanford affiliates make up the largest ridership group for Caltrain.
Where is Caltrain located?
Caltrain is a commuter rail service that runs between Gilroy and San Francisco. The closest stops to the main Stanford campus, Stanford Hospital, and Research Park are the Palo Alto Transit Center (at University Avenue), Menlo Park, and California Avenue stations, respectively.
How much does it cost to park at Caltrain?
Caltrain sells daily permits at Caltrain stations (purchase through pay machine on platform) for occasional riders. At most stations, the cost of parking is $5.50.
Where does Stanford's Marguerite shuttle meet trains?
Stanford’s free Marguerite shuttle meets trains at the Palo Alto Transit Center on weekdays. Marguerite also provides late-night and weekend service to the Palo Alto Transit Center station during the academic year (mid-September through mid-June) and weekends during the summer session. For Caltrain information, including information on “ How to Ride ,” visit www.caltrain.com.
Where is the Marguerite shuttle at Stanford?
Stanford’s free Marguerite shuttle meets trains at the Palo Alto Transit Center on weekdays. Marguerite also provides late-night and weekend service to the Palo Alto Transit Center station during the academic year (mid-September through mid-June) and weekends during the summer session.
Does Stanford Transportation sell parking passes?
Benefits-eligible Stanford employees can use pre-tax payroll deductions to purchase Caltrain parking permits. As of April 2018, Stanford Transportation does not sell Caltrain parking passes.

Overview
Intermodal connections
Caltrain has direct connections to three regional rail services; Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (with service to San Francisco, SFO, Oakland, Fremont, Richmond, Dublin, Concord, and Pittsburg) at Millbrae, Amtrak's Capitol Corridor and Coast Starlight trains, as well as the Altamont Corridor Express at San Jose Diridon station and Santa Clara's Santa Clara and Great America stations.
The future BART-to-San Jose extension would also introduce connecting BART service at Diridon …
History
The original commuter railroad was built in 1863 under the authority of the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad; it was purchased by Southern Pacific (SP) in 1870.
SP double-tracked the line in 1904 and rerouted it via the Bayshore Cutoff. After 1945, ridership declined with the rise in automobile use; in 1977 SP petitioned …
Proposed plans
A 1.3 mi (2.1 km) tunnel has been proposed to extend Caltrain from its north end in San Francisco at 4th and King to the newly built Transbay Transit Center, closer to the job center of San Francisco and BART, Muni, Transbay AC Transit buses, and long-distance buses. As of 2012 , only the structural "train box" below the Transbay Terminal had been funded and was being built. In April 2012, the Metropolitan …
California High-Speed Rail
The length of the Caltrain line from Gilroy to San Francisco is part of the planned route of the California High-Speed Rail line. Trains are predicted to travel at speeds up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) between San Jose and San Francisco. With the adaptation of preferred alternative in July 2019 on the San Jose to Gilroy HSR section, dedicated HSR tracks are planned south of Gilroy station, while HSR would share tracks with Caltrain between San Francisco and Gilroy.
Right of way
The Caltrain right of way between San Francisco and Tamien stations is owned and maintained by its operating agency, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB). PCJPB purchased the right of way from Southern Pacific (SP) in 1991, while SP maintained rights to inter-city passenger and freight trains. In exchange SP granted PCJPB rights to operate up to 6 trains per day between …
Ridership and financial data
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board purchased the right of way between San Francisco and San Jose for $212 million from Southern Pacific in 1991.
The operating expenses for fiscal year 2011 were $95,628,000. The fare revenue was $49,026,000, making the farebox recovery ratio 51.3%. This rose to 59% in fiscal year 2012 and 64% in 2013.
Caltrain ridership more than doubled between 2005 and 2015. Ridership growth has been linked …
Performance
According to the Rail and the California Economy study published in 2017, Caltrain Baby Bullet trains operate with a 95% on-time performance, defined as making stops within ten minutes of published schedules. In addition, Caltrain carries over 4,500 people per hour in each direction, equivalent to two freeway lanes in each direction. At current ridership levels, Caltrain directly removes 200 t (200 long tons; 220 short tons) of carbon dioxide emissions per day, displacing t…