It's a clean train station free of vagrants and located at the perimeter of downtown San Carlos. There's a beer joint and an amazing Italian restaurant (Impasto) almost at the station. The fare machines are conveniently located on the platforms, and Caltrain itself is clean!! It's the only public transportation I will take in the bay area and most convenient to get into SF. The riders are normal, civilized people you expect, and the train conductors do a good job of checking for tickets. Caltrain is super convenient getting to SF and beats the price of a ride share. The experience is also pleasant with good AC during hot weather or heat during cold months. read more

I love taking the Caltrain and leaving from San Carlos is a breeze. I was so afraid to do it for months, but when I finally did and realized how easy it was to navigate I felt silly. The platforms are very well labeled and parking feels very safe. read more

I love having this Caltrain station nearby. I use it roughly once a week to head up to SF or visit nearby suburbs for dinner/drinks. A few things to note: - Read all of the signage. Sometimes trains in both directions will board on the same side of the platform, and it is a bummer if you don't realize it. - There is no bathroom, elevator, or escalator at this station. - Not every train stops at San Carlos. I wish! I do wish that the historic building in front of the station was used for something. Maybe a coffee shop or wine bar would be nice. The building itself isn't super well maintained so I am worried it will become an eyesore over time (broken windows, etc.). read more

It's not much about the station. Just the constant frustration with the train service. Unscheduled cancellations, delays and worst of all sometimes the train may magically arrive early and leave the station ahead of schedule (??) -- I guess we have different understanding of a time "schedule." Tourists would find it hard to believe this is the train service in Silicon Valley. read more

Great Caltrain stop! It was clean and quick to get in and out. Wish they all were like this!

Many people like to call this a smaller bullet train. It's not it is just an older train. It slowly runs between downtown San Francisco and San Jose, I have ridden it a handful of times over the last couple of years and it gets the job done though it can take patients. My last ride was the worst. Part of that was timing, It was a Saturday and the train only runs hourly and I arrived about 45 minutes until the next train. I got on board and began the ride in. it took forever with lots of stops finally 2 stops from San Francisco they announced that that was the last stop and we were being transferred to busses. The bus I was in was crowded with very uncomfortable seats. We were taken out of the station on a very bumpy road and then were caught in stop and go traffic. Still that was a very unusual situation. Besides I like riding on trains so I still give it a score of A-ok. read more

Caltrain - Public Transportation Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Great station, easy to access using the ramps. The staff is really friendly and helpful.

if i could give no stars i would get ready to be harassed by the conductors u dont pay the ticket once and they chase you every day they see you they take pictures of people without permission this isnt just san carlos its caltrain in general they seriously should consider hiring new staff read more

I am very upset with caltrain. I take train 362 from palo alto at 444. I have been taking this train to tamien for years. The tamien stop is not on the schedule, but the conductors have always allowed us to ride with them there since they go there anyway; until recently. The conductor named WIll kicked us off the last two weeks at the diridon station. Kicked all 25 riders off because that stop is not on the schedule EVEN THOUGH THE TRAIN GOES THERE ANYWAY. All 25 of us had to wait at caltrain for the next train and didnt arrive at tamien until 540. This causes us to contribute to the 5 o clock congestion along with ever other worker that gets off at 5. I work 730 to 430 to avoid commuting during peak times. Why cant caltrain do its part and help reduce congestion in the tamien area by adding this stop to their schedule??? read more

Caltrain - HERE ARE 25 TAMIEN BOUND CALTRAIN COMMUTERS STRANDED AT DIRIDON AFTER THE CONDUCTOR KICKED US OFF FOR THE THIRD WEEK IN A ROW - Public Transportation Near Me - Millbrae, California

I'm severely disappointed with Caltrain. My experience at Redwood City (Sequoia) Station was a complete disaster. My girlfriend and I had paid for roundtrip tickets to the San Jose Sharks stadium to attend the game but failed to board the train. The atmosphere was both uncomfortable and disgusting, not to mention the train had delays which prompted our necessity to drive our car instead. This wouldn't have been out of the ordinary, however, the intoxicated man pulling his penis out of his pants to urinate in front of us was deemed to be a "regular" as if its tolerable that he behaves this way. The security guard brushed it off and complained to us that we aren't focusing on the direction of where to proceed in the train detour situation. He claimed we need to ignore the man and get it together. It's disappointing that this is the quality of public services we must tolerate. I regret giving Caltrain a chance. I regret paying for two round trip tickets from Redwood City to San Jose. I wish the security guard was more professional. I will think twice before using Caltrain again. I'd like to feel assured that Caltrain can be a service that I trust will be safe. read more

More bicycle capacity, please. I'd use the Caltrain a whole lot more if there were some guarantee that I'd be able to get on with my bike. There has always been demand for additional bicycle cars, but these have not been forthcoming. I wonder if ridership would increase if they could accommodate more commuters like me who use Caltrain to traverse the longer distances but still need the bike to get to our final destinations. read more

The ticketing system is a nightmare. Just to load more money onto my clipper card it took 15 minutes just to get through the line and about 3 to 4 minutes just to complete one simple transaction. One that can take BART's machines not even a minute. Because of the slowness of service my friend opted to use one of their ticketing machines which of course costs more. And while at least that was quick it resulted in 14 dollars in coins. Not a simple 10 and 4 1s. But 14 coins. If the service besides that was acceptable then this wouldn't have mattered but it's not. Furthermore it takes a long time to get down to san Jose even with a straight path while BART can go faster to Fremont even though it takes a more round about path. Caltrain may be cleaner than BART or MUNI but I cant say it's a better service. read more

I finally took Caltrain for the first time this year. I decided to go to SF to go shopping. It was great! It was a lot cleaner than Bart, and more comfortable. It's really easy too. Just take the Caltrain all the way to the very last stop. Don't forget to pay for your parking ticket before you leave the station (if you dropped off your car there). After you arrive in SF, turn left out of the station and walk about 4 blocks to get to downtown SF shopping. I know you can take muni too instead of walking, but I haven't figure that one out yet. The Bullet trains are really cool! They get you home fast. It was a bit more expensive than I expected ($17 from downtown SJ to SF round-trip) but worth it since I didn't have to worry about parking. I would definately do it again, provided I leave early enough in the morning to satisfy my shopping experience =) read more

I haven't been on the Caltrain in several months, but I think we all know how to feel about it at this point. However, I recently visited this station for reasons other than transportation. It was very clean, with easy passage from the north and southbound sides of a the tracks. The station is situated right at the tip of the bustling downtown of San Carlos, so it's easy to get a bite to eat or a drink to drink and hop back on the train (or so I assume, like I said previously, I haven't ridden the train in a while) read more

REVIEW EDIT FROM 5/2009-PRESENT: Caltrain is another way for me to get around since I take public transportation as an alternative when I don't drive. The trains are double decked so I like it and with the seats so comfortable, I can sit there sleeping during my ride. There has not been a time when the trains are ever crowded. If you ride Caltrain for any reason, they are a Proof of Payment System. The conductors will check for tickets, remember to purchase your ticket at the Ticket Vending Machines prior to getting on the trains. Caltrain and SamTrans transit vehicles are cleaner than MUNI's Buses. Caltrain does run the bullet and limited stop trains during weekday rush hour commutes. If you commute to work in San Mateo County or Silicon Valley, then the Baby Bullet and Limited Stop trains are for you guys. I have been riding Caltrain at random times and my experiences were very positive. Additionally, the passengers on Caltrain and SamTrans are nice. Don't remember any instances when the trains arrive more than 10 minutes late, unless there is a delay. Caltrain is only crowded when people are going to AT&T Park for the San Francisco Giants Baseball Game. Fares on Caltrain are zone based so it is pricier than BART and MUNI. Looking for a quieter and relaxed ride on your commute? Caltrain is the solution to your question! Caltrain's Administrative Office Hours are Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm! Overall, positive experiences as a Caltrain passenger so I'll definitely ride it again. P.S.: It would be very nice if Caltrain can consider adding 8 more limited stop trains in service between 10 am - 2 pm! read more

Its a decent train station. They used to be better. There's a lot of cool places close by, They have lockers. They have a good amount of bike racks. They have handicapped accessible areas. They have two sides. Yes , they have benches and newspapers also. oh and they have trees. read more

With the high prices of gas, the ridiculously high weekday parking rates in Downtown SF, I decided to take Caltrain from San Mateo. After enjoying my donut (see my earlier updated review), I boarded my train, and had a nice stress-free ride up to SF. When I got to the end, I was rested and refreshed. The trade show offered a free shuttle from the King St. Station, but I felt pretty good, and walked it from there to the Moscone Center. What a bargain! Eight bucks for a 2-zone day pass, plus $2.50 for 10-hour parking at the San Mateo station. I would have paid about $35 for gas and parking in SF. What's more the trains ran on schedule! read more

You can drink on Caltrain. Five Stars. Enuff said. Once I saw a northbound redneck Sneaky Pete a brown-bag Bud tall inside his jacket. The conductor saw too and said, "You know you can drink that here.". He said it rhetorically, unconcerned with the rednecks reply. The redneck began to nervously deny having his secret beer, but reasoned out the conductors meaning and once he'd passed, began to sip from his beer again. He was so Not Busted that he was Totally Busted. read more

Okay, Caltrain...I've ridden you enough in the last 6 months to give you the 4th star...mostly because my biggest pet peeve has been rectified. YAY for posting a track # list for all south and northbound trains at Diridon on weekdays. This means I no longer rush over at 6:42pm, looking for the 6:45pm train and knowing if I head down the wrong tunnel, I am totally f'd and will end up taking the slow boat 6:50pm train OR miss that one entirely and end up on the 8pm train...totally ruining whatever dinner or meet-up plans we had. Now if only the payment machines would always be working....it would be awesome. Small steps...small steps. read more

Look, there are plenty of things that run well with Caltrain. And there are many other things that simply are not their fault, e.g. delays due to suicides. However, there are some of the most INCOMPETENT dumbasses that work for this company. Take the people at the San Carlos transit office where one goes to purchase a monthly pass. This past month, I was running- literally- to get my pass before closing and then to make it to my next appointment. No time for fucking around. As I do every month, I made my way to the booth with no line where the hefty woman with fried blond hair processes monthly tickets. As I do every month, I asked for a pass from zone 2 to 3. Same drill as always. After paying, I made a dash to my next appointment and made the fatal (ok, I exaggerate) error of not making sure the airhead processed my ticket correctly. Of course, she hadn't. I'm the idiot for not *assuming* that she's the idiot. Anyway, rectifying this error has been a NIGHTMARE. I don't have the energy to go into how stupid and rude and utterly worthless some of the employees here are. Nor do I feel like reliving my experience with the ticket collector on the train who was on a raging power-trip and actually threatened to have me *arrested* for not having the right ticket. I'm patient. I tend not to blame employees in such a personally offensive way. Take this exception to be evidence of how severely fucked up these people are. read more

Been a rough week. Culminated with me leaving my car keys in a friends rental car. The car was returned. I go to leave work and drive home. No keys. No way to get them. Fantastic! Where are my LV sunglasses? Oh holy christ. You've got to be kidding me. Could it get any worse? Fantastic! How in the holy hell am I going to get to work??? Okay blondie - duh - Caltrain. In my scattered mind this week, I didn't even think about it ... Way to use the noggin! So, this morning I pack up my laptop bag, my gym bag with my bad ass boxing gloves peaking out (keep in mind, that at this point, it wouldn't have taken much for me to whip them out and use them on someone.... anyone....), and i trek to Caltrain. Get it done. All in all the experience was perfectly fine. The trains are clean enough. No one bothers you. Got there in plenty of time. Hopped on the train. Got to work. BTW ... Got my car keys. Got my sunglasses. Thank god it's Friday. I need a drink. read more

I'm a Caltrain supporter and regular rider because it's clean, pleasant, and the only reasonable option we've got for public transportation on the Peninsula. Sadly though, the system suffers from a near-fatal chicken-and-egg problem of (a) not enough budget to fund the track space and extra trains that could increase frequency enough to make it as useful as BART and (b) too little resulting ridership to get those budget increases. This means that during many parts of the day, trains only run once an hour or less... making it a reasonable option for only the most die-hard public transportation supporters. My other pet peeve with the Caltrain system is their appalling lack of communication with passengers. Today for example we're running 15+ minutes late, and only now are they giving us our first announcement of any kind ("we've experienced some signal problems and are running at least 15 minutes late"). Thanks. Would have been nice to know this when I was standing on the platform and could still have gotten back in my car, but of course the electronic announcement board had no messages and nothing was mentioned over the PA. Nonetheless, if you're reading this, I hope you'll join me in supporting Caltrain so that our kids may someday have an acceptable public transport choice. read more

I used to take the train every day from Burlingame to SF when I was in school. Back then, a month's worth of rides and a sticker on the ticket to allow me to ride Muni, SamTrans and other buses cost $68. It costs much more now of course. The ride is pretty smooth, and comfortable. But I was thinking ... why are SamTrans buses so much cleaner than Muni?? Anyway, it's a good ride. One of these days, I will ride the bullet train. Note that for the later morning and early afternoon riders, some stops are skipped, so be sure to read the schedule! I didn't on Wednesday this week when I saw my dentist. I was going to catch a train at 9:30 to South San Francisco. No dice. The first stop for that train was San Bruno. so I had to wait until 10:00. There is a good coffee stand offering Il Fornaio pastries. But I do miss the OLD concession stand ... they had the BEST hot dogs around. With property steamed buns! And you can buy a alcoholic drink before you board!! read more

The trains work well enough. They are not great but, San Francisco has such a low standard for any kind of transportation into the city that I have to say Caltrain is a reliable option. I did have a bad experience with the ticket booth in the San Francisco station; hence a low rating. I was asked what zone I was going to, answered, and was told that I owed $15.00. Seemed expensive, but what choice did I have to get home? I paid and received two $7.50 tickets; I was double charged. Seeing no customer service booth, I spoke to a guard who informed me that there was a customer service line but they give no refunds. So here we are. You steal from me Caltrain and I give you a bad review. Its a sad state of affairs that I still think using your weak thieving system is preferable to 2 hour traffic commutes by car and horrible bus trips by muni. This is not to your credit Caltrain; were you stationed in a well designed city you would go under. All the more reason for me to not settle down in the bay area. read more

THANK GOD FOR CALTRAIN. for real. i work at stanford, and, shit, if it weren't for caltrain (and stanford's free go-pass for employees), i'd be living in the peninsula. ya heard? furthermore, i started riding before the baby bullets, and the non-bullet trains were great for seat arrangement (perfect distance between your seat and the back of the seat in front of you so you can curl your knees up all comfy-like) and gave just the right amount of time to read a paper and have coffee on the way to work, and take an awesome little nap on the way home. ahhh, bliss. then, they added the bullets. i'm proud to say i was there for the first baby bullet day, and i still have my coffee mug to commemorate it. at first it was hard to get used to the lack of time-out that the longer rides provided, but daaaamn i love me some baby bullet now.... no-nonsense commute, clean new trains, could use my laptop if i wanted (plug it in and stuff, how sweet is that?), and gets me home hella early . only problem is baseball people--i don't even know what months the giants play, but trains get packed, smell like beer (oh yeah, you can drink on the trains too), and are filled with--well, i shouldn't make fun of people from san jose. read more

I am a monthly ticket holder and just got slapped with a $354 citation for not validating a 8-ride ticket before entering the train (6 hours after the monthly ticket expired). Even though most conductors are friendly and courteous, don't count on it. As for me I give up using Caltrain after 15 years. I don't want to be treated like a criminal. Update: I spent the morning in court and the judge dismissed the case. Thank you Caltrain for wasting taxpayer's money and having me miss half a day of work. read more

to do mtv cribs..in the end....probably walk on down to king and 4th..and be pointing at one of the big hunk of steel and be like..."yeah...that's my ride~!...i be rolling on 30's~!....this is how we roll in the 415......straight up....now get out of here~!"... noisy and seats are always questionably stained....once inawhile....catch a ride in one of the newer trains, baby bullet...which are a few...but hey...it's faster then driving....sf to millbrae in 16 minutes flat.... read more

I recently gave up my car so I am now a regular on Caltrains... I LOVE it. Bullet trains are AWESOME and I can get from SF/Townsend to San Mateo/Hillsdale in 26 minutes totally relaxed, rested and refreshed. I 100% recommend taking Caltrains if you can... only gripe is that the trains are not friendly to commuters with luggage and sometimes the AC doesn't work so it's uncomfortably HOT in there.... read more

I love the train. The choo chooo takes me everywhere. I take it to work, and I take it up to Millbrae to catch BART and I take it to SF, and even to southern parts of the peninsula. It is fast, pretty convenient, and I am oh so happy there is the clipper card that works well with every other transport you need when you leave the train. It is clean for the most part. Some trains are newer with power outlets and tables. You can drink coffee or tea and look out the window on your trip. It is so much less stressful than driving, and it is better than sitting in the car by yourself in traffic. There is an app for caltrain. I use caltrain droid. It is very accurate, and they give the travel times, as well as how many bike cars there are. The choo choo is my friend. This review is overdue. Heart. read more

UPDATE: So apparently I was totally wrong, there is a Caltrain listings with over 60 reviews! I don't know why this didn't come up when I searched it in any spelling combination. Maybe it was a computer error. I knew it was too good to be true. Yelp team, you had to break my heart by taking away my very first 'first to review' ticker? Original 11/7 review: OH MY GOD, I'M THE FIRST REVIEWER OF CALTRAIN! I finally don't feel lame now that I'll have a ticker on the 'first to review.' I thought every corner and cranny of this town has been reviewed. But surprisingly, not Caltrain! Ok, my review is really only based on two non-rush hour rides, but that's enough right? For those of you who may need to travel to the Peninsula or South Bay that BART doesn't reach, you should consider sparing the air and taking Caltrain. It runs to destinations like Cow Palace, Stanford, HP Pavilion in San Jose. It's very comfortable, punctual, and eating is allowed on the train. I only took it on the weekends and the trains only run once an hour so you have to plan accordingly. And it stops at every station so it's much slower than rush hour schedule. My travel from Sunnyvale to SF was 1 hour and 10 minutes. There are 3 SF stations, the main one near the ballpark on Townsend and 4th. There aren't any fare turnstiles like at BART or MUNI, so I'm sure lots of people who jump on without paying their fare. But you wouldn't do a thing like that right? Plus you never know when you'll run into a mean conductor who will give you shit if you're caught without a valid ticket. read more

Generally I enjoy riding the Caltrain. It doesn't save me time but it does eliminate the frustration of driving in traffic. Today, however, I found two of your conductors to be completely unreasonable. I'm a business commuter who rides the train 5 days a week. I am part of a commuter benefits program that takes money directly out of my paycheck and then auto-loads my Clipper Cars with a monthly pass. This AM I tagged on like you must every month to reload the card. When the conductor came around I gave her my card as always. It scanned as having no pass. Apparently the card did not load when I tagged. I explained that the same info I wrote above the conductor seemed in a foul mood and asked for my ID. Without further discussion she abruptly left with my ID without saying where she was going or what she was using it for. A few minutes later she reappeared saying another conductor had my ID in another part of the train. When I found him, he was in the process if writing me a ticket. Really? Was the New Years resolution of Caltrain to be completely unreasonable to its loyal, paying customers? And what's up with taking my ID without telling me where you are going with it and what you are doing with it. Unprofessional. Clipper Card website shows I have a valid pass although it apparently did not load this AM. I understand you have a job to do and rules to follow. But like all jobs that have not been outsourced to a computer, there is a little room for a little common sense. read more

I've been taking Caltrain to work from the pennisula to San Jose daily. It's so simple and painless. Spare the environment with one less car on the road and enjoy your ride. It's quite pleasant! And you can use your extra time on the train to do whatever, in my case, read some newspaper, then nap.. I can't comment on the price because my company pays for the annual pass. So if your company or school sponsors such program and you are not using it, it's almost a sin!! Once you get off the CalTrain in San Jose, there're plenty of FREE downtown shuttle buses that loops around every 15 min. Check for the baby bullet's schedule ahead of time so you'll get to your destination a lot faster. The only bad experience I've had was when the train got delayed and not knowing that, I went on a wrong train that took me 45 min longer. But I still love it, I will continue to take CalTrain since it's so convenient, and I want to make a point that I really support the public transportation! read more

I have to downgrade my previous review because in the short time I've lived in the Bay Area I've seen it degrade. It's become more crowded and breakdowns have become more frequent. The trains are ancient and are falling apart. Their badging system is unforgiving, and they don't take advantage of technology to allow paying customers to make corrections while on the train. My last experience was the last straw for me, and the last time I'll depend on Caltrain. Maybe the last time I'll ride. On my way to SFO airport on a Saturday morning, I tried to hop on the train at Sunnyvale, and the train comically broke down right when I boarded, with an unknown delay (I heard it ended up being 45 minutes). I ended up taking a taxi instead. Chancing either a Caltrain or BART breakdown isn't worth it. It's really baffling how such a rich area has such outdated transportation. When you see either Caltrain or BART approaching, they look like they're barreling out of a time warp straight out of the 1980s. read more

I used to commute by MUNI; now I commute by Caltrain and have found a host of brand-new things to annoy me. Take, for example: -The much-dreaded weekend schedule. Why must "weekend" equal "much harder to get anywhere by Caltrain"? - No BART hookup in SF. Good thing I've lived here awhile, or I'd have no idea how to get from Caltrain to BART once I got to SF. - Delays. When a train only comes once an hour, how hard is it to be on time? -Trains ending at 9:15pm on Sundays. Like we don't have anywhere we need to be on Sunday nights? - Generally surly staff. There are some nice people who work on Caltrain, but most seem to take after the guy who tried to get me to move by poking me with his walkie-talkie. - Having to take the next train because there are already "too many bikes" on the train you need to take. - I remember the days when tickets were sold onboard-- they were more convenient days. But I guess Caltrain isn't expensive enough, and they need some reason to give riders tickets. When something gets parodied by Killing My Lobster, you know it's ridiculous. Caltrain falls into this category. Yet another service that might seem great in a more rural area, but in a major metropolitan area like this one. You'd think we could do better. Apparently not. read more

I had to give up on CalTrain a few months ago because the train that I had to take from 22nd Street to Redwood City was consistently late. Unfortunately, I have one of those jobs that I am required to be on time for...7:30am sharp. Being a few minutes late, even blaming it on the train, was unacceptable. But recent arm-twisting, in the form of exorbitant gas prices, led me to give the train another chance. And I have to say, the improvements have been noticeable. They seem to have worked the bugs out of the schedule, I haven't been late even once. The staff even seems friendlier, too (no more yelling!). My work subsidizes commuter checks, so my ticekts are basically half-price, which can't be beat. If gas gets any more expensive, I could be saving at least $150, if not $200 a month. No complaints from me, except maybe a plea for more bullet service in Redwood City. It would be nice to finally get to ride in style on one of those posh new trains! read more

Can I get a What What?!?! Caltrain ROCKS! Being a SoCal native, public transportation is a foreign thing to me. One of my favorite things about NYC and SF is getting to use public transportation. The Trolley in SD is a nice gesture, but please, between Boston, NYC and SF for examples, they need to step it up. That's not really my problem anymore since I'll be a Bay Area resident very soon. Then you'll see my fine self riding that Caltrain from Zone 2 to Zone 1 all the time. read more

I enjoy taking the Caltrain. I love the fact that they have baby bullet trains to the major stops. It's clean (especially relative to BART), quiet (except when you're surrounded by Giants fans!) and for the most part punctual. It's true that the trains don't always run on time, but in my experience that's not too often. Plus, I don't mind being a few minutes late to my destination if I can avoid getting stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident or construction. I think many would agree that Bay Area traffic is often more unpredictable than any train schedule. I'd also like to add that in my dealings with Caltrain I've found the staff to be very helpful and responsive- (thank you Robert Schwartz)!! read more

I've noted the grousing about Caltrain personnel, so I assume things have changed during the last few years. The conductors have *always* been friendly and kind to me. Hey, I'm an old bag and old bags are supposed to have honed skills for complaining, right? Not this time. I get my money's worth and a smile a day from Caltrain's conductors during my round trip commutes from Redwood City to San Francisco three days a week. The conductors are always polite, happy and cheery which makes ME happy and cheery. However, I do wish they'd give the seat hogs who take up two seats a smack upside the head. I'm 68 years old and carry a heavy backpack. I rarely get a seat that's reserved for seniors even though the occupants stare right at me. Can't you people tell that I'm OLD for heaven's sake??? Didn't they teach you to respect your elders in your own country or were you raised by wolves? As for the seat hogs, I don't hesitate to let them know that I need to sit in that seat they're hogging and when I do, I often get a scowl. Or if they don't "hear" me, I find that stepping on their feet as I crawl over them to the window seat will do the trick., especially if they pretend to be asleep. Then there's the stampede of all the rude commuters trying to trample Granny Me as I get off the train. It can be a bummer, but I've gotten pretty good at using my umbrella and/or giant-sized shoulder bag to impose a personal space barrier [evil cackle]. Occasionally, there's a gentlemen or two aboard who mama raised right and taught manners. However, I'm sorry to say that this seems to be a rarity among many of the foreign born. Wish they'd get a clue. read more

If you have lots of time and money to spare, ride CalTrain! Otherwise I am very sorry to say there's no advantage: the cost is about equal to driving if you don't pay for parking, but it takes twice as long to get anyplace... not counting distance to/from the stations. Surly ticket checkers providing gastapo-like service round out the experience to a depressing -5 stars. Also, given it's steel-to-human weight ratio and the diesel fuel, I'd be surprised if it polluted less than driving. Wife (ex) tried it too for a time. Frequent breakdowns. Maybe better now. I don't know because of the inconvenience and lack of benefit had me give it up. And why didn't they let BART run the corridor instead, as has been proposed many times over the years? We'd have BART around the bay now if not for CalTrain/"Joint Powers." But its just a dinosaur... or dino-sore, rather. If you're not a regular commuter, just going to SF or SJ for a trade show or something near the station, it can be fine. But for the daily haul, let me say as a Palo Alto native with on and off experience with it over the years, I can only say that's it has gone steadily down hill in every appreciable respect. I'd love to have an acceptable public transpo. option, but CalTrain falls far short. read more

Caltrain gets 4 stars when you compare it to other Bay Area public transportation services. I don't drive so public transportation is my primary reason to get just about anywhere without having to ask for a ride. We'll discuss why I don't drive at another time. I'm writing this review mostly because I hate Muni and I hate Bart even more. They are DISGUSTING and I am thankful every time I get on Caltrain that it never looks as bad as Muni or Bart. Besides the fact that Caltrain is cleaner, here are the other reasons why I like Caltrain: - You can drink - One of their main stations is within walking distance from my house - It helps me get to work in the city in less than an hour - A monthly pass is a steal if you take into consideration how often I use - It takes me straight to AT&T Park - You can drink (this reason really does deserve to be on this list twice) - The seats are comfortable - Bullet trains are AMAZING - They come on schedule MOST of the time - They're not under ground which means when I'm on it, i have something to look out when I'm daydreaming and staring out the window - It doesn't smell (Muni and Bart always seem to smell like urine) - The conductors sound happy almost all the time! The conductor who used to run NB215 would always welcome us into SF by saying "home of the world Champions, the San Francisco Giants" and frankly, who DOESN'T have a good feeling when you hear that? Granted, I wouldn't take this from SJ to SF every day because that gets pretty expensive. But honestly, with the way gas is looking and the price for parking in the city...$9 round trip from San Mateo to downtown SF is NOT BAD AT ALL. read more