We visited San Francisco for a friend’s wedding and planned on meeting a friend living in San Jose the next day. San Francisco is notorious for long commutes, so driving to San Jose wasn’t appealing, so our friend suggested taking the Caltrain instead.
I’ve traveled on BART and I still remember how painful it was to my ears, yes, you heard that right! We only traveled a short distance from San Francisco to Oakland, but the ride was extremely noisy and unpleasant, so we had very little hopes from this one.
Mini video tour of our Caltrain 🎥
Finding the Caltrain Station is an art!
Why I’m saying this is because the South San Francisco Caltrain station is hidden behind a goods train track, so when we got dropped to the location, we thought Uber has yet again played with our emotions. Thankfully, there was a hotel next to the station. We walked to the reception desk only to learn that there’s a “Tunnel” that takes you to the train station.
To the city planning team: How about adding a sign board?
Caltrain Routes and tickets
There were several vending machines at the station accepting cards, so that was good. We got ours to zone 4, which is Tamien. When you’re planning, do check the zones because each zone has a different fare. But overall, the ride was cheap and fast-ish.
We also realized there are two types of trains, one is a fast route that doesn’t stop at every station, and the slow one stops at every station. Similar to a Mumbai local if you have ridden one!
Our train was a slow one, and took 70 minutes to reach Tamien. If we had driven, it would have taken us 45 minutes without traffic but also added the rental and gas cost. This cost us $11 per person, one way.
Thoughts on Caltrain’s Look Inside Out
First impressions were great; the train looks modern, arrived on time and has a double decker seating area. Everything ticks the box of what a train should be. The doors open and we step inside, again, impressed with the interior too.
There were staircases on both sides to take you to the top level. But then I started looking more closely and noticed somes flaws. Many seats had tables and we saw people working on their laptops. However, for seats without the table, there were no cupholders or storage space and no footrest. Footrest is a must for long journeys, right?
Plus, the storage bins were tiny, so we had to keep our trolley bag with us, thankfully, my short legs made it work.
Tips for First-Time Riders
- Check train schedules for express vs. local routes
- Calculate your zone fare before buying tickets
- Arrive early to find the station, especially in South SF!
- Bring headphones if you plan to work
- Pack light or prepare to hold larger bags
- Head to upstairs for better views
Overall thoughts about Caltrain
I really liked how convenient it was to travel a good distance so smoothly. The train was on time and the ride was relaxing. I think this is a great option for people traveling long distances in California. But I wonder how crowded it gets on weekdays, since it connects Silicon Valley, many techies living in the city use this as their daily commute. Have you traveled on Caltrain on a weekday? Let me know in the comments.
