Caltrain Back for First Weekend Baseball on June 19

For the first time in two years, Caltrain will be back on track for weekend baseball starting Saturday, June 19.

The new Caltrain schedule augmented frequency on weekends as well as weekdays, offering hourly service on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as extra “baseball special” trains. Information about Caltrain weekday and weekend service is available in a new brochure, which is available on trains, at staffed stations or by mail upon request.

Caltrain had suspended weekend service in July 2002 to allow for construction that enabled the railroad to launch its new “Baby Bullet” service on June 7. Weekend service resumed on June 4, with 32 trains on Saturdays and 30 on Sundays, a major improvement over the two-hour gap in the past on Sundays.

Caltrain’s baseball service to SBC Park includes two special service trains before every afternoon game on weekdays and before weekend game. Afterwards, fans can board any regularly scheduled train, an express baseball train, or an extra local baseball train serving all regular stops along the Peninsula to San Jose.

The express train departs 15 minutes after the last out or when full, running non-stop to San Carlos, then making all regular stops to San Jose. The extra local train departs 25 minutes after the game. On weekdays, the last stop is at the Tamien station, but a shuttle bus makes the connection between Tamien and the San Jose Diridon station on weekends for regularly scheduled trains.

Caltrain also adds capacity on its regular trains, as needed.

After offering two weekends of free service, regular Caltrain fares will be in effect again starting June 19, when the San Francisco Giants take on the Boston Red Sox. Tickets must be purchased in advance from station ticket vending machines.

The popular Baby Bullet trains, which run on weekdays, will be crowded. Parking is also limited at the San Jose Diridon, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Hillsdale stations, which are served by the express train. For those reasons, Trains 177, 271 and 275 may be better options for passengers going to weekday games, as well as the earliest afternoon northbound Bullet train, No. 373.

Caltrain is a Proof-of-Payment system, requiring all passengers to have valid fare media before boarding the train. Caltrain sells tickets through machines at all stations, with the exception of Paul Avenue and College Park.

Passengers may purchase One-way, Day Pass, or 10-ride Tickets. The 10-ride Ticket is a great bargain for families and groups of friends heading to the ballpark because one ticket may be used by all members of the traveling party, providing they don't exceed the 10-ride limit.

Passengers are required to validate all 10-ride tickets before boarding. If a validator is not working, 10-ride Ticket holders should immediately locate a conductor upon boarding the train.

Monthly Pass holders ride free through all zones on weekends.

For additional schedule and fare information, call Caltrain at 1.800.660.4287 (or TDD only) 650.508.6448.

6/16/04