Construction Completed at Palo Alto Caltrain Station

The $15 million improvement project at the Palo Alto Caltrain Station will conclude Monday, Dec. 22, with the opening of the northern end of the new boarding platforms and a new pedestrian underpass.

Ambassadors will be at the station on Monday to help direct people to the new underpass.

As part of the project to improve safety at the popular station, the at-grade crossing has been removed. It has been replaced with a safer, pedestrian underpass that allows people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices to get easily from one platform to another. The old boarding platforms, which had settled over time and were uneven, have been replaced with new, longer platforms.

Other improvements include new shelters for passengers needing assistance. The new open-front shelter design allows for better access for wheelchairs and mobility devices and more space once inside the shelter.

And, additional ticket vending machines, new visual message signs and a new public address system have been installed.

The renovations are part of a larger project to improve both Palo Alto stations.

At the California Avenue station, the narrow center-boarding platform has been replaced with two outside boarding platforms. This will improve operations by allowing two trains to pass through the station at same time.

A new pedestrian underpass will let people cross safely from one platform to another. And, new center track fencing will help prevent pedestrians from crossing the tracks.

Work at the California Avenue station is expected to be completed by the end of January. At that time, the “hold out” rule, which permits only one train in the station at a time, will be lifted.

The Palo Alto station is the second busiest station on the Caltrain line, after the terminal in San Francisco, serving nearly 3,500 people each weekday.

12/18/2008 - crd
Media Contact: Christine Dunn, 650.508.6238