San Jose Diridon Caltrain

Always loved this place for the authentic old-​school style of train station. With the church wooden seats in the main foyer. Also the location of the actual trains acquires you to walk down and under the train to the exact station which is wheelchair accessible all the way for those dealing with handicapped or disabled. However there is a food station which is very small and very classic to the olden days of train stations and a lot of transient activity at this station. The bathroom stalls have no doors for the men so be aware you will be watching what you do not want to see or here or smell. However the positive part is this line station connected to everything. San Jose Diridon is the hub for Caltrain as well as Amtrak as well as local commuter trains that travel outside of California. It is a tech center located next to the sap Arena and also local bars and breweries and the local downtown area. You can catch a cab or contact rideshare 2 food around the area and visit downtown and also grab some food. I like this location and prefer to travel from this location as it is very accessible And Timely. This is the tech center capital of the world and there are updates to this station that make it look so. The customer service agents have limited times when they are available and when they are they are very friendly and knowledgeable. I feel like this whole train station still breathes good life because of the authenticity and professionalism.

Is also a hub for various bus services, including the Santa Clara VTA. The curbs by the bus stops are sometimes a better place to wait for passenger pickup, as the drop-​off area in front of the main entrance is often crowded with poorly parked vehicles blocking everyone else.
I try to spend as little time as possible in transit here because
*the station is basically hobo central and in a very sketchy neighborhood,
*the restroom floors are somehow always wet,
*the snack options are pretty lame, and there’s nothing else nearby.

It is a great way to travel I wish we had better schedules from Morgan Hill. I use it to go from San Jose to Sacramento and highly recommend very clean and stop to minimum.

Getting on is pretty easy. You just pay for your ticket or add money to your clipper and hop on. The waiting lobby is spacious as there are many benches. There is also a small news stand that sells sandwiches and other snacks if you get hungry while you’re waiting for your train ride. The men’s bathroom doesn’t smell and there is actually soap in the dispensers! However, there aren’t any dividers between the urinals so it’s a tad bit uncomfortable. My girlfriend said that the women’s bathroom is not that great and it’s a little dirty.
If you need help navigating to get on a train ride and you are a newbie/​first timer, then simply ask the people who are also boarding because they are friendly and will do their best to help direct you!

This is a pretty big station for being on the last stations. There are a good number of snack options and ticket machines. It’s pretty easy to navigate and I found a representative who was very helpful. Three times I’ve been though here and it’s been totally smooth sailing.

This station is well-​maintained, easy to get your tickets, parking all day cost $ 5 and all you need to do to is pay attention to the track number you have to be at for your train. I believe there’s about 8 or 10 tracks but not all of them are being used for Caltrain, some are for Amtrak and ACE Trains too.
I like their newer trains because of the power outlets — you can charge your phone, tablets, laptops if it’s running out of battery. They also have tables in the newer trains too! Perfect for people who wants to do some work while on their way to work or whatnot.

Being from the East Coast, I only have Amtrak as a reference (so I was a little apprehensive), but going from South San Francisco to San Jose for 10 dollars? Sign me up!
The only downside (s) — RIF (reading is fundamental)… I had one piece of luggage but missed the luggage car (see I misunderstood that EVERY car held luggage). Nice ride. Using the machine to get my ticket was a little wonky also (but I had local help)
FYI — For you newbies — download the app!

Good train station, but it needs more platform number signage *on the platform*, not only in the tunnel. All train stations I’ve been to in other countries have a lot of signs, great help for disoriented travellers.

It is a train station that looks like it was locked in the early 20^th century. The Spanish architecture, the ceramic tiles and the wooden benches imbue this place with lots of charm. Buses pick up at the curb right along side the bike exchange. Unfortunately, it did not look like they had any long term parking for travelers.

Very convenient train station here in SJ; I use it all the time to visit my sister in SF and vise versa mainly because it’s a lot cheaper than driving.
The station itself is dated, that’s pretty obvious, but it’s well kept, well stocked, and clean for the most part. Right off the bat I’ll say one thing that I really don’t like is the little round about area in front where everyone drops people off. Usually there is someone who always blocks me in there and it just becomes a cluster of cars trying to get through. I try to avoid parking in the front now because of it.
The location of the station itself is very easy to find once you’ve been there before; it’s right in downtown San Jose off of W. Santa Clara St. Doesn’t matter if your heading north or south, the 87 highway entrances are close by which makes my life a lot easier.
I’ve never had any actual issues with the Caltrain route between SF and SJ before, aside from a couple times where the train was delayed for various reasons. Let’s be real, trains get delayed every now and there is not much you can do about it. With that said, I’ve probably ridden Caltrain over twenty times so having only been delayed once or twice really isn’t that bad of a record when you think about it.
If your new to riding Caltrain, please, please double check your stops. The schedule chart on their website isn’t the most intuitive and can be confusing for those who haven’t seen it before. My own sister has missed multiple trains because of this and she takes public transportation all the time.
Diridon Caltrain is my go to for public transportation, hands down. I’m too familiar with it to switch to another station, and why would I? It’s not a perfect, but I still highly recommend it.

I LOVE how this station is so close to my apartment! It’s about a 10 minute walking distance.
This station was well-​maintained. I found it very easy to get my ticket and find the train I’m supposed to be in. I recently got a job in San Francisco so I committed a day to commute there. With the help of a couple of apps, CaltrainMe and MuniWatch (iPhone), it made my trip smoother.
If you’re planning to drive here, there’s tons of parking around. If you’re thinking of purchasing a monthly pass, you can purchase it in a retail store such as Walgreens and Whole Foods. You can order it online and they will waive the $ 3 fee if you set autoload but it takes like 7 – 10 business days to be mailed to you.

I love catching the train, but the fact that I can’t purchase tickets using an online app is extremely frustrating. I simply don’t get it. Had to wait 20 minutes to get tickets and missed the bullet train as a result. Now I have extra time to write a review. C’mon Caltrain get it together

Great Caltrain station just located across the SAP Center… Go Sharks! This station has plenty of parking, but it’s not free so you have to pay a day pass.
If your a San Francisco Giants fan, this is a great way to commute to the AT&T Park. It will take you straight to the stadium which is a lot better than driving there.

I will always use the caltrain to get to SF. Usually I’ll take it when I’m attending a giants game btu ocasionally I’ll just take a random trip using this awesome train.
You can drink on here which is great and don’t have to look for parking in SF which can be a nightmare!
Definitely recommend caltrain over bart, so much cleaner. It’s worth the cost of the ticket which is $ 9.95 one way and $ 18.95 for a day pass I believe.

I have traveled on Cal Trains at least 30 times & my experiences have always been positive. I figure out what zones I’m traveling to buy my ticket, find my train number, all trains to SF leave from tracks 4 & 5. You are traveling with the GP so you experiences will be what you create. Staff here is very helpful just ask and always stay alert because anything could happen out there.

*This review is only to vent about the parking*
The Diridon station is very convenient but it sucks to pay for parking. Parking at the Tamien station is free. On a monthly basis the parking amounts to very little per day. However I don’t see the justification for paid parking at Diridon when Tamien is free. Just make parking free and I’ll give more stars!

The people at Caltrain here are the worst! They tell you the wrong zone to go one! All the people who run Caltrain have the worst customer service I have ever had. If I could give a zero star I would.

I usually commute to San Francisco from here daily via the Caltrain. For a mass transit center which thousands of people visit every day, San Jose Diridon is extremely clean and as a petite woman, I feel safe waiting here at night. I unfortunately can’t comment on parking as I get dropped off here (but around 6:30 am, the parking lot seems to be relatively empty). The bathrooms also do not stink of pee-​pee like the San Francisco Caltrain Station.
This station also serves Amtrak, which I used to get back home when I used to go to college at UC Davis.

Clean, plentiful parking before 7, small convenience store to grab snacks and coffee (cash only), and close to downtown San Jose/​SAP Center/​great eats/​good fun. Since it’s mainly an end station, trains are always on time leaving the station in the morning and there is a decent amount of seating left when I board at 6:30am.

This is where i normally catch a train to San Francisco its also a an Amtrak bolt and mega bus station
It has parking if you own a automobile for a small unknown fee (I’m car free).
It has Amtrak rail ambassadors also

This is where I normally catch the train to go in to the City. This is an easy location to park your car and then jump on a train. If you do not want to leave your car, you can pick up a VTA bus or light rail train (Winchester/​Mt View Line).
The cost if very little compared to parking in the city or even trying to find a place to park. I come here with there is a big event in the City (Fleet Week Events). I do not take my car to the City so I do not need to pay for parking or find a spot.
You can Catch a train here to go anyplace that you want to head to, like Reno, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento and yes San Francisco.

Love this station! Light rail, and directly ahead across the street is the live music playin Po Boy Bistro!
Stadium and park across the way and behind that off the beaten path’s the High Life BBQ!

Silicon valley traffic has gotten ridiculous in the last few years. I e relied more and more on Caltrain these days especially during commute hours. Caught many hockey games this way. mi e missed the train a couple of times and this station also has VTA however it’s so damn slow. My big gripe is the last train is at 10.30 which is crazy
do you expect to stay out around here?

Don’t Drive! Carpool via train! It’s much faster than driving anyway.
Trains are mostly on time since 90% of them start at this station. The tracks are used by ACE, Caltrain, Amtrak and other private companies. While I’m all for sharing the tracks, if one of the other trains break down, it will cause delays for everyone else.
The building itself is fine, there’s a small cash only snack shop with coffee for your mornings. Theres a fairly large waiting area that look like church pews where you may also buy tickets.
The caltrain machines are located near light rail (tracks 8&9) and also near the waiting area. Clipper card tagging stations are abundant, but I wish they had one closer to the further tracks (8&9).
If you’re commuting to san francisco, take the bullet trains whenever possible, but beware they do fill up rapidly and you may not get a seat.

Convenient location in SJ. Hub for Caltrain, Amtrack, and the ACE Train.
The restrooms here are slightly better/​cleaner than what you’d expect at a typical train station. There isn’t much shade at track #1 in the afternoons.
The ACE train ticket validation machine is jammed at least once a week. Just make sure you get it validated by the attendant before boarding.
$ 5 all day on-​site parking.

There’s not much outlets here so if your phone is dying you should of charged it elsewhere before coming. The overall layout is pretty self explanatory and is posted everywhere in big fonts! Always on time that I’ve taken it.
Restrooms are near the front. The workers are nice when I was confused once regarding all-​day ticket. There’s definitely enough seats for those waiting for the next train, getting picked up, or waiting for the bus.

An obviously busy Caltrain Station. Literally steps away from downtown San Jose. This gets super busy during San Jose Sharks games.
The ramps leading to the tracks are easily handicap accessible. Nice! The main entry is small compared other stations; especially with Amtrack trains also stopping at this Station. The train schedule is posted on the subway tunnel leading outside the station. If you need help, just ask someone in the main entry or welcome area and they’ll gladly help you.
The bathrooms are located near the left as you enter; towards the small corner store. Just don’t freak out due to the presence of drifters. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone.
The ticketing machines are located near the entrance of the subway tunnel leading towards the tracks. There can be a line at the machines, but there are other machines located within the subway tunnel itself. For some reason, no one seems to use those.
The station does have a police presence at all times. So it is safe even at night. Easy work commute to downtown San Jose. And let’s not forget that the Light Rail Station is on the other side. But that is for another review.