Caltrain

Description

Caltrain is a heavy rail system the runs in a single line from San Francisco in the north to Gilroy in the south. It passes through Mountain View, stopping near the intersection of Central Expressway and Castro Street/Moffett Boulevard. The Mountain View station is the end of the VTA Light Rail line, making it easily accessible from Ames by taking the Light Rail from the NASA / Bayshore station just outside the Ellis Street gate; alternatively, one can take the VTA Bus 51. There is a park-and-ride lot at the Mountain View stop, making it convenient to drive to the Caltrain stop and then take the rail line to another destination -- there is a charge for parking though.

Tickets must be purchased before boarding. Stations are equipped with kiosks selling tickets; they accept cash and common credit and debit cards.

Main Web Site

http://www.caltrain.com/

Coverage

Caltrain is a single line. A map showing the service area can be found here.

Caltrain meets up with BART at Millbrae station. While you can take Caltrain all the way into San Francisco, if you're going to any of the more "touristry" areas, you might be better off switching over to BART. Millbrae station also has a connection to SFO, meaning you can get to the airport without paying for parking or a taxi.

Cost

The price of a fare depends on the number of service zones a rider passes through. Traveling from Ames to San Francisco, for example, a passenger would pass through three zones. A regular-fare day pass good for three zones costs $11.50 as of this writing. One-Way, 10-Ride, and Monthly passes are also sold. Complete fare tables can be found here.