Caltrain: Local Trains Arriving and Departing Palo Alto

Trains 430 and 431 arrive and depart from Palo Alto station just minutes apart, picking up many weekend riders at one of the busiest stations in the system.

The station first opened in 1890, and has been rebuilt on three separate occasions. It is the second-busiest station on the Caltrain system, behind 4th and King in San Francisco. The station is served by all Caltrain services, including local, limited and Baby Bullet express trains.

Caltrain runs three different service types - Local, Limited, and Baby Bullet trains - which all serve the main line between San Jose and San Francisco, with select Limited trains operating the final leg to Gilroy. Local trains make the mainline journey in about an hour and 40 minutes, while Baby Bullet trains can make the journey in just over an hour, depending on the number of stops.

The system is currently undergoing its massive electrification project, which will electrify the length of the system from San Jose to SF by 2022, complete with modern electric rolling stock and drastically increased service frequencies, allowing Caltrain to transport a far greater number of people than the current 65,000 it carries on the average weekday.