Caltrain/VTA to Host Transit Open House in Gilroy

By

March 12, 2013

Caltrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will host an Open House at the Gilroy Caltrain Station/VTA Transit Center, 7150 Monterey St., Saturday, March 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The open house is an opportunity for residents to become acquainted with Caltrain and VTA service from Gilroy. Caltrain and VTA representatives will be on hand to answer questions and give trip-planning advice.

Visitors can munch on popcorn, tour a Caltrain passenger car and talk to an engineer and a conductor. Bring the kids for face painting and balloons. Caltrain will give free train safety presentations.

People can also take a look at a VTA hybrid Express Bus. The new buses are equipped with reclining high-back seats and Wi-Fi.

Everyone can enter a drawing for a chance to win a family pack of four tickets to the San Jose Museum of Art or a Caltrain backpack (must be present to win backpack).  A limited number of Caltrain commuter mugs also will be given away.

Caltrain provides six commute hour trains to Gilroy – three northbound in the morning and three southbound in the evening.

VTA Routes 14, 17, 18, 19, 68, 121 and 168 serve the transit center. San Benito County Transit, Monterey Salinas Transit, Amtrak and Greyhound also provide service to the center.

The transit center is the public transportation hub for Gilroy, and is the first stop on a short trip across town or a longer adventure across the country, connecting the city to the Bay Area and parts unknown. The park and ride lot is equipped with more than 400 free daily parking spaces, as well as seven long-term airport spaces, bike lockers and bike racks. The historic train station is the focal point of the regional transit center. Built in 1917-18 by Southern Pacific Railroad, the building was restored in 1998.

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About Caltrain:   Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed 28 consecutive months of ridership increases, surpassing more than 50,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad will celebrate 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor by 2019, reducing diesel emissions by 90 percent and adding more service to more stations. 

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