Caltrain to Open New Platform at Hillsdale Station Oct. 17

Caltrain will open a new northbound platform at the Hillsdale station on Monday, Oct. 17, as part of a major improvement project at this busy Baby Bullet station.

Currently, passengers wait on the west side of the station, located above Hillsdale Boulevard at El Camino Real in San Mateo, and cross to the center platform to board northbound trains.

Starting Monday, passengers will get to and from the northbound platform via a new pedestrian crossing at the southern end of the station. Pedestrian gates, warning lights and bells have been installed, similar to those at many Caltrain stations which have been upgraded over the past few years.

Passengers must obey these warning devices and wait until it is safe to cross from one side of the station to the other.

Also effective with the change on Monday, trains coming through the station will no longer “hold out,” or wait, while a train coming from the opposite direction is approaching or in the station.

As part of a $4.2 million construction project at the station, the center platform will be demolished over the next several weeks. A center-track fence will be installed in its place.

In coming months, a similar gated pedestrian crossing will be built at the north end of the station, after the current southbound platform has been extended north, approximately 300 feet.

The Bay Meadows station will be consolidated with the Hillsdale station as part of the project, which is scheduled to be substantially completed by the end of the year.

Although the northbound platform will be open Oct. 17, some of the normal passenger amenities will not immediately be available, including shelters, ticket vending machines and validators. Until the ticket machines have been installed, passengers must purchase or validate tickets on the west side of the station before crossing to the northbound track.

The San Mateo County Transportation Authority has contributed $2.1 million toward the cost of the project.

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