San Jose Diridon Station

Zone 4

Schedules


Notices

65 Cahill St., San Jose 95110

Station Amenities

Details

Vendors

  • McCarthy's Newsstand

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible, elevator available

Bike Info

  • 16 bike racks located south of the station
  • On demand BikeLink e-lockers
  • BayWheels bike share

Parking

581 spaces; pay at ticket machine in station, or with Caltrain Mobile app.
5 motorcycle spots are located in north corner by W. Santa Clara St; pay at ticket machine in station.

The SAP Center and neighboring businesses also make parking available to Caltrain customers.  Click HERE for more information.

Through a partnership with SAP Center, parking and rates are managed by the SAP Center beginning approximately two-and-a-half hours before SAP Center events, The higher rate can't start before 9 a.m. on weekdays. Caltrain Monthly and Daily parking permits aren't valid when the SAP Center is managing the lots. Caltrain customers already parked before the SAP Center rates go into effect aren't impacted by the higher rate.

Ticket Vending Machines

There are 5 Caltrain ticket machines, 4 of which are near the ramp down to the tracks.  The 5th ticket machine is at the bottom of the ramp leading to the VTA light rail station. A Clipper Add-value machine is located outside the lobby.  All Caltrain products and Clipper cash can be loaded onto Clipper cards/app.  Clipper cards also can be loaded using a VTA  ticket machine.

Recycling

Caltrain makes being sustainable easy.  Customers are encouraged to place paper, glass/cans, food and trash in the same waste container.  The contents make their way to Newby Island Resource Recovery Park where machinery and trained staff sort all contents for appropriate recycling or landfill.

Pay Phones

  • Five pay phones are located in concourse

When San Francisco and San Jose were joined by rail in January 1864, San Jose’s terminal was located on San Pedro Street. As the city developed it became increasingly problematic to have trains traveling down congested city streets. Southern Pacific constructed the new Cahill Street station in 1928 on land that originally belonged to the Cahill family.

The beautiful $100,000 terminal that opened December 30, 1935 was designed by SP architect John H. Christie. The Italian Renaissance Revival style depot consists of a three-story central section flanked by two-story wings. Bronze doors open onto a magnificent waiting room with terrazzo floors and stone inlay. The massive roof beams are grained and stenciled with a floral pattern, and chandeliers provide a dramatic accent. The original marble ticket counter includes rippled glass, maple ticket files and lights supported by brass arches.

By 1987, the terminal was mostly in good or very good condition and Caltrans undertook a major effort to meet seismic safety standards and to restore the splendor of what was still a vital transportation center. Beginning in 1992, the structure was meticulously taken apart, strengthened and put back together. The ceiling and painted-over windows were cleaned during the restoration. A mural behind the ticket counter by John MacQuarrie portrays San Jose as it appeared in 1935, with the Lick Observatory and a train in the background also was cleaned and restored.

When the project was completed in 1994, the terminal was renamed the San Jose Diridon Station in honor of then-Santa Clara County Supervisor Rod Diridon, a charter member of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. (Historic Caltrain Sites Link Here)

In addition to transporting commuters, when the depot opened in 1935 it served as a stop for the Lark, Coaster and Daylight (San Francisco to Los Angeles), Del Monte (San Francisco to Pacific Grove), and Sunset Limited (San Francisco to New Orleans). Today, Altamont Commuter Express, Capitol Corridor, and Coast Starlight trains all connect with Caltrain at San Jose Diridon station. In addition, passengers can transfer to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s light rail system, as well as buses, shuttles and taxis.

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Transit Connections

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