Caltrain To Operate Free Shuttle From Belmont To Hillsdale

Starting Monday, March 3, Caltrain will begin the operation of a free, commute-hour shuttle between the Belmont and Hillsdale train stations, providing access to Baby Bullet and limited-stop service.

This new shuttle will serve two purposes; firstly it will provide greater access to train service for Belmont residents, and secondly it will help alleviate the parking demand at Hillsdale, which has nearly reached capacity. And as an added incentive, parking at Belmont will be free in order to encourage more people to park at the Belmont station and take the shuttle to catch the train at Hillsdale.

The schedule for the new shuttle, which is a pilot program through June 2009, will operate only during weekday commute hours. In the morning, it will run between approximately 6:30 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. In the evening, it will run between approximately 4:10 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. The shuttle is timed to depart Belmont in the morning in order to meet Baby Bullet and limited-stop trains at Hillsdale. In the evenings the shuttle is timed to depart Hillsdale shortly after arriving trains.

Because transfer time between the shuttle and arriving trains will be very short, customers who do not have Monthly Passes or 10-ride tickets are encouraged to purchase their train ticket at Belmont. Customers who wait to purchase their tickets at Hillsdale may not have enough time to complete their transaction before the train arrives.

Caltrain hopes that the new shuttle will not only appeal to commuters who have faced parking challenges at Hillsdale but also to those Belmont residents, who previously found that the Caltrain schedule at Belmont did not work for them.

To kick off the start of shuttle service, Caltrain staff will be at the Belmont station on March 3, from 6:15 a.m. to 9 a.m., offering free coffee and donuts to patrons. For more information about the Caltrain schedule and fares, or for help planning a trip, call Customer Service at 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448).

02/20/2008 - jbw
04/07/2008 - crd
Media Contact: Christine Dunn, 650.508.7927