Caltrain Adds Trains for Giants Parade

Caltrain announced Tuesday that it will add extra trains Wednesday morning, Oct. 31 to accommodate the thousands of fans who want to attend the ticker tape parade in addition to the approximately 20,000-plus commuters on an average weekday. 

The railroad will suspend its regular southbound afternoon schedule to help move crowds out of San Francisco more efficiently.

According to Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn, fans and commuters alike "should just go to [King] Station because trains will depart every 15 minutes and stop at every station."

She added that if the trains are overcrowded Caltrain will deploy trains, already located further south along the corridor, in advance of the arriving trains from San Francisco to pick up commuters at other stations.

There will be no bullet trains southbound from San Francisco.

The most important thing for people to remember she emphasized was that "things will be different, trains will be crowded, but people should be patient and have a good time."

Three trains will continue to go to Gilroy as usual, but they may be slightly off-schedule.

Caltrain will also sell—beginning Tuesday at 5 p.m.—tickets and parking permits for Wednesday from ticket vending machines at any Caltrain station, but warn parking spots may not be available along the route. They recommend riders purchase day passes to avoid long lines.

According to Caltrain, the railroad set ridership records on the day of the Giants Parade in 2010, with an additional 37,000 fans taking the train to San Francisco to take part in the historic event. Average weekday ridership on Caltrain in September was 50,821.