Caltrain bicycle access
Bicycles can be carried onboard Caltrain with no extra charge. It is a very popular option for some riders because they can go from the station to their homes and offices quickly without having to drive, walk, or take transit.
Bikes are permitted only on the designated bike cars. On every trip, at least one bike car is available at the north end of the train, facing San Francisco. Some trains have two bike cars with the second bike car located in the middle of the train. The bike cars can be identified with the yellow decal located near the door.
A bike car have a capacity of 32 bikes (on silver "Gallery" trains with a single center door) or 16 bikes (on red/light grey "Bombardier" trains with two doors). If the space is full, bicyclists will have to wait for the next train.
Because bike space is often full on peak hour trains at some popular stations, the bicyclists have developed ways to communicate about the bike space availability using Twitter: Caltrain bike car updates to your mobile device
Rules & Etiquette
- Bikes must be strapped to the bike racks with the provided bungee cords, with no more than 4 bikes per rack. Some conductors will bend this a bit because the rule is for safety and often 5 can be stored without blocking the isles.
- Place a tag on your bike identifying the stations you travel between. Caltrain provides vinyl bike tags which can be picked up stations with staffed information counters and often from conductors on board the train. However you can also make your own tags using an old plastic badge holder: Caltrain bike tags
- Stack bikes in the order they will be removed. When you secure your bike, check the tags of other bikes, placing your bike only in front of other which will be getting off after you.
- Let non-bicyclists board and exit the train first.
- If you are not a bicyclist, avoid boarding and exiting the bike car to reduce crowding there.
- Do not lock your bike. Use of bike locks is prohibited on board Caltrain.
