San Carlos station

For the Lima Metro station, see San Carlos metro station (Lima). For the Mexibús bus station, see Mexibús Line II § Stations.

San Carlos
Trains at San Carlos station in 2025
General information
Location599 El Camino Real
San Carlos, California
Coordinates37°30′29″N 122°15′37″W / 37.50806°N 122.26028°W / 37.50806; -122.26028
Owned byPeninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB)
LinePCJPB Peninsula Subdivision[1]
Platforms2 side platform
Tracks2
Connections SamTrans: ECR, KX, 260, 261, 295, 397
San Mateo County Transit District Shuttles: Electronic Arts, Oracle
Construction
Structure typeElevated
ParkingAvailable
Bicycle facilities24 racks, lockers
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone2
History
Opened1888
Rebuilt1997
Original companySouthern Pacific
Passengers
FY 2025644 (weekday avg.)[2]  37%
Services
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
Belmont
toward San Francisco
 Local Redwood City
toward San Jose Diridon or Tamien
Weekend Local
     Limited does not stop here
     Express does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
Belmont
toward San Francisco
 Local (L1) Redwood City
toward San Jose Diridon or Tamien
Weekend Local (L2)
San Mateo
toward San Francisco
 Limited (L4) Redwood City
toward San Jose Diridon, Tamien or Gilroy
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
Burlingame
toward San Francisco
 Coast Line Atherton
toward Los Angeles
Del Monte
Until 1971
 Atherton
toward Monterey
Southern Pacific Depot
San Carlos station building in 2011
Area2.753 acres (1.114 ha)
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.84001191 [3]
Added to NRHPSeptember 20, 1984
Location

San Carlos station is a Caltrain commuter rail station in San Carlos, California. The 1888-built station building, no longer used for railroad purposes, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Design

The Richardsonian Romanesque style station building was constructed of Almaden sandstone.[4]

The modern elevated station, opened in 1997, has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Peninsula Subdivision.

History

The station building was originally built by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1888, and strongly resembles the Kenwood station, which the Southern Pacific opened the same year in Sonoma County.[4][5] For its early history, the Depot was the only public building in San Carlos and functioned as the town's first community church, library, and post office.[6] The structure was retired from railroad use in 1967, but Del Monte and Peninsula Commute trains continued to stop at the platforms.

The building was subsequently occupied by the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce and a real estate company. It was vacant when it was acquired by the California Department of Transportation. A restaurant opened in the depot in 1984. The Depot Cafe, which was decorated with photographs of historic trains, closed in February 2018, leaving the building vacant.[5]

The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 20, 1984, as Southern Pacific Depot. The San Carlos Lions Club donated a historical marker to mark its centennial in 1988.[5]

References

  1. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 13.
  2. ^ "2025 Annual Ridership Report". Caltrain. September 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Offenbacher, Doug (September 15, 2012). "Does the Depot Have a Twin?". Kenwood Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Clifford, Jim (March 26, 2018). "End of the line for cafe — but not the Depot". The Daily Journal. San Mateo. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. ^ Mahany, Effie (1965). Through the Years in San Carlos. San Carlos: San Carlos Villagers.

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