Caltrain Station – Mountain View

I mean its a Caltrain station — what do you expect? The drunk train runs in the opposite direction, and there aren’t any giant stadiums (except Shoreline Amphitheater) nearby, so it’s generally not crowded or rowdy when waiting for a train. The bullet stops here too, which is really convenient.

Right in downtown Mountain View — this station is convenient and I always feel safe there. Perfect for going to/​from SF, especially when I can get an express. Best way to get to AT&T Park for a Giants game. Also a great way to get to points between such as Palo Alto and Redwood City, or the Millbrae BART station, without having to drive. I wish the evening trains ran more frequently, but the schedule is good and it beats driving in the bay area traffic big time.
The VTA to San Jose starts at this station too, although I have not ridden on it very often.

Nice clean transportation hub, train arrived on time, signs are easily legible and visible. Enough kiosks to obtain tickets. Convenient location got to destination quickly. Wish there was a public bathroom.

Ive seen this station more than i can remember. I used to commute out of here so it was a regular part of 3 years of my life. The Caltrain has been a source of not having to drive but also a source of delay frustration. Every once in a while the slow ass VTA is also an option since this is the intersection of two providers. Luckily or unluckily this is a manor hub so more trains come through than most.

This place will always hold a special place in my heart. I love Mountain View. One of my best friends lives here and we’ve used this station as a focal point when planning adventures. It’s one of the safer, dependable, and walkable Caltrain stops. Downtown Mountain View is literally right there. Cross at Hope street for easy access.
Memories here include breezy weekends waiting for trains, browsing the handy dandy farmer’s market on Sundays, forgetting where I parked my car while on a date to the point where aforementioned best friend had to come rescue me. I may or may not have kissed a guy here. I’ve definitely gotten a parking ticket here.
Definitely consider parking at one of the lots nearby, which are free. There are a few at Hope and W. Evelyn, and at Hope and W. Dana. Just remember which damn lot you parked in or embarrassment occurs. They do ticket the Caltrain lot all weekend. I’m $ 48 poorer after my last Late Wake Up and Run for the Train to The City Adventure last weekend.
Safety is key here. I’ve walked to my car at 2 am before and there will still be plenty of taxi guys even at this hour, as long as there’s an event at Levi’s or AT&T Park, until the last train comes in at least. It’s well lit, too. I just plain love MV and this station. End of story, goodbye, the end.

This is my favorite Caltrain station. I always feel safe parking here even when I’m coming back past midnight and express trains usually stop here! Parking is $ 5.00 per day.
The parking requires a couple steps that I thought I’d share:
1. Park your car
2. Note down your parking number
3. Go up to the ticket booth (the same one where you buy your caltrain ticket)
4. Purchase a ticket permit by entering your space number
5. Keep the receipt in your pocket! (you don’t put anything on your car)
The only downside to this station is that it is so popular that parking is sometimes hard to find!

If you’re going south bound, then stand on the platform next to the parking lot. If you are going north bound, then walk across the tracks to the platform on the other side (next to VTA).
Parking is $ 5/​day. $ 50/​month with permit. I prefer to park in the neighborhoods because 1) running for the Caltrain in the mornings /​walking back to my car is a good exercise, 2) I want to save money, and 3) I don’t have to worry about the 24hr parking restriction (that way I can crash at a friend’s place in SF). The streets within 1 – 3 blocks of the station have time 2−5hr time restrictions, but if you drive further in, they are gone~~~~ (except on Levi’s Stadium game days).
PRO TIPS:
— During commute hours, sit on the side of the train away from the sun (especially during summer)
— If you’re going to SF: I always take the northbound train from Mountain View to SF, and I highly recommend you ride in the first car (direction of travel) so that you can exit the Caltrain station faster in SF. Figure out where to stand on the platform (different places for the new and old Caltrains) so that the doors open close to where you’re standing (that way you get first dibs on seats)
— There’s a clipper card machine in the VTA station next to Caltrain. It’s so much faster than the super slow clipper card machine in SF 4^th & King station.
For old trains: Outlets are upstairs under the 6^th seat. The wheelchair car seems to have the most powerful AC (I some times use my backpack to shield myself from the cold blast).
I’ve been commuting 2hrs door to door every week day for about 1.5yr. It has been a character-​building and patience-​testing commute, but once you optimize it and get used to it, it’s tolerable!

Easy breezy station when traveling from San Francisco to Mountain View.
Exit the Caltrain stop and you can connect to the VTA that goes to San Jose.
Cross the street and you’ll be a stone’s throw from Castro Street (the Main Street in town).
Very convenient to shopping & businesses!

Very good way to go sf city in Caltrain very cheap rate compare then very thing better then get ride with friends

This just became my home station. I used to get on at Sunnyvale station but the timing of the bullet didn’t match up to my work shuttle so I started catching the one that stops by Mountain View.
First things first, parking is the worst on the weekdays during rush hour! Sunnyvale station has a lot more parking and you can normally grab a spot by 8am (would recommend if you don’t care about the bullets). You need to get here by 7:30am to get a spot and even then it’s not guaranteed. Only exception is Friday where you can still grab a spot even if you get here at 8am. I started parking at the park and ride lot on Pioneer and just walk 10 min over to the station. It’s free (good bye $ 50 Caltrain monthly parking), you don’t need to worry about getting a spot because there’s always plenty of spots there and you get to have a short brisk walk in the morning and in the evening. I see it as a win-​win!
It’s also located right next to downtown mountain view so if you missed a train or have a while to wait, you’re within walking distance to plenty of restaurants.

Best station! Clean and whenya get off it before boardin, ya stuff your face or slam a beer at any of the nearby bars/​eateries!

This Caltrain station is pretty far from most places, there isn’t much around the area too,.

Pluses: A very nice and clean station. Acts well as a transfer point. A short walk to Castro Street and a good selection of places to eat.
Drawbacks: There is no food or coffee at the station. Even worse, there are no restrooms close by either. When they fix those two things, this will be a five star train station.

A parking nightmare if your not there by 715am. Over the past 6 months it used to get a spot if you arrive before 8am but now everyday the lot is packed to the brim with campers waiting for a spot at 730am! There’s is no parking nearby either since it’s all 5 hour limits only! This is absurd and Caltrain needs to do something about this parking issue. Maybe make it pay and display because it makes me wonder how many people are parking for free here. It may free up down spots.

This is a great station! Not only you can charge your Clipper card in the VTA station, and hop on the Caltrain or the VTA, but there’s a large majority of company shuttles that pick you up and drop you at work in the Peninsula area.
Plus points for its location, since it’s next to Downtown Mountain View which is likely the nicest one from all small cities in the area and the Fresh Market takes place every Sunday morning
Have a Safe ride!
Javi

A station that looks like it should have amenities but doesn’t. There’s a wine bar and a BofA ATM at the replica station building. Parking sucks here, the overflow lot used to be at Franklin & Evelyn, alternate parking could be had at Evelyn & Pioneer. But nope, all gone. Closed and redeveloped/​repurposed. God forbid GoogleView would want to try and accommodate overflow parking without collecting revenue. But for all that is sane, build one! The surrounding area around the station is street parking with restrictions on duration usually a 2−4hr limit. There is a free Google shuttle that does make a stop at the station, and running the length of Castro. But the hours of operation suck. If you can walk to the station from a mile away, that is your best bet. Seriously sucky situation!

Having just wrote a review explaining that you can’t make Clipper purchases at Caltrain, I realized that this is an oddball exception, and one that will probably never occur to you. The thing is, you can buy tickets or passes for basically ANY Bay Area transit agency at a VTA light-​rail station kiosk, and whaddya know, there’s one right here! (I guess they must have laid some fiber cables when they built these tracks?_ Considering that Walgreen’s clerks are clueless and the Autoload thing on their website is slow enough to be untrustworthy, this is your best option for monthly passes if you happen to use this station.
So, the light rail is good for something after all!

Mountain view cal train is very easy and cheep way to go sf city whenever I go san Francisco I just go by cal tain so I can got lot fun there then after that I dont have to drive back

Here are some commuting hacks
* Parking usually fills up by 8 AM, Monday — Thursday. On Fridays, its pretty open till even 9AM
* If the lot is full, there is an extended lot at Evelyn. You can take the light rail and head to Castro. It’s not a real alternative unless you have a bike and can quickly bike back. Otherwise, it’s a long walk or you getting lucky with getting the light rail back in
* No restrooms on the station. The nearest restroom is probably one of the coffee shops on Castro.
* While exiting the lot, favor the south entrance — its a bit quicker to get out.
* There is a nice coffee shop nearby (was called Neto’s and now Olympus)
* There’s an oil change shop nearby that you can leave your car for oil changes in the AM and pick up in the evening

Location-​wise, it’s convenient, as it’s right next to castro street which has a lot of shops and restaurants. For driving, it’s right off Evelyn going 85N from the south bay.
The station itself is a bit dirty and it shows wear and tear, but it runs fine.
Parking: A Daily Parking Permit may be purchased for $ 4 from a Ticket Vending Machine. The parking lot is a good size, but it seems like its always fairly packed. Plan ahead for this… Also, read the parking instructions on their website before you actually go. This might help mitigate some of the confusion. Go to their website — find the tab «Rider Information» — go down to «Parking» — find instructions to park.
Overall, parking seems to be the thing people complain about the most, and it’s completely understandable. Plan ahead for this mess as best you can. Get there a bit early to scout for parking. If you’re being dropped off, you should be good to go.