Tamien station

Tamien station is an intermodal passenger transportation station in the Tamien neighborhood of central San Jose, California, served by the VTA light rail and the Caltrain commuter rail line, along with bus connections. The station has two elevated island platforms, one for each service. The two platforms are connected by a walkway at ground-level that is below the two platforms. The light rail platform is located in the center median of the State Route 87 freeway just north of the Alma Avenue overpass. The Caltrain platform is located just to the east, between Lick Avenue and State Route 87 and just north of Alma Avenue.

Tamien
The light rail platform at Tamien in May 2023.
General information
Location	1355 Lick Avenue San Jose, California
Coordinates	37°18′46″N 121°53′05″W
Owned by	Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB) Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Line(s)	PCJPB Peninsula Subdivision (Caltrain)[1] Guadalupe Phase 3 (VTA)
Platforms	1 island platform (Caltrain) 1 island platform (VTA)
Tracks	3 (Caltrain) 2 (VTA)
Connections	VTA Bus: 25, 56, School 256[2]
Construction
Parking	275 spaces[3]
Bicycle facilities	18 racks, 10 lockers, BayWheels bike share station
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	4 (Caltrain)
History
Opened	August 17, 1990 (1990-08-17) (VTA)[4] July 1, 1992 (Caltrain)[5]
Passengers
2018	1,286 per weekday[6]  3% (Caltrain)
Services
Preceding station Caltrain Following station San Jose Diridon toward San Francisco Local Limited service Terminus Weekend Local Limited service San Jose Diridon Terminus South County Connector Capitol toward Gilroy Preceding station VTA light rail Following station Virginia toward Baypointe Blue Line Curtner toward Santa Teresa
Former services Preceding station Caltrain Following station San Jose Diridon toward San Francisco Local (L1) Terminus Weekend Local (L2) Limited (L3) Capitol (select peak-hour trains only) toward Gilroy Limited (L4) Limited (L5) Terminus
Future services Preceding station Amtrak Following station San Jose Diridon toward Auburn Capitol Corridor Morgan Hill toward Salinas      Coast Starlight does not stop here
Location

The station is served by the Blue Line of the VTA light rail system and is connected to the Highway 87 Bikeway.^[7]

The station is named after the Tamien (also spelled Tamyen) who are some of the Ohlone, a Native American people.^[8]

History

The Caltrain station at Tamien in May 2023.

The light rail station opened on August 17, 1990.^[4] Caltrain service began on July 1, 1992 as part of an extension to Gilroy.^[5]

Midday and weekend Caltrain service initially terminated at Diridon station, with bus shuttles to Tamien. Weekend service and some off-peak service was extended to Tamien on December 14, 2020, eliminating the shuttles.^[9]

Tamien marks the southern terminus of electrified Caltrain service. Electric local trains from San Francisco alternate between terminating here and at Diridon. During rush hours, South County Connector diesel trains to and from Gilroy also stop at this station.^[10]

References

1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 14.
2. "VTA Light Rail System". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. October 11, 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
3. "Tamien station". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
4. "Current Light Rail System Data" (PDF). Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
5. Duncan, Mark (October 4, 2005). "The San Francisco Peninsula Railroad Passenger Service: Past, Present, and Future" (PDF). p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2018.
6. "2018 Annual Count Key Findings Report" (PDF). Caltrain. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
7. "Trail Systems | City of San Jose". www.sanjoseca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
8. Hylkema, Mark (1994). "Tamien Station Archeological Project". In Bean, Lowell John (ed.). The Ohlone: Past and Present Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Region. Ballena Press Publication. pp. 249–270. ISBN 0879191295.
9. "Caltrain Implements New Service Changes and Permanently Closes Atherton Station" (Press release). Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. December 7, 2020.
10. "Printer–Friendly WEEKEND Caltrain Schedule". Caltrain. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.

External links

Media related to Tamien station at Wikimedia Commons

• Station information (Caltrain)
• Station information (VTA)