California Avenue Caltrain station

California Avenue station is the quieter of Palo Alto's two everyday Caltrain stops. It sits at 101 California Avenue, where the street runs into the tracks next to Alma Street. Walk off the platform and you are at the start of a car-free street lined with restaurant tables. On Sunday mornings you walk straight into the farmers market.

The station matters for three groups of riders. It serves the Midtown side of Palo Alto, it is the transit gateway to Stanford Research Park and it is the train stop for the California Avenue business district. This page covers the trains, parking, bikes, connecting buses, accessibility and what is nearby. Station details come from Caltrain's California Avenue station page as of late October 2026.

From Mayfield to California Avenue

Trains have stopped here since the 1860s, long before Palo Alto existed. The station served the town of Mayfield and carried that name until 1941, when it took the name of the street. Mayfield had its own main street, saloons and civic life until Palo Alto absorbed it in 1925. Our page on Mayfield, Palo Alto's rival town tells that story.

The station has been rebuilt several times. The current layout dates to 2008, when Caltrain replaced a single center platform with two side platforms and added a pedestrian underpass. The old arrangement let only one train stop at a time. The new one lets trains in both directions stop at the same time. The city's 2025 bike map labels the underpass as the Cal Ave Tunnel.

Which trains stop here

This is the key thing to know about the station. On weekdays California Avenue is served by local and limited trains only. Express trains pass through without stopping. In the timetable published in October 2026, every weekday local and every limited called here. None of the expresses did.

• Local trains stop at every station on the line.
• Limited trains serve 16 stations, including California Avenue, San Antonio and Menlo Park.
• Express trains serve 11 stations. The nearest are Palo Alto and Mountain View.

On Saturdays and Sundays all trains are locals and all of them stop here. The weekday pattern repeats at the same minutes each hour. If you are heading to San Francisco and an express suits you better, ride one stop north to Palo Alto and change there, or start at Palo Alto station. Always confirm the train type on the official timetable. We do not print times here because they change with each timetable revision. Check the time of the last train back too, especially on weekends.

The station is in Zone 3, the same as Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Mountain View. A ride to any of those costs the one zone fare, which was $4.00 for adults in October 2026.

Car parking

Caltrain's lot here has 185 spaces. A permit is required at all hours. Pay at one of the two ticket machines with your stall number or in the ParkMobile app with zone 99615. In October 2026 a daily permit was $5.50 and lasted 24 hours from purchase. Monthly permits, $82.50, are sold only to riders with a Caltrain monthly pass or GoPass. Cars showing a California disabled person plate or placard park free. See Caltrain's parking page for the full rules.

Sunday mornings are the hard time to park. The farmers market takes over part of California Avenue and nearby lots fill early. If you are visiting the shops rather than catching a train, use the city's lots and garages instead of the Caltrain lot. The largest is the garage at 350 Sherman Avenue. City time limits and permit options are covered in our guide to parking in Palo Alto.

Bike parking and bike routes

Caltrain lists 33 bike racks at the station plus on-demand BikeLink eLockers. The lockers are rented through the BikeLink app. Caltrain's own lockers charged 5 cents an hour, or 2 cents an hour on nights and weekends, in October 2026. There is no staffed bike parking room here. If you leave a bike all day, a locker is the safer choice.

The station is easy to reach by bike. The underpass links the platforms with Alma Street and the neighborhoods east of the tracks, so you never cross at track level. West of the station, Park Boulevard runs parallel to the railroad. The city's 2025 bike map also marks a Park Boulevard path. East of the tracks, quiet streets lead to Bryant Street, the city's original bike boulevard. Our page on Palo Alto's bike boulevards explains the network. Bikes ride free on Caltrain in the two bike cars on each electric train.

Buses and shuttles

California Avenue has fewer connections than Palo Alto's main station. The two that matter both go to Stanford Research Park, the large office district south of Stanford along Page Mill Road and Hillview Avenue.

The CAX is part of Stanford's free Marguerite system and anyone may ride. Stanford lists it as a commuter route with departures on average every 41 minutes in each peak. It runs during the university's winter closure but not on major holidays. Route 89 is a regular VTA bus and charges VTA's standard fare. For the bigger picture of buses in town, see our VTA buses and shuttles page. For the research park itself, read our guide to Stanford Research Park.

For buses toward San Jose or Menlo Park, walk west to El Camino Real, which takes under 10 minutes. VTA Route 22 and Rapid 522 run along it. Check stop locations on vta.org before you set off, since Rapid stops are spaced about a mile apart.

Accessibility

Caltrain lists California Avenue as wheelchair accessible. The 2008 rebuild added the underpass and the side platforms, so both directions can be reached without crossing the tracks at grade. Wait at the blue boarding assistance area at the north end of the platform and the conductor will set out a ramp or operate the lift. Caltrain does not list an elevator here.

Caltrain does not list a restroom at this station either. Its smart restroom pilot covers Palo Alto, Redwood City and Sunnyvale. Plan accordingly, or use a cafe on California Avenue. Our accessible travel guide covers discount fares and paratransit.

What is nearby

The station is the front door to the California Avenue district. Highlights within a 10 minute walk:

1. The car-free blocks. California Avenue between El Camino Real and Birch Street has been closed to cars since 2020. Restaurant seating fills the old roadway.
2. The Sunday farmers market. It runs year-round on California Avenue, a few steps from the platform. Our farmers markets guide has the details.
3. Jerry Bowden Park. A small city park beside the tracks near the station. Caltrain's blog has pointed riders to Marta Thoma's 2006 running figure sculpture, Rrrun, which can be seen from passing trains.
4. The Palo Alto Courthouse. The Santa Clara County Superior Court building at 270 Grant Avenue is a short walk west.
5. Evergreen Park and College Terrace. Quiet residential streets on either side of El Camino Real. See Evergreen Park.

East of the tracks, the underpass leads into the residential streets of Midtown and Old Palo Alto. Downtown Palo Alto is one stop north by train, or roughly a 30 minute walk.

Frequently asked questions