Peninsula Moves!

Going green will take on a whole new meaning for attendees taking Caltrain to the St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade this Saturday in San Francisco. Party-goers can reduce their carbon footprint, avoid traffic congestion and skip expensive parking fees by taking the train to the 165^th annual event.

The parade starts at Second and Market streets in downtown San Francisco at 11:30 a.m. It will feature more than 100 colorful floats, Irish dance troupes and marching bands, and other attractions. The parade will wind its way to the Civic Center Plaza, where the festival portion of the event will take place. That gathering will feature exhibitor booths, live music, traditional Irish food and children’s activities. The parade and festival are billed as the largest celebration of Irish culture on the West Coast.

Caltrain’s Saturday schedule offers hourly service between San Jose and San Francisco, with two Baby Bullet express trains in each direction. At the San Francisco Caltrain Station, passengers can transfer to Muni’s nearby 30 and 45 bus lines or to the N-Judah and K-Ingleside/T-Third Street light-rail lines, which will take attendees to the parade.

The last Saturday train leaves San Francisco at 12:01 a.m. and makes all weekend local stops to San Jose. Caltrain reminds fans to drink responsibly and to remember that open containers of alcohol are not allowed on trains after 9 p.m. following special events

Caltrain is a proof-of-payment system; tickets are not sold onboard trains, but can be purchased at vending machines at the stations. To save time on the return trip, passengers are encouraged to buy a Day Pass. Clipper card users (cash value and 8-ride tickets) are reminded to tag on and tag off.

Parking at Caltrain stations costs $5 for the day, and permits can be purchased through ticket machines onsite. Paid parking rules are enforced throughout the day.

For more information about Caltrain schedules and fares, call 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448) or visit http://www.caltrain.com.

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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed five years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.

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