Peninsula Moves!

As the New Year of the Rooster begins, it is time again for the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year’s Festival & Parade in San Francisco. For those looking to catch the excitement and majesty, Caltrain is an easy and convenient travel option for making the trip up to the City.

Caltrain’s Saturday schedule offers hourly service between San Jose and San Francisco, with two Baby Bullet express trains in each direction. From the San Francisco Caltrain Station, passengers can transfer to Muni’s nearby 30 and 45 bus lines or take the N-Judah light-rail line to the parade site. The parade route begins at 5:15 p.m. on Second and Market streets, and travels along Post, Powell and Sutter streets before finishing along Kearny Street.

Caltrain’s 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 alcohol is not allowed on trains after 9 p.m. following special events.

Named one of the top 10 parades in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association, the Chinese New Year’s Parade has been a tradition in San Francisco since the 1860s. Thousands of people attend the event, which celebrates the Lunar New Year. The parade features elaborately-designed floats, costumed performers, firecracker displays and much more.

Other Chinese New Year Events in the Peninsula and South Bay

You can also find more local celebrations of the Lunar New Year throughout the Peninsula. The Redwood City Lunar New Year Festival will be held at Courthouse Square this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and can be easily accessed from the Sequoia Caltrain Station in downtown Redwood City.

The Millbrae Lunar New Year Festival takes place on February 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Millbrae Civic Center Plaza, just a short walk from the Millbrae Transit Center.

Santa Clara County/Hsinchu, Taiwan Sister County Commission and the Association of Northern California Chinese Schools will observe the Year of the Rooster with a children’s art exhibit now through February 22 in the breezeway at the County Government Center, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose. People interested in seeing the exhibit can take Caltrain to the San Jose Diridon station and then transfer to VTA’s 181 Express Fremont BART Route, which is a 15 minute ride to the County Government Center.

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.

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. 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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