Accessing Caltrain from SFO airport
 

I will be needing to travel to Palo Alto from SFO Int'l. I see BART serves Millbrae, from where you can connect to Caltrain. Can I buy my Caltrain ticket at SFO before boarding the BART train, or do I need to buy two tickets; one on BART @ SFO to Millbrae, than another ticket at Millbrae for Caltrain to Palo Alto?

Unfortunately, you will need to make 2 separate purchases. You will need to buy a BART ticket at SFO and then get off at the Millbrae station. Proceed downstairs and where you will find the CalTrain ticket machine and then purchase a ticket there, whose fares are based on how many zones you will be travelling between. There are no CalTrain kiosks that I have seen at SFO.

Also, double check on the BART schedule on getting to Millbrae. You may actually need to make a transfer at the San Bruno. It's an easy transfer, just cross the platform and wait for a Millbrae bound train, but kind of silly if you think about it.

You will need to buy your BART ticket at SFO and Caltrain ticket at Millbrae. As of January 2008, BART discontinued direct service from SFO to Millbrae so you will have to take BART northbound to San Bruno and transfer to a southbound train to Millbrae. The transfer is generally timed well (but not always) and you just have to walk across the platform in San Bruno. In Millbrae, just follow the signs to the southbound caltrain to San Jose. There are ticket machines near the top of the escalators down to the Caltrain tracks.

Depending on the day of the week and time of day the BART/Caltrain option from SFO to Palo Alto can take upwards of 2 hours. I can drive it in 25 minutes, so I've pretty much given up on it as an option as I generally just want get home. Just check the schedule in advance and be prepared.

Other options you may want to think about are taking the Samtrans 292 bus from SFO to the Broadway Caltrain in Burlingame or taking a taxi from SFO directly to the Millbrae station.

Enjoy Palo Alto. PM me if you need any suggestions of things to do or places to go.

Note that beginning Sept 1, this connection could take even longer between 10am and 2pm weekdays, as Caltrain is only going to run one train/hour during that period.

Depending on your departure time and amount of luggage, you could take the KX Samtrans bus that takes the freeway part of the way. As with the BART/Caltrain option, it's about a 1:15 hr trip. The advantage is that there are more frequent departures during midday compared to Caltrain and there are no connections required. On the other hand, it's less comfortable and not an available option if you have more than a carry-on.

SamTrans policy: "If a passenger can carry the item(s) on his/her lap or store it under or next to him/her on a seat unneeded and not hurt anyone else, and not interfere with others, the item is probably safe to transport." The final decision will be made by the bus operator.

Accessing Caltrain from SFO airport
 

yeah, coming from someone who has had to do this any number of times (usually to redwood city, not palo alto, but still same direction)..... it is a huge pain in the butt.

it usually takes me around 2 hours all told to use the caltrain, whereas if someone picks me up in a car, it takes about 20 minutes terminal to doorway of house.

seriously, someone dropped the ball here. california does a much better job than many other us locations at public transit, but if you want to head south from sfo, you are pretty much up the creek.

rt1flea is correct:
from the airport, you take the BART NORTH to San Bruno. get off.
next, take the BART SOUTH to Millbrae. get off.
now, take the Caltrain SOUTH to..Palo Alto. get off. walk 1 mile onto campus.

and your day is shot.
for me, it was 3 different trains, 2 tickets, and a lot of time, all within essentially one travel zone. and someone was always hogging the machine, you would sit there all antsy waiting to get a ticket as the train rolls in, and if you ARE in a hurry and decide to jump the train without paying, you a.) feel like a bad person and b.) are in serious danger of getting a huge fine and getting kicked off.

samtrans may be the way to go. haven't tried it.

Given your situation, you really should try it. I sometimes travel between San Carlos and SFO and SamTrans or Caltrain/SamTrans is the only reasonable option using public transportation.

The KX between RC and SFO is around 35 minutes.

If you have luggage, then you can take Caltrain from RC to Burlingame and pick up the 292. That's an hour, more or less, depending on your departure time.

Have the transfer timings improved since the thread was last updated?

Is it still necessary to change on Bart?

You still need to transfer on Bart. Use Google Maps to go and plan your trip.

Right now, it takes a single BART train to make the connection nights and weekends at Millbrae. Before 8pm weekdays it's the two train routine via San Bruno.

^^ thanks to all who answered. For those who find this thread in the future:

---> The trip planner at 511.org is an excellent resource for planning your ground transportation.

Plug in your date, time, SFO and Millbrae (where Caltrain is) to see how to get there on BART. You will be able to see if you need to connect, etc.

As a matter of fact, this system can help you plan your entire local trip, including the Caltrain segment.

Just found this - shocked to see how hard it is to use the train to get to the SFO from San Jose centre. I was planning to make the trip Wednesday morning...... may still do it, but leave lots of time!

The trip is not so bad on weekdays at commute hours as the trains run much more frequently. From San Jose you could catch a "baby bullet" (express) train that runs from downtown to Millbrae in just 39 minutes. Add the two connections on Bart and you're looking at about an hour altogether.

I live in downtown San Jose and take public transit to SFO all the time. It's really not that hard per se, but it does take a lot of time. The main issues for me are the infrequent trains during off-peak hours, the double-connections on BART, and late buses and trains that force me to plan for longer-than-necessary connections.

You can also take Caltrain to Palo Alto and then take the KX bus directly to SFO. The KX stops directly at the terminals, which cuts out the rest of the Caltrain trip, the two BART trains, and the SFO AirTrain itself. But it is poorly timed with Caltrain, so while simpler (and cheaper), it is not likely to save any time.

Thanks for the quick comments - I would ride Caltrain and BART for the novelty as I've not done it before. I have most of the morning to kill before returning to the UK on the early BA flight, so a little adventure in the morning will be fun.