Hillsdale station (Caltrain)

Hillsdale station is well-connected by several Samtrans bus routes and one AC Transit Transbay Route, making it a hub for services to Foster City, Hillsborough, and San Mateo, with some routes extending north to San Francisco, south to Palo Alto Caltrain, east to Hayward BART (via San Mateo Bridge), and west to Half Moon Bay and Pacifica (weekdays only). This station also has bus service to and from San Francisco International Airport (on Routes 292 and 397).[2][3]

Hillsdale station is also served by Samtrans' All Nighter Route 397, an all-night bus service connecting San Francisco, Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Francisco International Airport, and the El Camino Real corridor between Millbrae and Palo Alto Caltrain via East Palo Alto.[3]

Hillsdale station is also served by shuttle routes operated by Caltrain and Commute.org.[4]

Until December 20, 2005, the former Bay Meadows Racetrack had the now-closed Bay Meadows stop, less than a half-mile (800 m) north of Hillsdale. There was no building, just an opening in the chain link fencing where riders could access the grandstand parking lot. When Hillsdale was renovated, the platform was extended a few hundred feet to the north, eliminating the need for the separate station. Hillsdale is now the closest station to the former racetrack area.

The City of San Mateo applied for Measure A funds to help fund a grade separation project in 2013; the majority of the $180 million project is funded from Measure A ($74 M) and Proposition 1A ($84 million, California High Speed Rail).[5] The proposed 25th Avenue Grade Separation Project will elevate tracks in southern San Mateo, eliminating the at-grade crossing at 25th Avenue and adding grade-separated crossings at 28th and 31st Avenues, which are currently interrupted by Peninsula Corridor tracks.[6][7] Tracks will rise at the maximum allowable grade, starting from where they emerge south of the State Route 92 overcrossing, to minimize the depression of 25th Avenue to maintain vertical clearance for road vehicles under the new rail bridge.[6] The grade separation is also designed to accommodate a potential mid-line overtake required for Caltrain/HSR blended operations, which would expand the Peninsula Corridor right-of-way to up to four tracks.[6] PCJPB awarded an $82.9 million contract to the Shimmick/Disney Joint Venture in July 2017.[8]

As part of the grade separation project, Hillsdale station will be relocated to 28th Avenue, closer to the transit-oriented development at Bay Meadows. Preliminary renderings show the new Hillsdale station will be an island platform generally extending south from 28th, with parking provided east of the tracks.[5] Construction for the entire project was expected to start in fall 2017 and complete by early 2020,[9] with the existing Hillsdale station planned to close by early 2019, and a maximum of five months elapsed between closing the existing station and opening the new station.[5] The project schedule was updated in May 2019; the existing Hillsdale station is now planned to close between December 2019 and June 2020, with traffic shifting to the new tracks over two weekends in February and March 2020. The 25th, 28th, and 31st Avenue crossings are scheduled to be completed in November 2020, June 2020, and January 2021, respectively.[10] As of April 2020, the station is expected to close on May 16 for up to six months.[11]

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the project was held on September 26, 2017.[12][13]

The existing parking lot at Hillsdale will be closed starting in 2018, and a temporary lot, accessible from 28th, 31st, and Delaware, will serve Hillsdale. After construction of the new Hillsdale station is complete, the temporary lot will be upgraded and serve as the new permanent lot.[14]

• Media related to Hillsdale station (Caltrain) at Wikimedia Commons
• Caltrain Hillsdale station page
• "Rail Corridor Transit-Oriented Development Plan". City of San Mateo. 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2017.