Today from 12-1, Caltrain is holding a Youtube Town Hall on the San Mateo 25th Ave grade separation project, including the closure of Hillsdale station for 2 months during construction in fall 2020. 

Local residents who walk to the station are asking for an alternative to full station closure. Near the station in the Bay Meadows area there are ~1500 residents, ~1,000 office workers, and a bustling high school, with a majority of people who walk to the station.

Local riders are skeptical that the proposed shuttle bus to Belmont station will work, since many more people walk to the station than fit in small shuttle buses.   They would rather the Hillsdale frequent schedule be moved to nearby Hayward Park which is in walking distance and typically has fewer stops. Or have a small temporary station be built for the time of the closure, that would be accessible from only 1-2 train cars, without any car parking.

Also, riders were concerned about Caltrain’s plan to have the connecting shuttles run only at rush hour, since the residents who live near the train use the train all day.  Local riders believe that Caltrain’s data about offpeak use is out of date, taken from the time before the Bay Meadows developments were well-populated, and therefore Caltrain’s data may underestimate the need for offpeak access.

If you are interested check out the webinar, and send your thoughts to smgradesep@caltrain.com, and copy concerns to San Mateo City Council citycouncil@cityofsanmateo.org