San Francisco 4th and King Street Station
Encyclopedia
San Francisco 4th and King Street or 4th and King station (previously known as 4th & Townsend) or Caltrain Depot is the northern terminus of the Caltrain
commuter rail line that serves San Francisco Peninsula
and Santa Clara Valley
, and is a major regional
transit hub. It is also served by the adjacent Muni Metro
light rail
stations with direct connections to downtown San Francisco and Bay Area Rapid Transit
. It is served by all 96 weekday trains and all 32 (Saturday) and 28 (Sunday) weekend trains. The station is located in the Mission Bay
area in eastern San Francisco, California
, bordered on the north by Townsend Street, east by 4th Street, and south by King Street. It opened on June 21, 1975, replacing a structure built in 1914 at 3rd and Townsend, one block away.
The Caltrain Downtown Extension project to the rebuilt Transbay Terminal
includes the construction of an underground 4th and King station. The underground station will be adjacent to the current station on the Townsend side. Several platforms on the current station will be retained to serve as the northern terminus for non-electric trains, such as trains to Union City
across Dumbarton Rail Bridge
and trains to Gilroy
.
4th and King hosts a number of Muni
bus connections. In addition, service to downtown San Francisco is provided by Muni
's T Third Street and N Judah
lines The E Embarcadero
historic streetcar line is expected to begin operation sometime in 2012, and Muni's Central Subway
project is scheduled to open in 2016. N Judah
service replaced the J Church
on June 30, 2007, two months after the J Church
replaced the N Judah
on April 7, 2007 on the Caltrain connection to downtown following the opening of the T line. In addition, Amtrak California
Thruway Motorcoach service stops here at the Caltrain station to take Amtrak
passengers to connecting Amtrak trains in Oakland
and Emeryville
. The nearest BART access is the Powell Street station, a 1 mile walk up 4th street then left on Market St. California Shuttle Bus
operates a service to Los Angeles via Oakland and San Jose.
, the home of the San Francisco Giants
. Caltrain usually operates special trains to transport fans to and from baseball games. Special trains usually depart about fifteen minutes after the last out. One special train, leaving 15 minutes after the last out, expresses to San Carlos, then stops everywhere afterwards. This train is not available for daytime weekday games. Giants fans can either walk or take the Muni to the ballpark. Muni operates special trains from Caltrain to the ballpark on game days.
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...
commuter rail line that serves San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
and Santa Clara Valley
Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
, and is a major regional
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
transit hub. It is also served by the adjacent Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
stations with direct connections to downtown San Francisco and Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
. It is served by all 96 weekday trains and all 32 (Saturday) and 28 (Sunday) weekend trains. The station is located in the Mission Bay
Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
Mission Bay is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.-Location:Mission Bay is roughly bounded by Townsend Street on the north, Third Street and San Francisco Bay on the east, Mariposa Street on the south, and 7th Street and Interstate 280 on the west.-History:It was created in 1998 by the...
area in eastern San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, bordered on the north by Townsend Street, east by 4th Street, and south by King Street. It opened on June 21, 1975, replacing a structure built in 1914 at 3rd and Townsend, one block away.
The Caltrain Downtown Extension project to the rebuilt Transbay Terminal
San Francisco Transbay Terminal
San Francisco Transbay Transit Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, was a transportation complex in San Francisco, California, USA, located roughly in the center of the rectangle bounded north–south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east–west by Beale Street and 2nd Street...
includes the construction of an underground 4th and King station. The underground station will be adjacent to the current station on the Townsend side. Several platforms on the current station will be retained to serve as the northern terminus for non-electric trains, such as trains to Union City
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
across Dumbarton Rail Bridge
Dumbarton Bridge (California)
The Dumbarton Bridge is the southernmost of the highway bridges that span the San Francisco Bay in California. Carrying over 81,000 vehicles daily, it is also the shortest bridge across San Francisco Bay at 1.63 miles...
and trains to Gilroy
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
.
Station amenities
- Public restrooms
- Public phones
- Ticket machines
- Ticket counters
- Validators for Caltrain 8-Ride passes
- SubwaySubway (restaurant)Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
sandwich shop
Transit connections
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
bus connections. In addition, service to downtown San Francisco is provided by Muni
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
's T Third Street and N Judah
N Judah
The N Judah is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, so called as it runs along Judah Street for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downtown San Francisco to the Cole Valley and Sunset neighborhoods. It is the busiest line in the Muni Metro system...
lines The E Embarcadero
E Embarcadero
The E Embarcadero is intended to become the San Francisco Municipal Railway's second heritage streetcar line in San Francisco, California. Trial service first ran during the Sunday Streets events on The Embarcadero in 2008 , and the line will begin operating permanently once additional historic...
historic streetcar line is expected to begin operation sometime in 2012, and Muni's Central Subway
Central Subway
The Central Subway is an extension of the Muni Metro light rail system in San Francisco, California, from the Caltrain commuter rail depot at 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The subway is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project...
project is scheduled to open in 2016. N Judah
N Judah
The N Judah is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, so called as it runs along Judah Street for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downtown San Francisco to the Cole Valley and Sunset neighborhoods. It is the busiest line in the Muni Metro system...
service replaced the J Church
J Church
The J Church is a Muni Metro railway line in San Francisco, California mainly serving the Noe Valley and Balboa Park neighborhoods, connecting them to downtown. It began as one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in 1917, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni...
on June 30, 2007, two months after the J Church
J Church
The J Church is a Muni Metro railway line in San Francisco, California mainly serving the Noe Valley and Balboa Park neighborhoods, connecting them to downtown. It began as one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in 1917, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni...
replaced the N Judah
N Judah
The N Judah is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, so called as it runs along Judah Street for much of its length, named after railroad engineer Theodore Judah. It links downtown San Francisco to the Cole Valley and Sunset neighborhoods. It is the busiest line in the Muni Metro system...
on April 7, 2007 on the Caltrain connection to downtown following the opening of the T line. In addition, Amtrak California
Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the Caltrans Division of Rail for all state-supported Amtrak rail routes within the U.S. State of California...
Thruway Motorcoach service stops here at the Caltrain station to take Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
passengers to connecting Amtrak trains in Oakland
Oakland – Jack London Square (Amtrak station)
Oakland is an Amtrak station located in downtown Oakland, California. Opened in 1994, the building is located at 245 Second Street in Oakland, it is served by the Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins trains...
and Emeryville
Emeryville (Amtrak station)
The Emeryville Amtrak station is an Amtrak station in Emeryville, California that replaced the older Amtrak 16th Street Station in Oakland. The original Beaux-Arts Oakland 16th Street Station was declared unsafe due to unreinforced masonry after sustaining damage in the Loma Prieta Earthquake of...
. The nearest BART access is the Powell Street station, a 1 mile walk up 4th street then left on Market St. California Shuttle Bus
California Shuttle Bus
California Shuttle Bus is a transportation company providing passenger service in California.-History:The company launched its services in 2003....
operates a service to Los Angeles via Oakland and San Jose.
San Francisco Giants service
4th and King is located one block from AT&T ParkAT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, the home of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. Caltrain usually operates special trains to transport fans to and from baseball games. Special trains usually depart about fifteen minutes after the last out. One special train, leaving 15 minutes after the last out, expresses to San Carlos, then stops everywhere afterwards. This train is not available for daytime weekday games. Giants fans can either walk or take the Muni to the ballpark. Muni operates special trains from Caltrain to the ballpark on game days.