Atherton opens Caltrain lot to free overnight parking Atherton opens Caltrain lot to free overnight parking (December 01, 2004)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Travelers looking to leave their vehicles behind for romantic weekend getaways or holiday trips now have one Caltrain station where it's not only legal to leave cars overnight, it's also free.

The Atherton City Council voted unanimously at the November 17 meeting to allow a trial run of free overnight parking at the historic Atherton train station, from now until March 31. Atherton residents have always been allowed to park for free during the day at the station, but in an effort to boost the number of riders boarding the train in Atherton, town officials have expanded the benefits to the general public.

Town officials have been fighting Caltrain's efforts to cut back service at the Atherton station, arguing that decreasing service to a station with low ridership is only going to make using the station even less appealing to people, and could pave the way for its eventual closure.

"Including the overnight, multi-day provision in our free parking trial makes Caltrain between Atherton and airports particularly attractive over the upcoming holidays, when airport lots are often full," said Councilman Jim Janz, who chairs Atherton's Caltrain Corridor Subcommittee.

From Atherton, Caltrain riders can connect to San Francisco International Airport by taking the train to Millbrae, and connecting with airport-bound BART trains that depart every 15 minutes. To get to the San Jose airport, Caltrain riders get off at the Santa Clara station and take a free shuttle to the airport. Information on schedules and fares is available at Caltrain.org.

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