Caltrain Ridership Surges with Over 75% Growth for Two Months

Caltrain Ridership Rebounds Strongly. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Caltrain celebrated the second month of dramatic ridership increases, when July 2025 topped 1,073,754 rides. The expansion reflects a robust rebound as commuter sentiment returns and demand increases throughout the San Francisco Peninsula corridor.

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Average weekday ridership in July hit 39,813 trips, a 70.9% jump from the same month in 2018. Weekend travel, meanwhile, saw an even sharper increase, indicating the rail line’s growing popularity beyond traditional work commutes.

Caltrain Approaches Pre-Pandemic Levels

The rise puts Caltrain near its pre-pandemic ridership, a crucial benchmark for the beleaguered California commuter service. In June, the increase over the previous year was 76 percent, the latest in a trend of swift month-over-month improvement.

They see a 123.1% increase in average Saturday ridership and a jump of 105.9% on Sunday, a sign that off-peak use is coming in much higher than in the past. This growth shows off the appeal the service seems to have for leisure passengers and people visiting on the weekends.

Bay Area Service Area

Caltrain runs on the San Francisco Peninsula in California, south from San Francisco to the South Bay and San Jose and as far to the south as Gilroy. Hence the fact that the head count is going up reflects there is more regional involvement with the system, making it more relevant in daily and weekend trips.

Transportation advocates believe that ridership will continue to grow in the months ahead as service improvements and capital improvements made ensure that Caltrain will continue to play a critical role in regional transportation.

Source, photo: www.progressiverailroading.com

What is behind Caltrain’s recent ridership increase?

Confidence in the time of the commute is up, weekend leisure travel has been inching ever higher and service increases remain in effect, all contributing to the firm ridership rebound Caltrain has enjoyed along the Bay Area corridor.

Is Caltrain as full as it was before the pandemic?

Yes, Caltrain ridership is gradually returning to pre-pandemic numbers, following increasing year-over-year trends over the past few months.

What regions does Caltrain cover?

Caltrain runs all the way from San Francisco on the Peninsula and through the South Bay where it continues service to San Jose and Provisions that connect most of Northern California.

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