All Aboard for the SAP Center

With the San Jose Diridon Station just a short walk from the SAP Center, Caltrain is the perfect travel option for hockey fans itching to watch their beloved Sharks when the team opens its preseason home slate against the Arizona Coyotes on September 26.

The game is scheduled 7:30 p.m. on Friday, so Caltrain’s weekday schedule includes plenty of trains that will arrive in San Jose before the puck drops. The last weekday and Saturday northbound train departs the San Jose station at 10:30 p.m. or may depart up to 15 minutes later if the game is still underway. The train makes all regular local stops. Trains stop at the Broadway and Atherton stations on weekends only.

More information about Caltrain’s service for Sharks’ games is available here.

Despite posting 51 wins last season and finishing second in the National Hockey League’s Pacific Division, the Sharks were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings, the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The Sharks will be seeking their 11th straight playoff appearance this season, although they have to yet capture a Stanley Cup title.

Caltrain is a proof-of-payment system; tickets are not sold onboard trains but can be purchased at vending machines at the stations. To save time on the return trip, fans are encouraged to buy a Day Pass. Clipper card users (e-cash and 8-ride tickets) are reminded to tag on and tag off.

Open alcoholic beverage containers are not allowed onboard trains starting at 9 p.m.

For more information about service and fares, call Caltrain’s Customer Service Center at 1.800.660.4287 or visit www.caltrain.com.

About Caltrain

Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed nearly four years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 50,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad will celebrate 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor by 2019, reducing diesel emissions by 84 percent and adding more service to more stations.

--Information from Caltrain

--Photo: Patch Archive