Caltrain Kicks Off Bike Depot Construction at San Francisco Station

Caltrain is making it easier for San Francisco bicyclists to ride their bike to the train, with the long awaited construction of a new 1,600 sq. ft. bicycle parking facility at the train station at Fourth and King streets.
Funded with federal, regional and local grants, the new bike depot will have space to park at least 100 bicycles. Storage will be secure, and free of charge to users. Additionally, the operator, Warm Planet Bikes, will offer bike-related service and repairs, at a fee to patrons.
The kick-off event will take place at noon, Monday, Feb. 27, at the San Francisco Caltrain Station, 700 Fourth St. The event will feature speakers, including San Jose City Councilman and Caltrain Board Chair Ken Yeager, Muni Executive Director Nathaniel Ford, San Francisco Supervisor and Chair of the San Francisco Transportation Authority Jake McGoldrick, MTC Commissioner Sue Lempert, and SF Bicycle Commission Executive Director Leah Shahum.
Construction is scheduled to begin during the first week of March and will be complete in mid-summer. The facility will allow people to ride their bikes to the station and park it at no cost, as they take the train to their destination, while lessening the impact of overcrowding of bike cars on trains.
On average, more than 300 bicycle riders board at the San Francisco Caltrain station each day, with nearly 2,000 daily bicycle riders between San Francisco and Gilroy. Current trains only have capacity for up to 32 bicycles, and once the limit is reached additional bicycle patrons have to wait for a later train with room for them to board.
“We love our bike passengers, but we have limited bike space on our trains,” said Caltrain Rail Planning Manager, Michelle Bouchard. “This new facility offers them a way to keep riding their bikes, and frees up more space for other bike riders who may need their bike at the other end of their journey.”
Attendees at the kick-off event will view renderings of the new facility, enjoy music and refreshments.
02/24/2006 taken from http://caltrain.com/