Tamien station

Station design

The station is located along the elevated California State Route 87 freeway in the Tamien neighborhood of central San Jose, California, about 1.5 miles south of the downtown area. The light rail platform, an island platform serving the two light rail tracks, is located in the freeway median. The Caltrain platform is located on the east side of the freeway adjacent to the Highway 87 Bikeway. The 989 ft-long island platform serves the western main track and a siding of the Peninsula Subdivision; the east main track is used only by freight.

Parking lots are located off Lelong Street on the west side of the station complex and Lick Avenue on the east side. A street-level walkway runs between the platforms, with stairs and escalators to the center of the Caltrain platform and the north end of the VTA platform. An entrance from the Lelong Street lot leads to the south end of the VTA platform. Elevators are located at the center of the Caltrain platform and the south end of the VTA platform.

Tamien is the southern terminus of electrified Caltrain service; it is served by half of local trains. Peak-hour South County Connector diesel trains Between San Jose and Gilroy also stop at Tamien.

History

The light rail station opened on August 17, 1990. Caltrain service began on July 1, 1992 as part of an extension to Gilroy.

Midday and weekend Caltrain service initially terminated at Diridon station, with bus shuttles to Tamien. Weekend service and some off-peak service was extended to Tamien on December 14, 2020, eliminating the shuttles.

VTA began planning in the 2010s for transit oriented development to replace the parking lots. Construction on the first phase, which replaces the northern half of the Lick Avenue lot, began in October 2023.

On June 16, 2025, electric Caltrain service between San Jose Diridon and Tamien was temporarily replaced with buses. The suspension, needed to accommodate construction for the Guadalupe Bridge Replacement Project, was expected to last for eight months. South County Connector and VTA trains continue to serve the station. Electric Caltrain service will resume on January 31, 2026.

References

References

1. {{CA rail schematics
2. (October 11, 2021). "VTA Light Rail System".
3. "Tamien station".
4. "Current Light Rail System Data". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
5. {{Askmar-Caltrain
6. (September 2025). "2025 Annual Ridership Report". Caltrain.
7. Hylkema, Mark. (1994). "The Ohlone: Past and Present Native Americans of the San Francisco Bay Region". Ballena Press Publication.
8. "Trail Systems {{!}} City of San Jose".
9. ((IBI Group)). (June 4, 2020). "VTA Tamien Station TOD Access Study". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
10. "Caltrain PDF Schedules". [[Caltrain]].
11. (December 7, 2020). "Caltrain Implements New Service Changes and Permanently Closes Atherton Station". Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.
12. (March 9, 2022). "State Funding Advances Tamien Station TOD". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
13. (September 2023). "Celebrate the groundbreaking of Tamien Station". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
14. (June 2025). "2025 Service Changes". Caltrain.
15. (January 2026). "Caltrain Service Changes Coming 2026". Caltrain.