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Gilroy station

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Coordinates: 37°00′15″N 121°34′00″W / 37.00417°N 121.56667°W / 37.00417; -121.56667
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Gilroy
Gilroy station in July 2018
General information
Location7150 Monterey Street
Gilroy, California
Coordinates37°00′15″N 121°34′00″W / 37.00417°N 121.56667°W / 37.00417; -121.56667
Owned byPeninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
Line(s)UP Coast Subdivision[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Connections
Construction
Parking471 spaces
Bicycle facilities13 racks and 30 lockers
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone6
History
OpenedApril 8, 1869[2]
July 1, 1992[3]
ClosedApril 30, 1971
Rebuilt1998[3]
Original companySouthern Pacific
Passengers
2018252 (weekdays)[4] Increase 22.7%
Services
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
San Martin
toward San Jose Diridon
 South County Connector Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
San Martin
toward San Francisco
 Limited (L3)
Select peak-hour trains only
 Terminus
Limited (L4)
Select peak-hour trains only
Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station
San Martin
toward San Francisco
 Coast Line Sargent
toward Los Angeles
Terminus Gilroy – Tres Pinos Hollister
toward Tres Pinos
Future services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Morgan Hill
toward Auburn
 Capitol Corridor Pajaro/​Watsonville
toward Salinas
     Coast Starlight does not stop here
Preceding station Caltrain Following station
San Martin
toward San Jose Diridon
 South County Connector Pajaro/​Watsonville
toward Salinas
Preceding station California High-Speed Rail Following station
San Jose
towards San Francisco 4th and King Street
 Phase I Merced
Terminus
Madera
towards Los Angeles or Anaheim
Gilroy Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
NRHP reference No.100004192
Added to NRHPJuly 12, 2019
Location
Map

Gilroy station is a Caltrain station located in Gilroy, California, United States. It is the southern terminus of the South County Connector service, and is only served during weekday rush hours in the peak direction, with trains going toward San Jose in the morning and returning southbound in the evening. The station building was constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1918 and restored in 1998. Future plans call for extended Amtrak Capitol Corridor service, as well as California High-Speed Rail trains, to also stop at Gilroy. The station was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 as Gilroy Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.

History

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Southern Pacific

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The first Gilroy station, similar to the depot still extant at Santa Clara, opened on April 8, 1869 under the Santa Clara and Pajaro Valley Railroad.[3][2]: 6  A water tower, turntable, and three-stall engine house were built in 1882.[3]

The original station was replaced with a two-story Italian Renaissance structure — framed with local redwood and covered in cement plaster — in 1918 by the Southern Pacific Railroad.[3][5] Service reductions began in 1929; the engine house was closed in 1934, though the turntable remained in use through the 1950s.[3] The final service to the station was the Del Monte, which ran until April 30, 1971.[3][6][7] Amtrak intercity service, including the Coast Starlight, passed through the station without stopping.

Caltrain

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Caltrain at Gilroy in 2018

On July 1, 1992, two daily Caltrain round trips were extended from San Jose Diridon station to Gilroy. This was increased to four daily round trips with the opening of a layover yard adjacent to the station in February 1994.[3] In 1998, the city restored the station building as the centerpiece of the $2.8 million Gilroy Transit Center, which also included parking lots and a bus plaza. One waiting room was reopened for use by Greyhound.[3] In July 2005, Caltrain reduced service to three daily round trips.[3]

Even before 1992, Caltrain operated a special limited-stop train from San Francisco to Gilroy on the weekend of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, with shuttle buses between the station and the festival. This service ended in 2002 when Caltrain temporarily suspended all weekend train service for the CTX project, and was not resumed when weekend service was restored in 2004. The Golden Gate Railroad Museum chartered weekend trains to Gilroy during the festival for a few years, but those charters were later discontinued.[8] The "Garlic Train" resumed service beginning with the 2013 Garlic Festival.[9]

The station was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019 as Gilroy Southern Pacific Railroad Depot.[10] Gilroy service was increased to four weekday round trips on September 25, 2023.[11]

Future plans

[edit]

The Road Repair and Accountability Act provided funding for an extension of Caltrain service to Salinas station, followed by Amtrak Capitol Corridor service later.[12] The dead-end platform track at Gilroy station will be extended south to reconnect with the mainline.[13]

The planned California High-Speed Rail system will have a station in Gilroy. Two sites were under consideration: the existing Gilroy station, and a currently undeveloped area northeast of the city center (east of Gilroy Premium Outlets).[14] The High Speed Rail Authority identified an at-grade option at the existing station as their preferred alternative in 2020.[15]

Bus connections

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Gilroy station is a hub for local and intercity bus service:[16]

References

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  1. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b Pearce, Michael (August 2017). Santa Clara Valley's Railroad Lines (PDF) (Report). Sourisseau Academy. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Duncan, Mark (October 4, 2005). "The San Francisco Peninsula Railroad Passenger Service: Past, Present, and Future" (PDF). pp. 18, 93–94. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "2018 Annual Count Key Findings Report" (PDF). Caltrain. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "New S.P. Station at Gilroy is Dedicated". Oakland Tribune. May 1, 1918. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "The Del Monte Passenger Train". Monterey Public Library. February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "Western Division Timetable #13" (PDF). Southern Pacific Company. March 29, 1970. pp. 2, 5.
  8. ^ Cohen, Gail. "How to Prepare for the Gilroy Garlic Festival". USA Today.
  9. ^ @Caltrain (June 6, 2013). "Garlic Train to roll to @gilroygarlicfes July 27 & 28. #yum" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Weekly List 20190712". National Park Service. July 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Caltrain to Operate New Schedule Starting this Fall" (Press release). Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. September 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Johnson, Jim (May 9, 2018). "Salinas commuter rail extension project gets $10 million SB 1 gas tax grant". Monterey Herald.
  13. ^ "Gilroy Station Track Project" (PDF). Transportation Agency for Monterey County. October 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  14. ^ "California High-Speed Rail Authority Awards Station-Area Planning Funds to the City of Gilroy" (PDF) (Press release). California High-Speed Rail Authority. July 23, 2014.
  15. ^ Soloaga, Isabel (June 19, 2020). "Huge California High-Speed Rail project raises local concerns". Gilroy Life. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  16. ^ "VTA South County". Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
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