Caltrain

Caltrain is a commuter rail service operating between San Francisco and San Jose, CA. It is governed by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board ("JPB"), and service is operated under contract by TransitAmerica Services.

History
Service on the San Francisco-San Jose corridor began as early as 1863, operated by the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad (later by Southern Pacific Railroad) under the name "Peninsula Commute". Ridership began declining after 1945, and by 1977 Southern Pacific was looking to discontinue the service.

To preserve the service, local communities began to subsidize SP's operations; in 1980, Caltrans began contracting directly with SP to subsidize the service. Caltrans purchased new equipment for the service in 1985, and the service was rebranded as CalTrain. The JPB was formed in 1987 to directly manage the line.