Trains to and from San Francisco Airport (SFO)

Arrival and departure at the San Francisco International airport is so easy and convenient. You have many forms of ground transportation that will suit your fancy. You will find many car rentals, buses, shuttles, and taxicabs waiting to service you. However, those with very few luggages may wish to save more and have faster access to the city. Therefore, they would prefer to ride the trains of the San Francisco International Airport rather than pay a taxicab all the way to their destination. SFO Airport is catered by the BART Rapid Rail Station, the AirTrain Stations, and the Caltrain Commuter Rail system. All three caters to the needs of the passengers who wish to forget about the traffic and is on the rush to arrive at their scheduled business meetings and appointments.

BART Rapid Rail Station is considered one of the most efficient ways of getting around San Francisco. It helps passengers arriving and departing from SFO to reach their flight schedule on time. It is costs less in comparison to your average shuttles, taxis, car rentals and will even save you from parking rates. Therefore, it one of the best choices if you really wish to save on your ground transportation during your trip to San Francisco. A trip from the SFO Airport towards the downtown San Francisco will only take you 30 minutes and the trains leave and arrive every after 15 minutes. Moreover, the one-way ticket will only cost you $8.10. You will easily find the station located at the International Terminal. It is just a few distance from the United Airlines found in Terminal 3 and a bit longer in distance if you will arrive from Terminal 1. Nevertheless, the airport administration took the initiative to offer the services of the free AirTrain for its passenger’s convenience. All you need to do is to follow the signs leading the to Red Line train and it will lead you to the terminal of the BART Station. For an estimate time of arrival at the BART Station, it is approximately one to three minutes from the AirTrain Station.

Those who need to reach the airport may take any SFO bound train that will take you the BART Station. However, if you are travelling from another city then you may need to make a couple of transfer before you actually reach the SFO bound trains that typically originates from the Pittsburgh or Bay Point line. To make these easier you may request for the System Map and see the transfer points of the train. From there, you can simply walk towards the Terminal 1 or 3 in just about 5 to 10 minutes. However, if you need to boar and International flight then you may simply walk in front of the station because the flight check-in are just a few steps away from the BART Station itself.

Those who are worried about how they can purchase their BART Tickets may easily use their credit cards, if they do not have cash. It works like a debit card with stored value, which is inserted at the fare gate and returned to you if it still holds any value. You can use the same ticket upon exit and entrance at the station. Nevertheless, if you have nickels, dimes, quarters, coins and bills then you may also use this at automatic ticket vending machines. This will be more convenient for you because you do not need to fall in line just to purchase your BART SFO Tickets. If in case your ticket is already below the requested value, you may simply go to the Addfare section of the terminal to pay the additional fare of your train ride.

The weekday service hours of BART is 4:09 AM to 11:45 pm, 5:54 am to 11:45 pm during Saturdays, and 8:00 am to 11:45 pm during Sundays. It is not recommended to bring too many luggage on the trip because you will be requested to hold it on your lap or place it under your seat to accommodate other passengers. There are areas intended to accommodate the needs of those with wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes. You may use these for your luggage only if there is no one using it. Nevertheless, it is best not to make chances and consider taking an alternate from of ground transportation to the terminal if you do have many luggage to bring on your trip.

Caltrain Station is another train that you may wish to ride if you wish to arrive at SFO or if you wish to depart from the airport. You may purchase your ticket from ticket vending machines, which accepts coins, bills, and even credits or Visa/Mastercard debit cards. If you will stay longer then you may wish to purchase a Monthly Pass or 8 ride ticket for your clipper cards. In this manner, you do not need to fall in line every time you feel the need to ride the Caltrain. You may also make purchase through the Caltrain Headquarters, which is open during weekdays from 8 am until 5 pm. You will be happier to learn that they accept Visa, Discover, and MasterCard. You may also use prepaid transfer benefit cards, ATM debit cards, paper transit, as well as paper transit benefit checks like Commuter Checks. Learn the scheduled trip of these train to and from the airport for you not to be late on your scheduled trip.

While on your stay at the SFO Airport, you will find the convenience offered by the SFO AirTrains. You can ride these trains free and you will easily reach your destination around the airport with very few inconvenience. The airport is filled with maps that will help guide you around the airport for you not to get lost. You will find every personnel doing their best to make your stay a very pleasing experience. You would wish to stay longer or return for another San Francisco experience just because of the great accommodation SFO Airport has set-up for you.