Menlo Park Caltrain station

Menlo Park station is the first stop north of Palo Alto and one of the most charming on the line. The depot on the platform is a small wooden building from the 1860s, painted and trimmed like a country cottage. It still serves passengers every day. Downtown Menlo Park starts about a block away, across El Camino Real on Santa Cruz Avenue.

For Palo Alto residents the station is useful in its own right. It is the stop for Kepler's Books, downtown Menlo Park's restaurants and the Menlo Park Civic Center. This page covers the depot, the trains, parking, bikes, buses, accessibility and what is nearby. Station details come from Caltrain's Menlo Park station page as of late October 2026.

The historic depot

Railroad service reached Menlo Park on October 18, 1863, when the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad opened its line down the Peninsula. The depot that stands today was built in 1867. Caltrain and the City of Menlo Park both give that date. The city calls it the oldest California station in continuous operation.

The building is listed three ways. It is California Historical Landmark No. 955. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974, the earliest listing of the seven Caltrain depots on the register. Caltrain names the other six as Millbrae, Burlingame, San Carlos, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon.

What to look for

A Caltrain blog post on station landmarks points out the details worth a look. The depot has decorative brackets under the eaves, fancy moldings, decorative fish scale patterns and scalloped cresting along the roofline. The same post notes that the depot was enlarged for a second time in 1917, during World War I, to handle troops going to and from Camp Fremont, the army training camp that covered much of Menlo Park. Our page on Camp Fremont tells that story.

Caltrain has worked on the building's upkeep with the South Bay Historical Railroad Society, which reviews changes at Caltrain's historic depots. Its station building rehabilitation project, with construction expected to begin in spring 2024, covered repairs to the roof and exterior. Caltrain also lists the West Bay Model Railroad Association as a tenant at the station.

The station also gave the city its name. When it opened, a railroad official borrowed the words on a nearby estate gate, "Menlo Park." A reproduction of that 1854 gate now stands near the main library at Ravenswood Avenue and Alma Street, a short walk south. Our Menlo Park guide covers the gate and the city's history.

Which trains stop here

Menlo Park is a local and limited stop. In the timetable published in October 2026, every weekday local and every weekday limited stopped here, while the express trains ran straight through. On weekends every train is a local and all of them stop.

• For a fast ride to San Francisco or San Jose, the nearest express stops are Palo Alto to the south and Redwood City to the north. Each is one stop away.
• Limited trains from Menlo Park also stop at Palo Alto, California Avenue and San Antonio on the way south.
• The weekday timetable repeats at the same minutes each hour, so it is easy to learn your train.

Check departure times on the official schedule. We do not print them because they change with each timetable revision. Menlo Park is in Zone 3, the same zone as Palo Alto. A ride between them costs the one zone fare, $4.00 for adults in October 2026, rising on January 1, 2027.

Car parking

Caltrain lists 150 spaces at Menlo Park, including five ADA spaces. A permit is required at all hours. Pay at one of the three ticket machines with your stall number, or use ParkMobile with zone 99613. A daily permit cost $5.50 in October 2026 and lasts 24 hours. Monthly permits, $82.50, are only sold to holders of a Caltrain monthly pass or GoPass. Cars displaying a California disabled person plate or placard park free. Full rules are on Caltrain's parking page.

If you are visiting downtown Menlo Park rather than taking a train, use the city's public lots behind Santa Cruz Avenue instead. Menlo Park sets its own time limits, so read the signs.

Bike parking

Menlo Park is one of the stations where Caltrain has opened a secure bike room. Caltrain lists three options:

1. BikeHub secure parking room. A controlled-access room open 24 hours. Register online with BikeHub, then use your Clipper card to open the door. Bring your own lock and do not let others follow you in. Caltrain lists standard pricing for its bike parking stations at $60 a year, with weekly and monthly rates too.
2. BikeLink eLockers. Eight on-demand lockers, rented through the BikeLink app. Caltrain's own lockers charged 5 cents an hour, or 2 cents at night and on weekends, in October 2026.
3. Racks. Eight open racks for short stops.

Riding up from Palo Alto is easy. The trip is under two miles from downtown Palo Alto, crossing San Francisquito Creek. Quiet streets near the railroad make a calmer route than El Camino Real. Our page on Palo Alto's bike boulevards covers the routes on the Palo Alto side.

Buses and shuttles

Caltrain lists three connections at Menlo Park:

• SamTrans ECR, the El Camino Real bus that runs north to Redwood City, San Mateo and Daly City BART and south to the Palo Alto Transit Center.
• SamTrans 296, another SamTrans local route. Check SamTrans for its current path and hours.
• Commute.org M3, a commuter shuttle from San Mateo County's commute agency, timed for peak hours.

Stanford's Marguerite does not stop here. To reach campus by shuttle, ride the train one stop south to Palo Alto and use the Palo Alto Transit Center. Our Marguerite guide explains the lines.

Accessibility

Caltrain lists Menlo Park as a wheelchair accessible station with five ADA parking spaces. Every electric train can be boarded by ramp or lift. Wait at the blue boarding assistance area at the north end of the platform. Caltrain does not list an elevator here. No public restroom appears on Caltrain's amenity list either. Discount fares and paratransit are covered in our accessible travel guide.

What is nearby

The station sits on Merrill Street, one block east of El Camino Real. Within a 10 minute walk:

• Santa Cruz Avenue, downtown Menlo Park's main street, starts across El Camino Real. See our guide to Santa Cruz Avenue.
• Kepler's Books, the independent bookstore on El Camino Real, known for its author talks. Our bookstores guide has details.
• Fremont Park, a small downtown park. Caltrain's destination page notes free concerts there in summer.
• The Civic Center, with City Hall, the main library and Burgess Park, a short walk from the platform.
• Restaurants along Santa Cruz Avenue and its side streets. See where to eat in Menlo Park.

Caltrain's destination page adds a piece of trivia: the first Round Table Pizza opened in 1959 across El Camino Real from the station. For somewhere to stay within walking distance, see our page on staying in Menlo Park or Mountain View.

Frequently asked questions