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New Signs Will Help Caltrain Riders Get from Here to There

January 13, 2011
The nine-county Bay Area is served by more than 20 transportation systems offering everything from practical buses to romantic cable cars. Navigating through the maze of options can be confusing for riders. Sometimes a simple sign can mean the difference between getting lost and "Ah-hah!" for intrepid travelers.

Caltrain will soon begin installing signs at four of its stations that will help riders transfer from one transit system to another and get to their destination more easily.

Instead of having individual signs for each transit system, the signs consolidate information for all the transit systems serving the station. Station maps, transit stop maps, route maps and schedule and fare information are included in the package of signs that will be installed at each station. "Wayfinding" signs that point riders in the right direction and large signs identifying the transit center and showing the logos of all the transit systems at the station also are included.

The signs have a consistent graphic style, which makes them easy to spot. A bright orange lower-case letter "i" is used as a unifying logo on each sign to encourage people to "look for the 'i' for information."

Riders can look for the signs at the San Francisco, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose Diridon Caltrain stations. The signs also will be installed at the Millbrae Intermodal Transit Center.

In order to minimize the impact to riders, the signs will be installed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The project is expected to be completed in March.

The signs are part of the Hub Signage Program, an element of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Transit Connectivity Plan, a regional project to make it easier for riders to get around the Bay Area on public transportation.