Northern California - Bike commuting from San Jose to Alameda

Hey all,

I currently live in SF and work in Alameda, by the Oakland airport. My commute now consists of a bike ride to the Ferry Building, a ferry ride to Alameda, and a bike ride to work. It takes me about an hour, sometimes a little longer.

My extended family mostly lives in Saratoga. I would like live somewhere closer to them, while still being able to commute to work in Alameda, so I was considering living in the San Jose area, within biking distance of Diridon Station. It seems like I can take the Capitol Corridor Amtrak train from Diridon to the Oakland Coliseum, at which point I would bike the rest of the way to work. Does anybody else commute via Capitol Corridor? Are there other options available to me? As a last resort, I could drive, but is the traffic on 880 as crappy as it used to be?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

just a thought, maybe a bus ride or bike to Bart in Fremont. Then Bart to Oakland.

That seems like a good plan. I ride Caltrains from Diridon Station everyday and it looks like the people getting off Amtrak are relaxed. So it must work.

You could spend Sunday night at the family's home then bike to Diridon Monday and ride the train. Check it out. I guess make sure the you do not have any important stuff going on that am. Then your normal commute home in the evening.

I like the bike ride to Fremont BART idea; it's about 18 miles which is doable, but would undoubtedly have to get up earlier. The bus would be easier but I don't know how crowded the bike racks get; I'll have to give it a try sometime. The more I think about AMTRAK, the more I like it. Thanks for the input.

I take Amtrak every day, but in the opposite direction (Hayward to Great America), and it's relatively uneventful. There are delays occasionally, but that's the case with pretty much every mode of transportation. Bike racks aren't plentiful on Amtrak, but you can always find a place to stash your bike. Conductors are very friendly, and the monthly passes are reasonably priced (at least in relation to the daily or 10-ride passes).

Plus, there's a "cafe car" on every train, and since you have a longer ride (probably around 55 minutes), you can settle down with some breakfast or coffee in the morning and a snack or cold beer in the evening. I indulge every once in awhile :thumb:

One other good thing is that it never really gets all that crowded. I've ridden Caltrain and ACE and BART and of the 4, Amtrak's the one in which you're most likely to get a row to yourself.

As a last resort, I could drive, but is the traffic on 880 as crappy as it used to be?

good idea keeping this as a last resort. Traffic on 880 is terrible, especially the direction you're traveling. It's slightly better going the opposite way.