San Jose Diridon Station — Local services in San Jose

I've visited the station a few times recently and have found the ticketing staff to be consistently helpful. The same applies to the woman who works in the concession stand-- she even offered me a free helping of freshly popped popcorn. I was one of a handful of individuals at the station during a weekday late afternoon--:a time when I imagine the station would be a far busier place, but for Covid-19. While it will be a relief when things return to "normal" and the energy of a rush hour commuters animates the station once again, I'm glad I got an unhurried opportunity to enjoy the staff's geniality and helpfulness. The station house itself exudes historic charm to be savored by anyone who's not dashing to make a train. If you have a brief wait for your train, you can pass the time taking in the building"s architecture and quaint ornamentation. (NOTE: I'm certain that the Station's charms would wear thin if a prolonged stay-- awaiting a delayed trsin-- ensued. No train station (or airport, for that matter) offers architectural delights sufficiently to take the place of one's destination...:-) ) But I have developed a fond appreciation for this Diridon Station. And while it's a place most folks rush through on their way to somewhere else-- It's not a bad place to pass 20...

This building probably has seen better days. It's very old and outdated but it's nice to see them try to keep it's original architecture.

The waiting room is roomy but the seats could use a major cleaning. Everytime I got up or moved my clothing would stick. Not to mention how many homeless people have been sleeping on the benches. So a good deep cleaning is needed.

There is not much here for amenities. The only retail establishment inside is a news stand, which was closed during my visit.

The lack of signage (arrival/departure) for Amtrak is a drawback. There are plenty of signs for CalTrain and VTA but only...

No major issues. Arrived by Uber, was previously considering overnight parking. I saw that Amtrak overnight parking did have at least a couple parking spaces available but no agent to provide the parking permit when I arrived an hour early for seat selection for my 9:35 AM July 1 long weekend Amtrak Thruway departure. There were a few characters walking around doing their own thing. The morning coach has plenty of room, I was able to have a set of seats to myself. Return trip from Santa Barbara at 11:55AM was fairly...