VTA Light Rail – St. James Park Station

The closest stop to downtown San Jose in the San Pedro square area. Cops asked to see your ticket as you exited the train and ticketed you if you didn’t have one. Pay the fare before you board. It’s only $ 2.

I find this spot a little scary sometimes…
St James hasnt been the most vibrant of parks due to the homeless encampments… Nothing is being done about it and really, I shudder everytime I walk past the area…

Having boarded the Santa Teresa train at Karina, I wanted to exit here for San Pedro Square Market.
It was fairly convenient but the Southbound and Northbound train stations are separated on First and Second Streets. It was a bit confusing. Add to that buses on one side and I had to ask to make sure I was in the correct place to return to the motel.
Since I already had a day pass, I could skip using the excellent machine. I was sad to see so many homeless (I’m sad that anyone is homeless) as I walked through the park, but that’s certainly not VTA’s domain.
The trains arrive, and they’re clean, and there is a huge plus – you can understand what’s being said. If you’ve ever used MTA in New York City, you know what mean. It’s not the accent, it’s that the PA system is horrible and mangles everything. If they said «Airport», it might as well be «Freeport». You get the last half of it.
VTA seems to do a great job and the prices are reasonable. The fact that they keep the station clean and that the machines are operational is better than expected.

I’m a big fan of VTA light rail and this station is convenient when I need to visit the US post office. The northbound and southbound platforms bound St. James park. For being adjacent to the park occupied by homeless, VTA does a great job keeping things clean and safe. It’s also a perfect stop for Trials Pub, so a night out can be enjoyed by all, and VTA will assure a safe trip home. This location, like others, is equipped with an emergency call system, to put anyone at ease in case of emergency or threats.