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https://n2v.almanacnews.com/square/print/2023/10/23/menlo-park-train-station

Town Square

Menlo Park Train Station

Original post made by Jim Lewis, Menlo Park: Downtown, on Oct 23, 2023

The Menlo Park - Caltrain Station has been vacant for a long time. WHY ?

This property is an icon for the City representing one of its important gateways to the community. Thus, why is it empty? It could be a coffee shop. It could be a museum. Overall, the property offers an opportunity - versus sitting empty and decaying before our eyes. The building needs paint. The building needs a new roof. It's slowly turning into an eyesore eventually becoming an embarrassment vs. a pride of the town.

Shouldn't there be a For Lease sign on it? What are Caltrains plans for it?

Comments

Posted by HelloHanalei
a resident of Menlo Park: Suburban Park/Lorelei Manor/Flood Park Triangle
on Oct 24, 2023 at 9:24 am
HelloHanalei is a registered user.

We lived in Menlo Park for 21 years and just moved a few years ago, and this is the first I've heard of the train station being empty. What's going on? Does CalTrain no longer stop in MP or Atherton?!

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Posted by Menlo Voter.
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Oct 24, 2023 at 7:59 pm
Menlo Voter. is a registered user.

Didn't there used to be a train museum in the station?

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Posted by Erik
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Oct 25, 2023 at 12:01 am
Erik is a registered user.

MP is an active CT station. Are you referring to the old building on the SB platform? That's where the model train museum is. They are open to the public on some weekends. I doubt CT has any plans for it as they are focused on far more important things these days.

There are already 2 coffee shops at MP. One on each side of the station. CT is critically underfunded. Covid decimated ridership and they have not gotten anywhere near normal again. All focus now is finishing electrification, hopefully going live in Fall 24. Years behind schedule.

* Atherton was permanently closed a couple of years ago due to lack of ridership.




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Posted by HelloHanalei
a resident of Menlo Park: Suburban Park/Lorelei Manor/Flood Park Triangle
on Oct 29, 2023 at 7:18 pm
HelloHanalei is a registered user.

Thanks for the clarification, Erik. Atherton was closed when we lived in Menlo Park, and I was gobsmacked at the possibility that Menlo Park has also closed. If the original poster was referring to the building that houses the train museum, that makes more sense!

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Posted by Dave Boyce
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Oct 31, 2023 at 12:26 pm
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The model railroad enterprise is apart from the actual train station, at the southern end of the platform.

The station itself, adjacent to the sheltered benches and ticket machines, does seem vacant and abandoned. I've never seen a railroad agent in there, nor has there ever been any way to buy tickets from a human being.

I think the Menlo Park chamber of commerce once had its location in this complex of two buildings, but I could easily be mistaken

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Posted by CyberVoter
a resident of Atherton: other
on Oct 31, 2023 at 12:36 pm
CyberVoter is a registered user.

Two Train Museums at adjacent CT stops?
- What have a new $300K "train Museum" at Atherton's old Train Station & an old one at MP?
- Perhaps they should be combined -- but that would take vision & communication between two Town staffs!
- At the space of land & sq ft in the area this seems like a colossal misuse of space & funds!
&
- CT is NOT under funded! It is "Under lead"! Nobody wants to use what they are providing & they need to either provide what the public wants, or pave the Riegt of Way & make it for use by only EV's!

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