Caltrain+, commuter train schedule software

Charles Lindsey, managing editor in San Jose, Calif., talks about why he can't live without Caltrain+, his commuter train schedule software.

Caltrain+ is third-party software that loads a digital map and schedule on my smartphone. It lets me know when I can catch Caltrain, the commuter train that runs mainly on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Caltrain+ is indispensable. I check Caltrain+ on my Treo every workday at least once, because the start and end times of my days vary. I may have a meeting, a child care issue or a midday appointment, and there's no way I can keep all the train schedules in my head for my commute from San José to Palo Alto.

Without the software, I would have to fumble for a paper schedule and try to read its little lines. I've been using it for about a year, and it keeps me instantly up to date on how to get to work and back. I can run through a dozen transit choices in less time than it would take me to figure out just one with the old way. Plus it’s reliably updated, so I never get stuck using an old schedule.

Using menus, you select your departure and arrival points, and you’ll get a display of the trains that go there. You can then see all the stops a train makes, as well as fares, the length of time and distance of each trip. You can even set an alarm to tell you when your train is about to arrive.

Another function I find particularly useful: All the trains look alike in the station, and there are no signs that help you find the right one, but Caltain+ tells me which train number to look for.

It would be nice if I had similar software on my Treo for other transit schedules, too. I’d love to avoid the paper bottleneck altogether!