Third and Townsend Depot

The Third and Townsend Depot was the main train station in the city of San Francisco for much of the first three quarters of the 20th Century. The station at Third Street and Townsend Street served as the terminus for Southern Pacific trains serving the commuter rail market between San Francisco and San Jose and long-distance trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles via the Southern Pacific's Coast Line. For passenger service for destinations to the north, such as Seattle, and destinations to the east, such as Chicago, passengers needed to travel to Oakland, initially on ferries to Oakland Long Wharf, and later on buses to 16th Street Station.

The station was built in 1914 on the occasion of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition to be held in 1915. Originally, the station was supposed to be temporary, the main station would be further into downtown San Francisco. However, this plan was never carried out. The station was built in the characteristic mission revival architecture style. With the rise of freeways and the declining emphasis on long-distance passenger rail service, the structure was demolished in 1975-76. A new Fourth and King Street Station provides Caltrain commuter service to San Jose.

The Coast Starlight in the Amtrak era has been routed through Oakland and extends north to Seattle. No long-distance inter-city trains run from San Francisco any longer; only Caltrain commuter trains run between San Francisco and San Jose. Passengers on the San Francisco–San Jose corridor need to take the commuter trains to San Jose to connect with continuing service to Los Angeles or take an Amtrak provided bus to Emeryville.

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