San Fernando (VTA)

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San Fernando Light Rail Station - looking west along the platforms.
San Fernando Light Rail Station - looking west along the platforms.

San Fernando is a light rail station operated by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The station has two side platforms and two trackways. San Fernando is served by the Mountain View-Winchester light rail line.

Contents

[edit] Location

Address: 441 West San Fernando Street, San Jose, CA 95110
Nearest cross-streets: Delmas Avenue and Gifford Avenue
Geographic coordinates: 37° 19' 49.3" North, 121° 53' 54.2" West

[edit] Station Amenities

[edit] Architecture / Public Art

Public art sculpture located at the south end of the station.
Public art sculpture located at the south end of the station.

The San Fernando Station features three public art sculptures. They are entitled "King of the Urban Jungle," "Simba x 2," and "Lying Beast." All three statues are arranged together on a small cicular piece of lawn on the south edge of the station.

"Artist Iiona Malka Rich created this sculpture of three, multicolored striped lions with illuminating eyes (using fiber optics) from a bronze-like material. One has eight legs with two heads, and the other two lions have six legs each. The theme for this art feature is “Life is a Circus” which is inscribed around the base of the artwork. In addition, lion footprints are “stamped” on the ground through the plaza to replicate the natural movement of these unique animals." [1]

[edit] History

San Fernando Station was build as part of the Vasona Light Rail extension project. This project extended VTA light rail service from the intersection of Woz Way and West San Carlos St in San Jose in a southwesterly direction to the Winchester station in western Campbell.

The official opening date for this station was to be October 1, 2005, however revenue service was started earlier than planned on July 29, 2005 to accommodate attendees of the inaugural San Jose Grand Prix race.

The construction of this station and the rest of the Vasona Light Rail extension was part of the 1996 Measure B Transportation Improvement Program. Santa Clara County voters approved the Measure B project in 1996 along with a one half percent sales tax increase. The Vasona Light Rail extension was funded mostly by the resulting sales tax revenues with additional money coming from federal and state funding, grants, VTA bond revenues, and municipal contributions. [2]

[edit] Nearby Points of Interest

(note: S Almaden Avenue is 1 block east of S Almaden Boulevard)

[edit] Adjacent stations

Preceding station   VTA Light Rail   Following station
Mountain View - Winchester
toward Winchester

[edit] Connecting Transit

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vasona - San Fernando Station. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (2005). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
  2. ^ VTA to Temporarily Close Two Downtown Light Rail Stations. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (2006). Retrieved on 2006-04-10.

Coordinates: 37°19′49.3″N 121°53′54.2″W / 37.330361, -121.898389