Caltrain Ping-Pong

Due to a flat tire on my car, I recently commuted to and from work via Caltrain. On my way home, it appears I was a bit out of it. I read the schedule online, took the shuttle to the Mountain View Caltrain station, and boarded the train I intended. However, two stops later, they announced the next stop will be Millbrae, which is past San Mateo, the stop I wanted to get off. After I heard the announcement twice, I realized I wasn't imagining things. I checked the schedule and found I was on an express that skipped my stop. Oops! I was supposed to have taken the train that left ten minutes later.

I decided to get off at Millbrae and catch the next train southbound. I only had to wait ten minutes for it. The next train was a partial express, and also skipped San Mateo! Yet, I had to take this train because the next southbound after that was nearly an hour later.

Thus, I again rode past San Mateo, this time to Hillsdale, got on the next northbound train, a mere five minutes later, and disembarked in San Mateo. Phew!

Incidentally, in the end, I only arrived twenty minutes later than I would have had I taken the right train.