For decades — possibly ever since the train station on Cahill Street in San Jose opened in 1935 — there’s been a newsstand to provide commuters with a cup of coffee, a quick snack and, even today, a newspaper. But that won’t be the case after Tuesday when McCarthy’s Newsstand at the Diridon Transit Center closes its doors.
The small stand, tucked away in a corner of the historic train station, has been on a month-to-month lease for the past few years. Anne Zingale, who took over the business from the McCarthy family in 2022, said she was notified last month that the lease was coming to an end. A one-woman show these days, the stand will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, with a couple hours off for lunch.
“They just said times were changing,” Zingale said. “This seems like such an important part of this space, and I think we’ve been a huge benefit to the station. I’m not happy about it, but it’s not my decision.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger business cratered but had been coming back, though not quite at a level of the days when thousands of people would flow through the 90-year-old downtown station during the morning and evening commutes to get on Caltrain, ACE or VTA…