Hayward station opened as an infill station on May 29 , 1997 ; the town had previously seen railroad service from 1865 to 1941 . Railroad service in Haywards ( later Hayward ) began with the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad in August 1865 . The terminal station was located at Watkins Street and D Street in downtown Haywards . It was destroyed in the 1868 Hayward earthquake , which bankrupted the railroad . The line was taken over in 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad ( CP ) . The CP built its own line ( part of the First Transcontinental Railroad ) and station slightly to the west , and abandoned the original line south of San Leandro in 1873
1868 Hayward earthquake
1868 Hayward earthquake
Hayward station (Amtrak)