Caltrain is planning to eliminate 8-ride tickets and raise fares on paper tickets. The 8-ride tickets, which is available on Clipper cards only, offer a 15% discount off the regular one way fares. Besides eliminating the 8-ride tickets, Caltrain also plans to increase fares on one way and day pass paper tickets by 25 cents and 50 cents per zone respectively. However the one way fares for riders using Clipper Cards would stay the same.

If this proposal takes effect, regular riders using Clipper and 8-ride tickets would have to pay a higher fare for each ride, but not as much as those who buy paper tickets. On the other hand, riders currently buying paper tickets could avoid the fare increase by paying with a Clipper card.

Is this proposal fair to those who use 8-ride tickets? Caltrain will be accepting public comments at four public meetings throughout the three counties later this month and at the JPB meeting in February.

JPB meeting

Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 at 10 a.m.
1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos

Public meetings

Caltrain will hold four public meetings to present the proposal and receive comments. The meetings will take place in:

Gilroy – Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.
Gilroy Senior Center, 7371 Hanna St.

San Francisco – Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.
San Francisco Tennis Club, 645 Fifth St.

Mountain View – Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.
City Council Chambers, 500 Castro St.

San Carlos – Jan. 25 at 6 p.m.
Caltrain Administrative Office, 1250 San Carlos Ave.

Caltrain also accepts written comments by email: changes@caltrain.com

Five public information meetings will be held from November 2, 2011 through Nov. 10, 2011 to provide information on the Dumbarton Rail Corridor project. The goal of the project is to provide regional rail service from the East Bay to the Peninsula via the rail corridor located south of the Dumbarton Bridge. Currently this project is going through an environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Additional information about the project is available here.

• Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, 6 pm – 8 pm
  Silliman Aquatic Center
  6800 Mowry Avenue
  Newark
• Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, 6 pm – 8 pm
  Fremont Community Center
  40000 Paseo Padre Parkway
  Fremont
• Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, 6 pm – 8 pm
  Kennedy Center
  1333 Decoto Road
  Union City
• Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, 6 pm – 8 pm
  Redwood City Main Library
  1044 Middlefield Road
  Redwood City
• Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, 6 pm – 8 pm
  Menlo Park Senior Center (Belle Haven)
  110 Terminal Avenue
  Menlo Park

For upcoming events relating to Caltrain and regional transit, see the Calendar

The Caltrain board voted today to postpone the decision to cut service for two weeks and asked the staff to continue working with MTC and other funding partners to identify additional funding and keep the current service level.

Due to the opposition from the Caltrain riders and elected officials last month, Caltrain staff revised the budget and released a 76 train schedule that would maintain off peak, Gilroy, and weekend service. On the other hand, the 76 schedule would eliminate the popular Baby Bullet along with basic peak hour local trains. Many stations would lose weekend, and some also weekday, service. The net savings of reducing service is estimated to be $3.3 million (with a loss of $2 million in fare revenue). The public had too little time to review and comment on this proposal (presented two days before the meeting), which still contains substantial changes.

Friends of Caltrain and BayRail Alliance applaud the board’s action to postpone the decision for two weeks. The two weeks will allow staff at Caltrain and MTC to identify additional funding to fill the remaining gap. According to the Caltrain Executive Director Mike Scanlon, the funding allocated to the operation of yet-to-be-built Dumbarton Rail is not a part of the funding package that resulted in the 76 train schedule.

Since last year, Caltrain has experienced a substantial growth in ridership (with full capacity on some peak hour trains) even though the agency reduced midday service. Weekend ridership has grown by over 20% from last year. Bicycle ridership also increased as Caltrain added bicycle capacity on every train. If the board approves the service cut, it would result in overcrowding and more bike bumping (the plan would cut up to 800 bike spots).

Even if we can avoid further service reductions this year, we still need to support dedicated funding to preserve, restore, and enhance Caltrain service in the long run. We hope that by preventing deep cuts, we can demonstrate that Caltrain is a successful and efficient regional transit service that is worthy of support from voters.

Editor,

In Dan Schwartz’s guest perspective, “Caltrain: Time to fold em?” in the Feb. 3 edition of the Daily Journal, he suggested that Caltrain should shut down because of ridership issues. As a longtime Caltrain rider and supporter, I need to point out key issues affecting Caltrain.

The Caltrain crisis is triggered by a sharp decline of contribution from SamTrans, not because of a drop in riders or fare revenue. Despite a slow economic recovery, Caltrain ridership and fares have gone up from last year. Lower ridership on midday trains is also not a cause of Caltrain’s problem. Nearly all transit carry fewer people during the midday, but dedicated tax funding allows some agencies like VTA and BART to operate in midday like they do during the peak hours.

The New Jersey Transit number cited by Schwartz (104.7 percent recovery) is actually a contracted commuter bus service to New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel, where the tunnel toll is $8. The actual farebox recovery of New Jersey Transit commuter rail is 49 percent, very similar to Caltrain.

The Caltrain partners: Muni, SamTrans and VTA cannot individually create an express bus network anywhere as fast and efficient as Caltrain. We will not be meeting the Peninsula’s transportation needs if we let Caltrain service decline.

Andy Chow

BayRail Alliance

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Editor,

We must keep the Caltrain active, and take steps that encourage the use of public transit by creating toll roads and taxing personal vehicles. The days of the personal automobile are over; we have exhausted our environment and our fossil fuel supply. Freeways and roads are ugly and expensive to maintain. We need to reinvigorate our community by providing cooperative and responsible commuting. By taking necessary funds away from Caltrain, we are taking a step backward toward a more car-dependent future.

Andrew Richmond

San Francisco

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Please get these letters going.