At Wednesday’s Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, Caltrain staff presented a plan to make no schedule improvements for the next five years other than adjusting to take into account slower travel times, keeping up with the reality that crowded trains are slower to board.
Staff explained that electrification construction between 2016 and 2020 would require all of the offpeak time. Other construction projects including bridge replacements and station improvements will require single tracking and will preclude conversion of trains to baby bullets. Budget considerations would also preclude any additional trains to address changes in demand.  Electrification construction is likely to require weekend intervals between trains to be increased to 90 minutes.   Also, the schedule updates to adjust to the reality of slower travel times are being timed for February, and with that time frame there is no time to analyze any other schedule changes.
CAC members were skeptical that it would be impossible to make any schedule improvements for customers whatsoever over the next five years. Members (including this blogger) reported customer requests for schedule improvements including “shoulder peak” baby bullets that could help decongest peak hour trains, additional weekend baby bullets, and a later last train from San Jose to keep up with livelier entertainment demand.
Faced with uniform concern about the prospect of no schedule improvements to address changed customer needs for the next five years, Caltrain operations manager April Maguigad said that she would bring the feedback back to management for consideration. The Citizens Advisory Committee will have another agenda item for follow-up discussion, as soon as next month.
A recent re-organization of Caltrain’s marketing, customer service, and communications functions by new General Manager Jim Hartnett, coordinating these functions under Seamus Murphy, is intended to make the agency more responsive to customer needs, according to Murphy at last week’s public meeting discussing proposed fare hikes in Mountain View.
Hopefully the renewed customer focus will allow for consideration of improvements addressing customer needs.
Upcoming Caltrain Construction
Caltrain staff to reexamine static schedule plans following CACÂ questions https://t.co/VZuYctJ4KN https://t.co/0tZJqTsUem
They need to open up the design process for critiques and better ideas.
By creating a continuous structure that is ‘solar ready’ above the tracks, and suspending the high voltage lines from it, they could avoid needing to trench along the entire length. If they use a composite structure (www.captivecolumn.com) that is lighter, stronger, and costs much less than conventional structures, and design it to minimize the size of the foundations needed for the supporting columns, they can do that within budget. Then, when they are ready to get the solar part financed, it can provide most of the power they need to run the trains, saving huge amounts of both money and carbon over the next 30 to 50 years. Assuming they install the solar 2 to 3 years from now, the solar part will be close to a dollar a watt, and the battery storage needed will cost less than $200 per kWh capacity, and have high discharge power.
As might have been expected, the Caltrain Management team trotted out the same tired excuses for their inaction on schedule changes: “Too much happening”, “Budgetary constraints” “Blah, blah. blah”. Faced with your excellent meeting prep they at least ought to pause for thought now.
This is a terrific opportunity for Caltrain staff to put the fine words “Customer Focus” into action, and the role of CAC should be to hold them accountable. Wouldn’t it be great if the words “Help us make this happen” came out of the mouths of Caltrain officials? More power to you, Adina!
Caltrain want to propose weekend service to be 90 min frequency during electrification work. This is ridiculous! As I checked track map, Caltrain have about 10 cross over across the line which support segments of single tracking. As many suggested hourly or better express service, which can be supported by existing infrastructure.