Like every other state, county, city and agency, Caltrain is
facing a budget deficit, and has put all ideas on the table as a
way to close a $10.1 million gap.
Everything on the table as agency looks to balance budget
Like every other state, county, city and agency, Caltrain is facing a budget deficit, and has put all ideas on the table as a way to close a $10.1 million gap.
Caltrain has proposed cutting service to South County, raising fares and ending weekend train service as several ways to balance its budget.
But eliminating service to South County is not an idea that’s on the right track. Caltrain had an average weekday ridership of 39,122 for February 2009, according to the Caltrain Web site. That includes an average of 324 South County riders, down from 349 from February 2008. Most of that can be attributed to the crumbling economy and rising unemployment.
Cutting service now sends the wrong message to riders
Granted, South County ridership numbers are not huge, but cutting the service sends the wrong message and will force those riders into vehicles.
Nearly half of Caltrain’s revenue comes from fares. So it seems obvious that more riders equal more money. What Caltrain needs to do is increase service to South County to grow the numbers.
As it stands, just three trains depart Morgan Hill daily. And if you don’t have to be at work before 9 a.m. or so, you’re out of luck. Trains leave at 6:22, 6:45 and 7:20 a.m. Even worse, just two trains return to Morgan Hill, the first at 6:48 p.m, the last at 7:28 p.m.
“To temporarily reduce or eliminate that is really unacceptable for the long-term integrity of the system,” said Morgan Hill City Council Greg Sellers, who sits on the Valley Transportation Authority’s board of directors. He noted that Morgan Hill’s Measure A, which passed last month, “gives even more credence to the efforts to maintain the routes.” Measure A was touted as “green” city planning since it would condense housing near the Caltrain station, thus theoretically boosting mass transit use.
Innovative marketing plan needed to increase ridership
Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage, who serves on Caltrain’s Board of Directors, said that ending service to South County simply would not happen, but that everything has to be put on the table.
“It would actually cost them money to shut the service off. It wouldn’t make it worthwhile,” he said. “There’s not enough savings involved. Every other cut on the table is more significant than the cuts to South County.
“We’re going to look at everything, and do what makes sense logically … we’re going to cut lines that don’t make revenue.”
That’s a start. Service to South County needs to be more convenient for riders. More frequent service would be a good second step. Perhaps less expensive, two-car shuttle trains that run more frequently to points north?
One thing the Joint Powers Board should do is roll out a marketing plan aimed at increasing ridership. Does anyone know the trains provide free WiFi? Does anyone know that, unlike BART and VTA, you can eat on Caltrain? The JPB needs to get its act together and let the community know the benefits of riding the train.
It’s time for new ideas.
Contact Caltrain officials at (650) 508-6200 or via e-mail at www.caltrain.com/contact.html.
