Caltrain may make big cuts in local service Caltrain may make big cuts in local service (March 16, 2005)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Caltrain is headed for a $13 million annual budget deficit, and even with a plan to drastically restructure train service and increase fares, it still isn't expected to make ends meet.

Service to the Midpeninsula could be deeply impacted under a proposal that would suspend all train service to Atherton and alter other local train service, reducing the number of trains stopping in Menlo Park.

Caltrain board members heard proposals for boosting revenues and cutting costs on March 14. After taking public testimony, they are expected to make a decision at a special meeting on April 22, said Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Kunz.

The fiscal train wreck has been brought on by ever-increasing operating costs and stagnant contributions from Caltrain's partner agencies: San Francisco Muni, the San Mateo County Transit District, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, according to Ms. Kunz.

The Caltrain board is considering declaring a fiscal emergency for the coming budget year, and is holding community meetings on Wednesday, March 23, and a public hearing on Thursday, April 7.
Big schedule changes

Although some proposals called for drastically cutting the number of train trips, board members are interested in increasing service from the current 86 train trips a day to 88, said Ms. Kunz.

"We'd be saving money by eliminating trains, but we would be losing (ticket) revenue," she explained.

But the proposed schedule's mix of express trains and local trains would limit options for Midpeninsula riders. The proposed schedule, dubbed "Super-88" by Caltrain staff after the 88 daily train trips, would add 14 Baby Bullet trains to the daily schedule for a total of 24. The Baby Bullets are Caltrain's biggest revenue generators, because they cost less to operate and they draw larger numbers of passengers who ride for longer distances, Ms. Kunz said.

Local trains that stop at every station would be eliminated and replaced with a kind of hybrid -- half express and half local. Some trains would make local stops until reaching Palo Alto, which serves as the halfway mark, and then switch to express service. Other trains would run express service to Palo Alto and then switch to local service, she said.

A passenger going from Menlo Park to Sunnyvale, for instance, would have to get on a train making local stops from San Francisco to Palo Alto, and then change in Palo Alto to a train making local stops to Sunnyvale.

The Super-88 schedule would suspend all service to Atherton, as well as the Broadway, College Park and Paul Street stations, she said.

Atherton officials, who waged a fierce campaign the last time the town's station was threatened with closure, are gearing up for another battle. Councilman Jim Janz, Atherton's point-man on train service, said Caltrain officials could definitely expect to be hearing from Atherton.

"It's a self-fulfilling prophecy," Mr. Janz said. "If they'd stop cutting service, they'd get a lot more ridership."

The Atherton station has been slated to undergo a $2 million renovation to eliminate its "hold-out" status and allow two trains to stop in the station at the same time. If service to the Atherton station is suspended, that project would be canceled, said Ms. Kunz.
Fare hike

Ms. Kunz said Caltrain board members indicated a preference for an increase of 25 cents in the base train fare and a 25-cent increase in zone fares, for a projected revenue boost of $3.15 million. Higher prices than that would cause the train line to lose riders, she said.

The combination of fare increases and the scheduled overhaul would cut the projected annual deficit to $7 million, Ms. Kunz said. A number of internal, organizational changes could save an additional $1 million. After that, she said, it's up to Caltrain's board to find additional funding.
Public input

Community meetings on the proposals will be held simultaneously in San Carlos, San Francisco and Santa Clara beginning at 6 p.m. on March 23. The San Carlos meeting will be held in the Caltrain Administrative Office at 1250 San Carlos Ave., which is also the location of the public hearing set for 10 a.m. on April 7.

Information on the proposals is available online at caltrain.com or by calling (800) 660-4287. Written comments can be sent via e-mail to changes@caltrain.com or to: Board Secretary, Caltrain, 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, CA 94070.

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