Caltrain to end Atherton service Caltrain to end Atherton service (April 27, 2005)

** Deficit-slashing plan includes more Baby Bullets, higher fares.

By Marion Softky and Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writers

After a prolonged agony, Caltrain will attack its $13.6 million deficit by raising fares, adding Baby Bullet express trains and eliminating service to Atherton and two other stations.

At a special meeting April 22, the board of the three-county agency that runs the Peninsula rail service voted 9-0 to adopt the complicated package that has been fiercely debated for months.

The key measures will start in early July. They are:

** Eliminating all train service to the Atherton, Broadway in Burlingame and Paul Avenue in San Francisco stations. Caltrain officials refer to it as a "one-year service suspension." Shuttle service will be provided at the Atherton and Broadway stations, if there is demand for it.

The College Park station in San Jose, also targeted for closure, will retain minimal service for students attending Bellarmine College Preparatory, with a single train from each direction scheduled to stop in the morning and again in the afternoon.

** Two-phase fare increase: Ticket prices will go up by 17.5 percent in July, when base fares and zone fares will each increase by 25 cents. In January, fares will jump another 5.6 percent when base fares will increase by another 25 cents. Caltrain staff estimates higher fares will bring in an additional $4 million in revenue.

** Overall service will increase from 86 to 96 train trips per day with the addition of 12 more Baby Bullet express train runs, for a weekday total of 22. Two of the Baby Bullets will start running May 1, and the rest in early July. This can be done with existing staff and equipment, according to Robert Doty of Caltrain.

** Major schedule changes will include the end of local train routes during peak hours. Rather than stopping at every station, trains will make all local stops for half the line and limited stops for the rest; they will stop at all stations either north or south of the middle-of-the-line hub at Redwood City, and run as limited trains for the rest of the route. There will be no reduction in frequency of peak-hour trains at Menlo Park and a number of other stations, Mr. Doty wrote. Half-hour mid-day trains, weekend service, and service to Gilroy will continue.
Protests

Thirty-four people spoke at the April 22 meeting, most protesting station closures. Nine Atherton residents implored the board to keep Atherton open.

"Let's not be so efficient," said Mayor Bill Conwell. "There's nothing as permanent as a temporary fix."

Mike Scanlon, Caltrain's chief executive officer, responded: "This is not about saving a station or two or three; it's about saving a train.

"We've got to create a new model to make the railroad able to survive. It's that serious," he said. "This is the best shot we have."

Atherton officials, who have been working hard to counteract the drop in ridership at its historic station following cuts to its service, are now going to focus on ways to bring Caltrain service back, said Councilman Jim Janz. Those options may include a lawsuit, he said, adding that it was too soon to go into specifics.

"We're just going to have to work even harder," said Mr. Janz. "To say that we're disappointed is an understatement. We feel like we were run over by a train."

While the first goal is to get service reinstated, Atherton Caltrain supporters will also be working on finding a long-term solution to the train line's funding problems, Mr. Janz said.
Funding woes

Together with other cost-cutting measures, the program adopted last week is expected to wipe out all but $2 million of the projected $13.6 million deficit for the coming fiscal year.

Since Caltrain has no guaranteed source of funds, it must hit up its three partner agencies in San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties to make up the remaining $2 million.

Caltrain officials say the deficit exists in part because the subsidy has not increased in several years.

"We have to find a long-term solution to funding the regional rail agency," Mr. Scanlon said.

Mr. Janz said in an interview after the meeting that one possible solution would be the creation of a special district with taxing authority, although it would take time and a great deal of research on its feasibility.
Menlo Park

While Atherton loses trains, Menlo Park gains from the new schedule. Six Baby Bullet express train routes will stop in Menlo Park, three in the morning and three in the afternoon.

"Menlo Park actually benefits," said Caltrain board member Art Lloyd, a railroad expert from Portola Valley. "You can get to San Francisco in 40 minutes.

However, Menlo Park City Councilwoman Kelly Fergusson expects some negative effects on the city from Atherton's station closure.

"The people who take the train in Atherton will now likely be driving to Menlo Park and parking in and around our train station, taking up spots that are currently used to access our retail," she said. That added parking crunch -- which could also affect nearby residential streets -- could result in fewer shoppers coming to Menlo Park and thus less sales-tax revenue for the city, she said. Isn't it possible that those new people coming to Menlo Park could also patronize local businesses? Yes, Ms. Fergusson said, but she noted that "the net result will be a loss." These drivers will take up a parking spot for eight to 10 hours that could be used by many shoppers during the day, she said.

Mr. Scanlon acknowledged there are risks in the new schedule. It may take a while to build ridership for the new service to compensate for what is lost. "The first months may be a little scary," he said.

Board member Jim Hartnett, a Redwood City councilman, is still concerned about Caltrain's survival. "This is either a new beginning for the system or the beginning of the end," he said. "I know if we don't do something, it's the end."

The schedule will likely undergo some fine-tuning this week before it is finalized and released, said Mr. Lloyd. Check the Caltrain.org Web site for information or call (800) 660-4287.

Caltrain adds two more Baby Bullets

Caltrain will begin operating two more of its popular Baby Bullet train routes on Monday, May 2, to raise revenues for the cash-strapped train service. Caltrain officials hope the additional express train runs will help offset a fiscal crisis that threatens the survival of the rail line.

By popular request, the new Baby Bullet schedule will add a late morning and early afternoon option for commuters.

The new trains will leave San Francisco at 8:11 a.m., and San Jose at 3:47 p.m. They will make the same stops as Caltrain's other reverse-peak Baby Bullet trains, including Palo Alto.

Since they were introduced in June 2004, the 10 Baby Bullet routes have been extremely successful, with every seat occupied on most trains. They also generate nearly twice as much revenue as local train routes, which make all local stops.

For schedule information, visit Caltrain.com.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.