Caltrain needs to give Atherton a break Caltrain needs to give Atherton a break (December 10, 2003)

In its drive to improve service between Gilroy and San Francisco, Caltrain unfortunately has devised a new schedule that drops many loyal customers along the wayside, including those who board at Atherton -- a town whose railroad heritage goes back to the mid-1800s.

Atherton residents who want to preserve weekend service and a full schedule during the week will need to mark their calendars and then trek up to Caltrain headquarters in San Carlos on Thursday, February 5, at 10 a.m. to speak their piece. At least it is a public hearing on the matter, giving the Atherton city government a chance to officially register its opposition to the major reduction in service for their community.

Oddly, Atherton's greatly reduced service comes as Caltrain announces a new schedule of 85 trains a day, up from the current 78. Unfortunately, Atherton will not be served by the additional trains.

Caltrain scheduled the February hearing after City Manager Jim Robinson and others complained that Atherton never received official notice of the cutbacks and, by the time Mr. Robinson realized what was happening, didn't even have time to bring the matter before the City Council by the original deadline for public comment.

The drastic changes for Atherton (elimination of weekend service entirely and reduction of about 12 trains each way on weekdays) were unexpectedly bundled with the October announcement of the new schedule for high-speed Baby Bullet trains this spring. Caltrain's weekend service has been on hiatus since February while crews make repairs and construct additional track for the Bullet trains, which will make five weekday roundtrips between San Jose and San Francisco starting this spring. Each northbound or southbound leg will take only 57 minutes, with stops at Mountain View, Palo Alto, Hillsdale and Millbrae. The Baby Bullets will shave 30 or more minutes from a typical Local or Limited run between the two cities.

Caltrain's new schedule shows quicker "Limited" trains that eliminate every Atherton stop along the way, as well as those at Bay Meadows, Hayward Park, at least one of two Burlingame stops and another four on the outskirts of San Francisco. Only slower "Local" trains will serve Atherton under the new schedule, forcing riders to drive to another city to catch a faster train.

From Caltrain's perspective, dropping Atherton, with its 200 or so riders a day, has helped create a more consistent and frequent train schedule without raising costs. "There's service in every area. If Atherton people want to use the train (on weekends) it is just a short drive, or bike ride, or bus ride to Menlo Park or Redwood City," said Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie Kunz.

Atherton riders might not see it that way. On weekends, Caltrain's strategy will eliminate the town's stop, while virtually every other city retains some service. And despite the invitation to use the Menlo Park or Redwood City stations, Caltrain lacks adequate parking at both locations.

Atherton may not be able to convince Caltrain officials to restore its full weekday schedule, since commuters will have the option of taking a "Local" train, but a good case can be made to provide service every other hour on weekends, similar to that given to nearly half the other communities on the schedule. Belmont, San Carlos, Palo Alto's California Avenue, Mountain View's San Antonio and eight others will have this reduced service, but it is service, nonetheless.

An Atherton stop on the weekend schedule would add just a few minutes to the 80-minute trip between San Francisco and San Jose's Diridon station. This seven- or eight-train service would not detract from the appeal of weekend service to the non-commute rider. Caltrain should give serious consideration to keeping Atherton in its weekend line-up, at least initially to test demand. If riders don't show up, it will be an easy decision to end the service.

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