Petition opposes plan to slash train service Petition opposes plan to slash train service (December 24, 2003)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

A petition to drum up support for preserving service at the town's train station was approved by the Atherton City Council at the December 17 meeting.

Town officials are still reeling from a Caltrain plan to slash service to the historic Atherton train station next spring, when track repairs and upgrades are completed and new "baby bullet" express trains are launched. The new schedule would eliminate all weekend train service to the town, as well as reduce weekday trains by more than one-third.

The petition asks Caltrain officials to keep train service at existing levels, as well as restore some express train service, known as "limited" trains. The petition is to be available at town offices and included in the next issue of the town newsletter, the Athertonian. It may also be distributed to residents as a newspaper insert.

Council members encouraged residents to attend two meetings on Caltrain service next month -- the Tuesday, January 6, meeting of the town's Caltrain Corridor Ad Hoc Subcommittee, and a community meeting on Tuesday, January 27. The plan is to forward the petitions to Caltrain officials in time for their board meeting on February 5.

"The only way we're going to impress these people is by numbers," said Councilman Bill Conwell.

The council voted to appoint four more members to the Caltrain subcommittee, bringing the total to 11. They are Malcolm Dudley, Arthur "Jack" Ringham, Gustavo Eydelsteyn and Rosemary Maulbetsch.

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