15 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

From CalTrain website...  SAMTRANS statement:

 

 

                                    Transit District Statement: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

 

 

March 13, 2020

Morning and afternoon peak hour service will no longer feature Baby Bullet Service. The updated weekday schedule is available at www.caltrain.com.

 

Local and limited service will continue to operate as scheduled, as will off–peak service, including midday and weekend service. Caltrain will be constantly monitoring ridership during this time and may implement additional service changes, as needed.

 

Caltrain is assessing the overall impact that reduced ridership will have on its ability to maintain operations in the coming months. One-way and Day Pass ticket sales have declined by approximately 75% from their levels two weeks ago. With no other dedicated source of funding, Caltrain relies primarily on fares to cover the system’s operating costs.

In light of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the Bay Area, the San Mateo County Transit District is monitoring the situation and maintaining regular contact with local public health agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Transit District is the administrative body for the principal public transit and transportation programs in San Mateo County, including SamTrans bus service and Caltrain commuter rail service.

 

As reported by the CDC, the immediate risk posed by COVID-19 to the public remains relatively low. However, we understand this can raise concerns about safety in public spaces, including public transit. Therefore, we want to remind passengers about CDC-recommended precautions everyone should take onboard public transit to prevent the spread of illnesses:

• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after riding public transit. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Avoid eating while onboard.
• Do not cough into your hands. Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow.
• Stay home if you are sick.

While SamTrans buses and Caltrain trains are regularly cleaned and sanitized, following these recommendations is the best way to prevent the spread of illnesses onboard. Caltrain and SamTrans have also shared preventative information with agency staff to ensure they can remain safe and healthy when serving the public.

 

For the latest information about COVID-19 in communities served by SamTrans and Caltrain, please refer to information and guidance provided by the following public health agencies:

• San Francisco Department of Public Health
• San Mateo County Health Department
• Santa Clara County Public Health Department
• Centers for Disease Control

We will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds and respond as necessary in partnership with our public health and transportation partners.

Be safe, wash your hands and refer to public health agencies to minimize risk of exposure.

 

Jim Hartnett
General Manager/CEO, San Mateo County Transit District

[KevinKorell]

Update on service reduction effective 3/17/20:

 

 

                                          Caltrain to Adjust Service in Response to Significantly Lower Ridership

 

 

March 13, 2020

 

In response to a significant decline in ridership stemming from efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Caltrain will be adjusting its weekday service, effective Tuesday, March 17.

 

Morning and afternoon peak hour service will no longer feature Baby Bullet Service. See the March 17 Reduced Weekday Schedule.

 

Local and limited service will continue to operate as scheduled, as will off–peak service, including midday and weekend service. Caltrain will be constantly monitoring ridership during this time and may implement additional service changes, as needed.

 

Caltrain is assessing the overall impact that reduced ridership will have on its ability to maintain operations in the coming months. One-way and Day Pass ticket sales have declined by approximately 75% from their levels two weeks ago. With no other dedicated source of funding, Caltrain relies primarily on fares to cover the system’s operating costs.

 

Full page

[KevinKorell]

The Almanac, 3/26/20:

 

  Caltrain to slash weekday service by more than half starting next week   

 

 

 

Caltrain announced on Thursday (March 26) that it will reduce its weekday train service by more than half starting next week amid sharp ridership losses due to the novel coronavirus.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

San Francisco, CA Chronicle, 5/8/20:

 

  Caltrain may consider full shutdown if unable to secure additional funding  

 

 

 

A shutdown of all Caltrain service would be under “serious consideration” were it not for the $49.3 million the transportation agency received from the Cares Act — but it’s still a looming possibility, transit officials said.

 

Update

[KevinKorell]

CalTrain website:

 

 

                                                    Caltrain Increases Weekday Service as Region Reopens

 

 

June 10, 2020

 

Starting June 15, Caltrain will increase weekday service as Bay Area shelter-in-place restrictions begin to ease. As travel throughout the Bay Area increases, Caltrain is committed to offering faster, user-friendly travel options to returning riders. The additional capacity will accommodate more riders while also maintaining onboard physical distancing.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

RT&S  7/1/20

 

Caltrain seeing a ridership increase

 

 

As of June 30, the number of new COVID cases in the state of California over the previous 14 days was +48.3%, or 69,357 cases. However, Caltrain reported on Monday that their estimates are that its ridership is up to 3,200 passengers per day from a low point of 1,500 riders per day. The transit agency attributes this to the relaxation of shelter-in-place orders in the state.

 

Caltrain also reports that it is operating 70 trains per weekday, after having reduced train frequency to 42 per day when the shelter-in-place orders were first announced. The agency adds that it keeps tabs on ridership to ensure that enough trains are running to enable passengers to keep a healthy distance from one another.

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

Progressive Railroading, 7/30/20:

 

   Survey: Caltrain riders to return to rail post-pandemic  

 

 

 

More than half of Caltrain riders polled, or 55 percent, indicated they plan to ride the commuter-rail system the same amount of times or more after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, according to the railroad’s recent rider survey. 

 

Full story

[CNJRoss]

RT&S 8/19/20

 

FTA provides Caltrain second installment of funding, which is not nearly enough

 

 

Caltrain will take whatever it can get at this point, and whenever it can get it. The Federal Transit Administration will be giving the struggling rail service another $15.3 million in aid.

 

The money comes from the CARES Act, and the first installment was $49.3 million. Caltrain will use the money to support operations. ...

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

CalTrain website, 10/29/20:

 

   Caltrain Considers Changes Aimed at Improving Service for Essential Workers and Transit Dependent Riders  

 

 

As the only transit agency in the Bay Area without dedicated funding, and with federal relief funds set to run out by the end of the year, Caltrain is considering service adjustments aimed at increasing ridership and better serving those that depend on the system during shelter-in-place.

 

Details

[KevinKorell]

Press release from CalTrain website 12/7/20:

 

 

Caltrain Implements New Service Changes and Permanently Closes Atherton Station

 

 

December 7, 2020

 

On Monday, December 14, Caltrain will begin operating a new schedule that is designed to improve service for essential workers and transit-dependent riders, and is consistent with key service components of the Framework for Equity, Connectivity Recovery & Growth.

 

Caltrain’s service adjustments are aimed at increasing ridership and better serving those that continue to depend on the system. The new schedule provides riders with more frequent off-peak and weekend train service. Caltrain’s current ridership has skewed toward essential workers who are more likely to travel during off-peak times. The railroad has observed that demand for midday and weekend trips remains comparatively more resilient, and the schedule reflects that. It also balances travel time and coverage goals while maintaining capacity for social distancing.

 

The new schedule provides 68 trains during the weekday, with two trains per hour, per direction running throughout the day. Operating at least two trains per hour at most times of day allows the railroad to provide 30-minute frequency at higher demand stations and reasonably competitive travel times, while improving the connection from/to BART at Millbrae. Expanding midday service to two trains per hour, and increasing weekend service frequency to hourly trips is a significant improvement to off-peak service and responds to the travel needs of low-income riders and essential workers who tend to rely on the system during these times.

 

 Weekend ridership now makes up 17% of total ridership -- three times greater than pre-COVID-19. For this reason, Caltrain will now provide hourly Local service on weekends instead of the current 90 minute frequency to better serve ridership demand and promote social distancing. Weekend Baby Bullet service will be discontinued. Under this new plan, train service will be extended to the Tamien station, eliminating the weekend and holiday Tamien-San Jose Diridon Shuttle. The weekend changes also include a separate schedule for Saturdays and Sundays to maintain connections from/to Millbrae BART.

 

In order to implement the Equity Framework, Caltrain needs to survive the impacts of the pandemic that have reduced ridership by 95%. During the region’s shelter-in-place, approximately 3,600 weekday riders continue to rely on Caltrain for essential travel. In September, the Caltrain Board of Directors voted to suspend certain fare increases over the next year that will help ensure the system continues to be accessible to these riders. Caltrain has taken additional steps during the pandemic to enhance affordability by providing low-income riders with a 50% discounted fare through the Clipper START program.

 

In addition to the new service changes, Caltrain’s agreement with the Town of Atherton will result in that station being permanently closed as of Saturday, December 19. The closure of the station allows Caltrain to reallocate service to nearby stations such as Menlo Park and Redwood City, which have much higher rates of existing ridership and where denser land uses are projected to generate higher levels of demand for future rail service.

 

Ridership is not expected to fully recover in 2021. Depending on public health conditions, Caltrain may need to make further service adjustments including scaling service levels up or down to meet changing needs.

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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with commute service to Gilroy. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.