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Electrification of CalTrain
CalTrain will increase its weekday service by 10% with the addition of three peak hour round trips. Any additional peak-hour service will require additional railcars and locomotives. CalTrain has plans to acquire approximately 20 new double deck cars and 3 new locomotives within the next 3 or so years. CalTrain will be taking bids from railcar builders later this year for the additional cars.
These trains are being added: Southbound, departing San Jose at 8:30, 2:30, 4:00 (with the 3:45 moved to 3:30). Northbound, departing San Francisco at 5:20, 7:25, 2:30. Two new Saturday trains are at 11:00 AM southbound and 5:00 PM northbound.
The increase to 66 trains was projected to happen three years sooner in the September 1991 CalTrain Short Range Transit Plan. Under goals and objectives, the 1991/92 SRTP stated: "Implement 66 weekend train operation by July 1, 1994... Implement 90 weekday train schedule by FY 1998/99 and continue increasing frequencies up to 114 trains per day by 2005, assuming [a downtown SF extension is built]."
PR2000 president Adrian Brandt commented, "They are creating a problem by providing a much-needed new reverse peak morning train out of SF at 8:30 am, but not providing for any corresponding reverse peak afternoon train of SJ.... Midday, night and Saturday service with service headways of 1 to 2 hours are still atrociously sparse." Brandt also is concerned about a 2 1/2 hour gap between the last two northbound evening trains. The last one, departing San Jose at 10:30 PM, will be subject to delays due to events at the San Jose Arena. This presents a particular problem for riders attempting to make connections with BART and other carriers from this train.
More information on the July 6 schedule change is available from the Bay Area Transit Information Project.
The July fare increase includes a 5% overall fare increase (rounded to the nearest 25 cents), an increase in the weekend pass price from $8 to $9, and elimination of the monthly ticket zone upgrade feature. The upgrade feature allowed monthly ticket holders to ride beyond their ticket's zones of validity by paying a 50-cent per zone upgrade. Elimination of the upgrade means a return to the previous policy under which riding as little as one station beyond fare zone covered by a pass would cost $1.75, instead of 50 cents, if there is a zone boundary between the two stations.
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Last updated: May 11, 1997