Caltrain Adjusts Weekday Schedule, Increases Parking Fees

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August 21, 2009

Beginning Aug. 31, Caltrain will eliminate eight midday trains between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Caltrain midday schedule operated service every half-hour. With this change, trains will operate hourly. Also on Aug. 31, parking fees will increase to $3 a day and $30 a month. The changes are being made to help close a $2.7 million budget deficit.

Northbound trains 241, 245, 249 and 253 will be eliminated. Southbound trains 240, 244, 248 and 252 will be eliminated.

The schedule changes will save the agency approximately $1.93 million and the increase in parking fees will generate $420,000.

The agency’s ongoing structural deficit has been exacerbated by the economic downturn. State Transit Assistance, an important source of transit funds, has been eliminated for the next four years. This puts an additional strain on Caltrain’s partners – the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Mateo County Transit District and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority – each of whom relies on STA funds to help fund their transit operations. There is no dedicated source of funding for Caltrain and the railroad’s operations are funded annually out of the general funds of the partner transit agencies. Unlike in previous years, the partner agencies were unable to increase their annual contribution.

In addition, the deepening recession and job losses are beginning to negatively impact Caltrain ridership and revenues. March showed the first monthly ridership decline in many years, a trend that has continued.