Caltrain to Test Weekend Baby Bullet Service

By

December 28, 2010

Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, Caltrain will introduce weekend Baby Bullet service, a pilot project aimed at increasing revenue and ridership for the rail system.

At its October meeting, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board adopted service reductions and fare increases to close a $2.3 million budget gap in the Caltrain Fiscal Year 2011 budget. At that same meeting, the Board authorized exploring ways to increase ridership and revenue, including a pilot project to operate express trains on the weekends, a proposal made by many members of the public during Caltrain budget meetings held throughout the community. “We listened to our customers,” said Mark Simon, Caltrain’s Executive Officer for Public Affairs.

The pilot project is scheduled to be in place for three months, with an option to extend it. This is additional service – no trains or stops have been dropped from the weekend schedule.

The schedule features one train in each direction in the morning and one train in each direction the evening – four trains in all.

Each train will make seven stops between the terminals in San Francisco and San Jose – Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Hillsdale, San Mateo and Millbrae. The stops were chosen based on ridership, available connections to other transit and proximity to city centers, such as a major shopping center or downtown.

Caltrain ridership statistics show that the majority of weekend customers are excursion riders headed to San Francisco, so there is a longer gap of time between the morning northbound express and the evening southbound express. Nonetheless, because the weekend schedule is unchanged, there are ample opportunities for customers to head home at their leisure on a non-express train.

To keep costs as low as possible, the additional service will use one crew to operate all four trains. The service will be evaluated using customer surveys, ridership counts and ticket sales information.

Caltrain is relying on a variety of communications methods to get the word out and generate ridership, with a goal of attractng 1,000 new customers each weekend day.  Caltrain is using this opportunity to venture into the social media arena by setting up its first Twitter (@CTWkendBullets) and Facebook (Caltrain Weekend Bullets) accounts.

Caltrain is a proof-of-payment system and passengers are required to have valid tickets while onboard. For Caltrain schedules and information, call 1.800.660.4287 (TTY 650.508.6448) or visit www.caltrain.com for service and train fare information.

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Caltrain is a commuter rail line operating between San Francisco and San Jose, with commute service to Gilroy. Average weekday ridership on the mix of 90 local, limited and express weekday trains is 42,000. Local, hourly service is provided on Saturdays and Sundays.

Caltrain is owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, a partnership of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Mateo County Transit District and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.