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Caltrain Hits Record Ridership and Revenue for 2007
On June 30, Caltrain closed the books on fiscal year 2007 with great satisfaction. For the second year in a row, the commuter rail agency hit a record number for ridership and revenue.
From July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007, Caltrain carried 10.98 million riders, up 8.2 percent from fiscal year 2006, when it carried 10.15 million riders. Since the introduction of its popular Baby Bullet service in 2004, Caltrain has seen the turn-around of a dwindling passenger load, which has increased by nearly three million riders in just three years, a 35.7 percent increase. (See table below for year-to-year comparisons).
But the good news does not stop there. With more riders comes more revenue, and Caltrain brought in $34.9 million in ticket and pass sales. That is a 14.8 percent increase over fiscal year 2006, with $30.4 million. Even more remarkable is that revenue and ridership continued to climb in the face of two fare increases since 2005, which can often cause riders to take their commute elsewhere.
Despite the good financial news, Caltrain still faces a structural deficit that it must work to overcome. An additional challenge to the agency is its short-term limited capacity for growth. The agency will purchase eight new rail cars, which will slightly increase Caltrain’s capacity for ridership growth, but the railroad cannot do much more to expand its capacity or the frequency of its service until it completes electrification of its system, which is scheduled for 2014. The agency plans to use lighter electric trains that can dramatically decrease commute times between stations, and which will allow for more than double the 96 weekday trains that Caltrain runs today.
To find out why so many people are turning to Caltrain for their commute, or for more information about schedules and fares, call 1.800.660.4287.
Year-to-Year Ridership and Revenue Statistics
Fiscal Year
(7/1 - 6/30) |
Total Ridership |
Average Weekday Ridership |
Total Farebox Revenue |
2001 |
10,509,567 |
32,921 |
$23,900,00 |
2002 |
9,942,082 |
31,521 |
$22,700,000 |
2003 |
8,283,062 |
27,293 |
$20,800,000 |
2004 |
8,094,593 |
26,603 |
$19,300,000 |
2005 |
9,454,467 |
30,000 |
$23,000,000 |
2006 |
10,148,616 |
32,291 |
$30,400,000 |
2007 |
10,980,802 |
34,867 |
$34,900,000 |
07/19/07 - jbw
Media Contact: Jonah Weinberg – 650.508.6238
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