92% of riders are satisfied with Caltrain, while conductors receive their highest satisfaction ratings ever as the agency continues its strong ridership growth.
Caltrain riders are as satisfied as they have ever been, with 92% of riders saying they are satisfied with the service, according to Caltrain's 2026 Customer Satisfaction Survey. Overall satisfaction held at 4.40 out of 5, up from 4.02 in 2024, the final survey taken before Caltrain launched electrified service.
Caltrain riders report broad satisfaction across multiple survey categories. The onboard experience scored 4.45, stations scored 4.32, and riders' sense of safety on Caltrain climbed to 4.44, up from 4.23 in 2024. On-time arrival at riders' destinations scored 4.40, and the accuracy of arrival times on platform signs scored 4.38. Caltrain conductors stood out in particular, with conductors' politeness and helpfulness rated at 4.63, the highest score conductors have received in the survey's history, and gave conductors' professional appearance a 4.70 in the first year that question was asked.
"Our riders noticed the difference electrification made on day one, and two years later they're telling us those improvements have reinvented their experience for the better," said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. "Those ratings belong to the conductors, the maintenance crews, and the operations staff who show up every day to run a safe railroad people want to ride and that the whole Bay Area can be proud of. We will continue to strive to provide the reliable, frequent service that our riders rate so highly while we engage in contingency planning to address our impending fiscal cliff, which may require a reduction in service."
The survey shows how much Caltrain's rider base has changed and how the agency continues to adapt to shifting ridership patterns. Caltrain now serves an estimated 49,000 unique riders each month, roughly 37,000 more than in 2021 and close to its 2019 total, even though fewer riders now commute five days a week. The average rider takes the train two to three times a week, and special events have become a major ridership source that the agency is targeting with outreach and marketing efforts. The increase in special event ridership has been supplemented by Caltrain’s half-hourly service-with even more service at peak hours-making it more convenient than ever before to take Caltrain. 1 in 5 riders said they took their first Caltrain trip to attend a game, concert, or festival. Riders who travel to events reported the same 4.4 satisfaction as riders overall.
Riders are also coming back in growing numbers. Caltrain carried 12.6 million riders in fiscal year 2026, up 37.6% from the year before, building on being named the fastest-growing transit agency in the country in 2025 by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Since electrification, Caltrain’s improved service, average weekend ridership climbed 40.1% in FY2026 to 21,210. Weekday ridership rose 37.5%, and July set a new high of 1.32 million riders in a single month.
APTA has awarded Caltrain with its Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for 2026.
Those gains come as Caltrain, like transit agencies across the Bay Area, faces a structural operating deficit as remote and hybrid work continue to reshape commuting. Caltrain has responded on three fronts: cutting costs, generating new revenue from advertising, property, and other assets, and adapting its service to attract new riders. Despite Caltrain cutting $76 million in costs over the last five years, the increase in ridership and fare revenue is insufficient to close the funding gap, and additional external funding is needed to maintain current levels of service.
The survey drew responses from 2,631 riders on randomly selected weekday and weekend trains and carries a margin of error of 1.78%.
The survey was presented to the Caltrain Board of Directors on October 1. The presentation is available at www.caltrain.com/media/37896/download.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with commute service to Gilroy. Serving the region since 1863, Caltrain is the oldest continually operating rail system west of the Mississippi and the first railroad to convert from diesel to electric power in a generation.
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