Connection. Record Ridership Comes to Rail Line. Caltrain. Weekend Bullet Service Extended. Spring 2011

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1 Spring 2011 Connection Caltrain Information for Customers Weekend Bullet Service Extended Great news! Caltrain weekend Baby Bullets will continue through at least June. Many of you have already expressed yourself by riding the weekend Baby Bullet. Now, it s time for the rest of you to get onboard. With spring here, the days are getting longer, which means more time for you and your friends and family to get out and explore hundreds of fun destinations between San Francisco and San Jose. Look inside this issue and you will find a lot of great places to express to through the spring. The rail agency ran the service as a three-month pilot project beginning in January. It proved successful enough to extend the service for another three months. The weekend Baby Bullets serve the San Jose Diridon, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Hillsdale, San Mateo, Millbrae and San Francisco stations. These stations were chosen based on ridership, proximity to desired destinations (shopping centers, downtowns, museums) and connections to bus and light rail services. Trains depart from San Jose at 10:35 a.m. and 5:35 p.m. and from San Francisco at 11:59 a.m. and 6:59 p.m. The full schedule is online at Customers also can follow us on or Facebook at pages/caltrain-weekend-bullets. Record Ridership Comes to Rail Line If the trains seem a bit more crowded, it s not your imagination. Results of Caltrain s annual passenger count show that the average weekday ridership is 41,442, 12.7 percent higher than last year. It s also the highest annual count in Caltrain s history. Caltrain undertakes its annual headcount each February, with the results used to evaluate service changes as well as identify travel trends. A team of counters position themselves by the train doors and count passengers on every weekday (five times on every weekday train and then averaged) and weekend train. When comparing the 2011 customer counts to those of the previous year, there are a few significant findings, including: The ridership from the four trains eliminated Jan. 1 of this year continued on page 6 When it comes to getting to AT&T Park, driving is the minor leagues. Take Caltrain to every World Champion Giants home game and ride like a big leaguer! Love that train! For information about special service, including post-game express trains, call or visit

2 2 Arts, Crafts, Food & Spring is here and so is the start of sun-kissed weekends filled with outdoor festivals and fairs. Beginning in May through late summer, San Francisco and just about every city along the Peninsula and the South Bay will be hosting festivals and fairs featuring some of America s top artists and entertainers, delicious foods and refreshments and tons of fun for the kids. Listed here are some of the best festivals and fairs located within walking distance of a Caltrain station or other transit connection: San Carlos Hometown Days May Downtown San Carlos station Uncorked! Ghirardelli Square Wine Festival May 21, 1 p.m. 6 p.m. San Francisco station Maker Faire May 21 & 22, San Mateo County Event Center Hillsdale station A la Carte & Art May 21 & 22 Castro St. & Evelyn Ave. Mountain View station Art & Wine Festival June 4 & 5, 10 a.m. 6 p.m. Downtown Sunnyvale Sunnyvale station San Mateo County Fair June San Mateo County Fairgrounds Hillsdale station Burlingame Art in the Park June Sat: 10:30 a.m. 5 p.m. Sun: Noon - 5 p.m. Washington Park Burlingame station Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival July 9 & 10 Rinconada Park Palo Alto station VTA buses 35 or 86 Connoisseurs Marketplace July 16 & 17 Santa Cruz Avenue Menlo Park station Burlingame ArtzFest Aug. 13 & 14 Burlingame Ave. Burlingame station Millbrae Art & Wine Festival Sept. 3 & 4, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. Downtown Millbrae station

3 Riders Write Questions for Caltrain Q: Why can t the seats in the Caltrain bike car be reserved for only bicyclists? A: To answer your question, we look to guidance provided by the federal Department of Transportation. The Department of Transportation s Americans with Disabilities Act, Regulation 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Section (j), requires transit operators to request that riders move to allow an individual with a disability to sit in priority seating and requires the posting of signs identifying priority seats, also stating that able-bodied riders should make seats available to passengers with disabilities. The regulation then goes on to relieve operators of any requirement to force riders who say no to moving. Fun are Here Consistent with 49 CFR Section , Caltrain doesn t require people sitting in priority seats to move to accommodate individuals with disabilities who are a protected class. So, to require such movement from non-bike users to accommodate bike riders would be inconsistent, essentially placing the rights of bike riders on a higher level than the rights of people with disabilities. 3 In a nutshell, if a customer without a bike prefers to sit in the bike car, then they may do so. Editors Note: You have questions, we have answers. Please send us your questions and they may appear in the next Caltrain Connection. Compliments also are nice to receive. See below: Praise for Weekend Baby Bullet Top left photo: Many of the open air festivals have something for everyone. You can stroll among booths filled with original work handcrafted by top artists in sculpture, paintings, photography, ceramics and jewelry. Top right photo: Festival goers can feast on roasted corn-on-the-cob, smoked turkey legs, tri-tip sandwiches, garlic fries, burgers, gyros and a myriad of foodstuffs. Complementing the food is wine, microbrews and refreshing lemonade. Bottom photo: Endless amusements can be found on carnival and train rides, climbing wall and inflatible bounces. Kids will love the face painting and hands-on art studio activities. Top Photos: Miramar Events I wanted to express my gratitude for the Weekend Baby Bullet service from San Jose to San Francisco. For the past eight months I ve had to go into The City on weekends. Now it only takes me 58 minutes instead of almost two hours. Anonymous Caltrain Connection Compliment I enjoyed your last issue of Caltrain Connection. While, brief, it s rare to come across interesting and relevant print media these days. Thank you for distributing something that shows time and care went into its creation. Max Knott

4 4 Fast Facts The Inside Track to Discounts Want to save money? Go to to find special offers available to you around the Bay Area. All you need to do is print the coupon or show your valid Caltrain ticket at the venue. Track the Fun Now Available Track the Fun is now available on the trains and at other venues. The colorful, onboard guide is chock full of great things to do seven days a week with information on how to get there on Caltrain. Pick up the latest issue and start enjoying attractions and events, including museums, concerts and sports. Wi-Fi on Caltrain Periodically we receive requests about equipping our trains with Wi-Fi. We continue to stay abreast of what s happening in the field in case an opportunity presents itself that is beneficial to us and our customers. However, our main focus for the near-term is to deal with our fiscal constraints and their impact on service. Library Book Kiosk Opens The Peninsula Library System will open a library book dispensary machine at the Millbrae BART/ Caltrain Station in May. Commuters with a San Mateo County library card will now have the ability to check out books from this new kiosk located on the concourse level of the station. Beat Rising Gas Prices, Ride Caltrain and Save Does paying $4.17 per gallon for gasoline make you want to shout ENOUGH! The recent spike in gasoline prices has many individuals who commute by automobile feeling the pinch these days. California s average gas prices are quickly becoming the nation s highest with Bay Area motorists paying an average of $4.17 per gallon. Happily there is an alternative. More than 40,000 weekday commuters have already discovered a way to beat rapidly rising gas prices Caltrain without sacrificing their freedom and mobility. Bicycle Policy Revamped In April, Caltrain adjusted its bike policy to accommodate younger riders. Changes include: Cyclists must be at least 6 years old. Cyclists younger than 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult and be able to carry their own bike on and off the train. Only single-rider bicycles are permitted on trains. SAFETY TIP Keep a Safe Distance Standing too close to the tracks is dangerous. A train can create a strong wind with flying debris and could cause you to lose your balance and fall. They ve found that switching from driving to riding public transportation for even a few trips has proven to cut their monthly and yearly transportation costs. With gas prices expected to continue rising through the summer, Caltrain commuters may start to see more new faces joining them. Want to know how much money you are saving by taking Caltrain instead of driving? Visit us at and click on the Commute Calculator button. Maximum bicycle length is 80 inches, and bikes must not protrude into the aisle. No fuel-powered, tandem or three-wheel bikes are permitted. Training wheels, detachable or collapsible trailers or large, bulky attachments which expand bike width, such as saddlebags, backpacks or briefcases, are not allowed.

5 Caltrain Sprints Participants to Bay to Breakers 12k Race Runners and spectators going to the 100 th running of the Bay to Breakers race on Sunday, May 15, can conserve their energy by taking Caltrain to San Francisco. Caltrain will provide special service on race day with trains arriving in San Francisco before race time. The starting line is about 1.4 miles from the San Francisco Caltrain Station at Fourth and King streets. Participants can walk to the starting line or take the Muni light rail T-Third line. Caltrain is a proof-of-payment system. One-way tickets and Day passes can be purchased at ticket vending machines at the stations before boarding. Avoid the long lines by getting to the station early to purchase your ticket at the TVMs. Customers using Clipper SM can sprint around the crowds at the ticket vending machines without breaking a sweat. Just tag on and board. Don t forget to tag off at the San Francisco station. After the race, two express trains to San Carlos will depart San Francisco at 1:10 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. The trains will then make all regular weekend local stops to San Jose Diridon. Alcohol and Floats Banned at Bay to Breakers Foot Race Caltrain would like to remind customers that Bay to Breakers does not allow alcohol and floats. This change was made by Bay to Breakers to ensure everyone has a safe, fun, and challenging 100 th celebration race. For fare information or a complete list of southbound Sunday trains, visit Bay to Breakers: Northbound Special Trains Station A B C D San Jose Diridon 5:20a 5:25a 5:30a Lawrence 5:33a Sunnyvale 5:37a 5:40a Mountain View 5:10a 5:45a San Antonio 5:49a California Ave 5:46a Palo Alto 5:33a 5:50a Menlo Park 5:53a Redwood City 5:58a San Carlos 6:01a Belmont 6:04a Hillsdale 6:04a 6:07a Hayward Park 6:10a San Mateo 6:08a Burlingame 6:14a Millbrae 6:15a 6:20a San Francisco 6:08a 6:18a 6:35a 6:40a EVENTS CALENDAR Ride Caltrain to these special events. The station name and any additional transit service required are listed below each event. May 15 Bay to Breakers San Francisco station May 25 & June 22 West Bay Model Railroad Assoc. Open House 1090 Merrill St. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Menlo Park station thru May 29 Cantor Arts Center at Stanford A Rediscovered Masterpiece: 12 Drawings from Domenico Tiepolo s New Testament Marguerite Shuttle to Lomita Drive & Museum Way June 3 The de Saisset Museum Father Hubbard: Trekking through Alaska Santa Clara station June 4 & 5 Sunset Magazine s Celebration Weekend Menlo Park station free shuttle from station thru July 9 SaberCats HP Pavilion at San Jose San Jose Diridon station July The Music Man Fox Theatre Downtown Redwood City Redwood City station 5

6 6 Clipper is the Way to Go on Caltrain The transition from paper to plastic for all Caltrain Monthly passes and 8-ride tickets to Clipper SM has been completed. The last paper 8-ride Ticket expired April 1. For many customers the switch to Clipper has been easy, but for others, there s been a learning curve, said Janet McGovern, supervisor of sales. We appreciate everyone s patience while we learn together how to make Clipper work as intended, as an easy and convenient way to pay and to travel among multiple transit systems without having to worry about fares or passes. Recently, an extensive outreach effort was made by Caltrain staff along with extensive help from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to assist customers. In addition, banners and station outreach, ad cards, buttons for conductors to wear, static window clings in shelters and messages were used to remind customers that they need a minimum of $1.25 on their card in addition to a fare product and to remember to tag off at their final destination. The Clipper retail network is expanding and by late spring customers will have one or two new locations closer to the San Francisco station to load a fare product or cash. By late summer, Caltrain hopes to install two Clipper add value machines each at the San Francisco, Palo Alto and San Jose stations. These machines will add value onto a customer s Clipper card, which will be available for immediate use; no more delays of up to five days to use your card. Customers can add e-cash, a Monthly Pass, 8-ride Ticket and the fare media of other transit agencies using their credit or debit cards. For information, call the Clipper Service Bureau at or visit Etiquette Onboard the Train Remember, Seats are for People With ridership up and trains filled during commute hours, it s important to remember that we all have to share the ride together. Over and over again in our surveys, our customers remark how more pleasant their ride would be if fellow commuters would observe some simple common courtesies. To make everyone s commute as relaxing as possible, Caltrain would like to remind our customers to please be courteous to fellow passengers and be mindful of these simple tips: Don t: Use up a seat for your belongings. Do: Keep personal belongings on your lap and under the seat or on the luggage rack. Seats are for people, not Mr. Bag and Ms. Laptop. Annual Ridership Count continued from page 1 was redistributed to adjacent trains. Ridership increased at 27 of the 29 weekday stations. The top 10 stations maintained their ranking*. Average trip length remained 23 miles; however, those riding Baby Bullet trains travel an average of 28.5 miles. Bicycle ridership increased 37.8 percent to 3,664 on an average weekday (this about paralleled the increase in bike capacity that Caltrain has provided). Weekend ridership increased 21 percent: 13,172 customers rode on Saturday, and 9,100 rode on Sunday. The customer count also illustrated that the pilot weekend Baby Bullet service, which started in January, has helped to grow ridership. * San Francisco, Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Jose Diridon, Millbrae, Redwood City, Hillsdale, Sunnyvale, Menlo Park and San Mateo Caltrain Connection is produced by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Comments, questions, contributions and suggestions should be directed to: Mary Knuckles, editor knucklesm@caltrain.com Caltrain Connection P.O. Box 3006 San Carlos, CA Caltrain Board of Directors Sean Elsbernd, chair Omar Ahmad, vice chair José Cisneros Nathaniel Ford Sr. Ash Kalra Liz Kniss Arthur L. Lloyd Adrienne Tissier Ken Yeager Michael J. Scanlon Executive Director