Caltrain ridership on the rise

“Generally, the 14% [increase] seems pretty good. It’s a nice and slow and steady return,” he said.  “It’s nice we’re seeing this recovery as we are giving worse service than we have in the past.”

The weekend train interruptions are in preparation for Caltrain’s electrification project, which aims to lessen environmental burdens by using newer cars, among other benefits. While regular weekend service has commenced as normal until the end of year, interruptions will likely resume in some form at the beginning of next year, according to a staff presentation during a Board of Directors meeting Thursday, Nov. 2. 

The agency plans to have 51 miles of train track from San Francisco to San Jose fully electric by September of next year, and by being explicit about the reasons for scheduling adjustments, Lieberman said it also helps remind riders there are better cars and service to come in the near future, hopefully enticing riders even more.

But fare revenue has not mirrored ridership patterns. Between July to September of last year, the agency generated $7.5 million in fares, compared to $7.4 million during the same time period this year. Lieberman said it is attributable to a number of factors, one of them including fare discounts offered over the past year that helped bolster rider numbers. And the combination of fewer GoPass subscribers — or bulk subscription packages used by organizations for employee or student perks — coupled with more in-person work mandates could lead to a counterintuitive correlation between revenue and riders. 

“Ultimately, it’s in keeping with what we’ve been seeing for a while — a slow and steady increase that reflects what the Bay Area is seeing with the workforce,” said Lieberman, noting that a return to rush hour congestion on Highway 101 might be pushing commuters to use public transportation again as well. 

alyse@smdailyjournal.com

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