‘It’s like every second counts’

While Thomas tempers the occasional brutality of his trip with a dose of humor, unlike the show, the challenge he and many other commuters face is no fantasy.

The two rail agencies help Silicon Valley’s economic engine continue chugging by delivering tens of thousands workers to and from home to work while keeping countless cars off congested thoroughfares and even determining crucial development policy through offering transit-oriented opportunities.

But BART and Caltrain officials claim they are limited in their capacity to coordinate train stop times, resulting in frequent headaches for those facing tight transfer windows.

“It’s like every second counts,” said Thomas, 32, who may sit on the Millbrae train platform for another 30 minutes if he fails to complete the connection.

Rail commute veteran Brian Locicero, who takes Caltrain every day from South San Francisco to his app development job in San Francisco, recognized the struggle of those like Thomas as well.

Locicero, 43, who admits his single-line commute is preferable to many others, suggested “for everyone else, more coordination between transit stations” is in order.

Synching schedules?

While acknowledging such wishes are common, rail officials were reticent to offer much hope a fix is on the horizon.

“We are aware of the issue and it’s something that we will continue to work on. But right now it’s not the perfect situation,” said Caltrain spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew. “The conversation has been had and we try to work with other agencies as best as we can.”

Bartholomew said essential functional hurdles exist which preclude BART and Caltrain from perfectly synching their service times at joint stops.

Caltrain conductors run trains along the Peninsula on a fixed timetable, said Bartholomew, while BART uses an automatic computer-operated system across the Bay Area which determines variables such as departure times and speed, said agency spokesman Jim Allison.

The core differences in the systems make it difficult to coordinate times, said Allison, despite officials’ efforts.

“BART has worked with Caltrain to some extent to ensure transfers at Millbrae Station are accounted for in our train schedule,” he said in an email.

Bartholomew shared a similar perspective, while noting the agencies’ attempts may leave customers still wanting.

“I definitely understand that feeling when you are trying to make a connection of when you miss a train how frustrating that can be,” she said. “We always try to keep the customer in mind.”

She added the room for improvement could be addressed through enhanced collaboration, and said officials are committed to having those talks.

“I think that is something we have tried to do to the best of our ability, and that’s not to say we won’t keep trying,” she said.

For Thomas, such an effort would be greatly appreciated, considering the sizable amount of his time at stake.

One month a year commuting

On a good day when he makes his connection, with the walk included from his front door to the BART station in San Francisco’s Mission district, Thomas said he spends 90 minutes in transit one way. Extrapolating that out, he figures he spends the time equivalent to approximately one month of each year traveling to and from work.

While noting his experience may not be as bad as some drivers who plug slowly through packed Bay Area highways each day, Thomas’ struggles are compounded by his dependency on the train.

As an epileptic, his last three applications to land a driver’s license were denied due to the threat of him experiencing a seizure while behind the wheel. Thomas said he has no future plans to take the test again.

“I’m not going to be driving any time soon,” he said.

Looking forward, the producer for Peninsula TV said he hopes some of his transit troubles can be solved through electrification of the Caltrain tracks, which believes would bring system operations closer to rail systems in Japan he considers superior.

“I’m very much in favor of this moving ahead because it would benefit the entire Bay Area,” he said.

Bartholomew though was reluctant to guarantee electrification would cure all synchronization symptoms.

“Electrification is supposed to help in many ways and hopefully it can help in this way too,” she said. “But that remains to be seen.”

For Locicero, he would settle for Caltrain merely beefing up its service by putting more trains on the tracks.

“I only wish Caltrain was more frequent. I very much have to plan exactly when I’m coming and going,” said Locicero, who said his commute takes about an hour each way, including a drive from his home in northern South San Francisco to the station and roughly 20-minute walk to his office.

While he grants himself a time cushion for the drive because surface street traffic can be unpredictable, all things considered, Locicero acknowledged his existing commute is preferable to others he’s done previously or those of his East Bay colleagues.

“Overall, I think it’s a very good commute,” he said.

Locicero said the experience is improved through his efforts to clear his mind and meditate during the train trip — an experience some of his more battle-scarred fellow commuters would likely consider quite peaceful.

How is your commute? Let us know.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105