With Caltrain considering eliminating nearly half of the Peninsula's train service to fix a $30 million deficit, VTA general manager Michael Burns has some proposals to keep Caltrain on track until more permanent funding can be found.
In a Feb. 2 memo to the Valley Transportation Authority Board, Burns says the VTA is now in a financial position that allows it to pay $7.1 million it owes to SamTrans in a previous deal to purchase the land Caltrain tracks sit on. If SamTrans agrees to use that money for Caltrain, it would keep San Francisco and Santa Clara County's transit agencies from drastically cutting back their own proportional level of Caltrain funding, which would reduce the train service's projected deficit from $30 million to only $14 million, Burns said.
The above proposal alone would be enough to "allow Caltrain to retain much of its current service in the short term," Burns writes. But he also says funds should be taken to prop up Caltrain's core service from other delayed Caltrain projects: Caltrain electrification, which has been delayed along with high-speed rail, and the Dumbarton Rail project. The Dumbarton Rail project is something "the region cannot afford at this time," Burns writes, but using the money may have legal issues.
VTA is also considering the possibility of taking on a larger share of Caltrain's operating costs in exchange for saving service to Santa Clara County.
At the VTA board meeting last Thursday, "the full board was pretty much in consensus that Caltrain is a priority for us," said VTA board chair Margaret Abe-Koga, who is also a Mountain View City Council member.
"Maybe we can negotiate keeping service for Santa Clara county folks if we put up our full share or a larger portion of it," she said. The VTA is able to do that because "we worked really hard last year to straighten out our finances."
Caltrain may declare a fiscal emergency as soon as March and appears ready to make drastic cuts. It has proposed to run trains only during weekday peak hours, cutting service nearly in half from 86 trains running every weekday to only 48.
SamTrans responded to the VTA proposals in a statement by spokesperson Christine Dunne, saying "SamTrans' funding issues were not created by VTA nor are they the VTA's to solve."
"We are willing to look at everything," Dunne said. "Everything is on the table for analysis. We appreciate the continued support of the VTA. We understand that some people think VTA should help cover SamTrans' share of JPB funding. SamTrans' funding issues were not created by VTA nor are they the VTA's to solve. We recognize that VTA has its own commitment to the communities it serves just as SamTrans does. We will continue to work with our partners to find funding that can reduce the impact of the drastic cuts with which Caltrain is faced."
Service at up to seven stations may have to be eliminated by Caltrain, including Mountain View's San Antonio station, where 545 people board a train every weekday on average, according to Caltrain's 2010 ridership report.
The other stations on the chopping block are College Park, Belmont, Lawrence, Santa Clara, San Bruno, Burlingame, Hayward Park, Bayshore and South San Francisco. Those stations have similar ridership numbers.
At the San Antonio station Monday morning, about a dozen people waited for the 10:33 a.m. train. One rider, Jennifer, lives a few blocks away and boards the train at San Antonio daily for work in San Mateo. "It's convenient that it's walk-able," she said of the station's location, which sits near a large residential neighborhood an San Antonio Shopping Center. If the station were to close, taking the train would be much less attractive than driving because Jennifer would have to find a parking spot at the downtown Mountain View train station lot, which is "usually pretty full," she said.
"Having a good public transportation system is important," she said. "I enjoy taking the train."
Caltrain ridership overall has climbed from 26,000 riders in 2005 to 39,000 in 2010. It has recently started to decline slightly.
Abe-Koga said drastic cuts could lead to a downward spiral.
"Once you cut service it's just a downward spiral," Abe-Koga said. "If less people ride it, then there is less fare box" revenue for train service.
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Comments
Fairmeadow
on Feb 8, 2011 at 9:46 am
on Feb 8, 2011 at 9:46 am
An article from the San Jose Mercury News
Despite historic financial woes, Caltrain CEO's $400,000 paycheck is state's highest
By Mike Rosenberg
mrosenberg@bayareanewsgroup.com
Posted: 02/08/2011 09:26:59 AM PST
Web Link
Crescent Park
on Feb 8, 2011 at 10:45 am
on Feb 8, 2011 at 10:45 am
We need to get Caltrain back on track (w00! puns!). This could be a disaster for the Peninsula's downtowns, for local businesses and for commuters.
That being said, let's not let a good crisis go to waste. Some stations (Hayward Park? Broadway?) should be shuttered.
Mountain View
on Feb 8, 2011 at 3:30 pm
on Feb 8, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Let's hypothesize that Mike Scanlon would take a 100% salary cut.
Here's how much of the Caltrain budget deficit this would address:
Web Link
I'd like to hear solutions for the remaining $29.5 million deficit.
South of Midtown
on Feb 8, 2011 at 7:37 pm
on Feb 8, 2011 at 7:37 pm
When Burns first took his job at VTA he used Caltrain to get from his home in SF to his job in SJ. I don't know if he still does that, but it is nice to see a transit executive who uses transit! Caltrain delivers a lot of customers to VTA and to SamTrans. I understand why VTA wants to help Caltrain, and I don't understand why SamTrans is in such a snit about that.
another community
on Feb 8, 2011 at 9:09 pm
on Feb 8, 2011 at 9:09 pm
Indeed, let's not let a good crisis go to waste.
Rightsizing Caltrain to 48 trains per day looks like a perfect plan to me. It would enable Caltrain to retain the majority of its ridership at peak time, while eliminating the underutilized early morning/late night and middle of the day trains.
Once again, it shows that, when facing financial pressure, government organizations like Caltrain are able to eliminate wasteful spendings and renegotiate compensations to provide services at a lower cost.
Congrats Caltrain!
Mountain View
on Feb 9, 2011 at 7:54 am
on Feb 9, 2011 at 7:54 am
Donald,
If you've ever played Oregon Trail, you may know that the game offers you the chance to slaughter and eat your oxen if you run out of food and are about to die of hunger.
This is what it probably feels like right now at SamTrans.
Fletcher Middle School
on Feb 9, 2011 at 10:26 am
on Feb 9, 2011 at 10:26 am
Once again, cry baby wins. Dirty political techniques of fear and threaten wins... There were no crisis in the first place. They just made one up to get more attention. There won't be improvement, there will be party as usual after all. Mark my word, and let's see what happens after 6 months.
I just wondering why Caltrain always plays the public this way to get what they wanted. And why it always got so much media coverage.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Feb 9, 2011 at 10:35 am
on Feb 9, 2011 at 10:35 am
I posted this on a different thread, but will put it here also.
Web Link
Pay attention to the definition of American Corporation
:)