chapter 1 overview of transit systemsrtp+2008.pdf · of san francisco, the san mateo county transit...

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CALTRAIN SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN FY2008 - FY2017 3

which SP operated the service, but state and local government agencies subsidized and adminis-tered it. Besides contract administration, Caltrans’ responsibilities included planning, marketing, customer service, engineering and design, fare and schedule setting, and performance monitoring. The commuter service was renamed Caltrain.

In 1987, representatives of the City and County of San Francisco, the San Mateo County Transit District (“District”) and the Santa Clara County Transit District, now the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), began the effort to create the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) to transfer administrative responsibility for Caltrain from the state to the local level. In July 1991, a Joint Powers Agreement, signed by the three parties, stipulated the JPB membership and powers, specifi ed fi nancial commitments for each member agency, delegated the San Mateo County Transit District as the managing agency, and de-tailed other administrative procedures.

The JPB purchased the 51.4-mile Caltrain right of way from Southern Pacifi c in December 1991 for a cost of $212 million. In July 1992, San Mateo

Chapter 1OVERVIEW OF TRANSIT SYSTEM

1.1 BRIEF HISTORY

Railroad service along the San Francisco Peninsula has a long and storied history and has existed, in some form, since 1863. The railroad line, one of the oldest in California, was fi rst proposed in 1851 to connect the booming trade center of San Francis-co and the fi rst state capital of California, San Jose. Ground for the railroad was not broken until May 1861, when construction of the line began at San Francisquito Creek, on the Santa Clara-San Mateo county line. By October 1863, regular service be-gan between San Francisco and Mayfi eld (now the California Avenue station in Palo Alto). The con-struction of the line to San Jose was completed in January 1864, and two trains began operating daily between San Francisco and San Jose.

Prior to Caltrain’s current ownership, passenger rail ridership on the Peninsula was at its peak in the mid-1940s, when more than 9.54 million patrons rode the train annually. However, as the cost of operating the Peninsula commuter rail service in-creased, and the number of riders began to decline, the former Southern Pacifi c Railroad (SP) began to phase out its less patronized trains, and by the mid-1970s sought to discontinue passenger rail service. After extended negotiations, SP, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the three counties through which the Peninsula Com-mute Service operated (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties) reached an agreement to preserve passenger rail service on the Peninsula.

Beginning in 1980, Caltrans Rail Management and Rail Operation branches administered a purchase-of-service agreement with Southern Pacifi c under

CALTRAIN SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN FY2008 - FY20174

County Transit District personnel assumed the management and administration of the JPB, and the JPB assumed ownership of Caltrain, contracting with Amtrak as its operator. In 1992, the commute service from Gilroy also began. In the 16 years that the JPB has owned Caltrain, ridership has increased 60 percent.

In 2002, Caltrain weekend service was suspended for two years to allow for construction of the CTX project. With new rolling stock and upgraded infra-structure, Baby Bullet express service was initiated in June 2004. Ridership immediately began to increase. However, within a year Caltrain was fac-ing fi nancial diffi culties and decided to overhaul the entire schedule and offer more express service in order to attract additional riders, particularly those making longer trips. The re-invention of Caltrain occurred in August 2005, with a decrease of local trains in the peak and a doubling of express ser-vice to 22 Baby Bullet trains a day. Sustained and signifi cant ridership increases continue as ridership levels have just recently surpassed the 2001 peak of 35,000 riders per weekday.

1.2 GOVERNANCE

BOARD OF DIRECTORSThe Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board in-cludes representatives from San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties. The JPB consists of nine members, three from each county.

The San Francisco representatives include an ap-pointee from the Mayor’s offi ce, an appointee from the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, and an appointee from the San Francisco Munici-pal Transportation Agency. The three San Mateo County representatives are all members of the San Mateo County Transit District’s Board of Directors, but three different appointing authorities designate a representative from the Transit District’s Board, as follows: The Transit District Board; the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors; and the City’s Selection Committee of the Council of Mayors of San Mateo County. The Santa Clara County repre-sentatives include (1) a member of the VTA Board

of Directors appointed by the Board representing the City of San Jose or the County of Santa Clara; (2) a member of the VTA Board of Directors ap-pointed by that Board representing the County of Santa Clara or a city in Santa Clara County other than the City of San Jose; and (3) the County’s rep-resentative to the MTC, or if this person declines to serve, then the MTC appointee of the Cities Selec-tion Committee, or if this person declines to serve, then a member of the VTA Board of Directors as appointed by that Board.

JPB Directors do not have any terms as prescribed by the JPB; they serve at the discretion of their ap-pointing authority.

The current members of the JPB include:Jim Hartnett - Chair• Don Gage - Vice Chair• José Cisneros• Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.• Jerry Hill• Arthur Lloyd• Forrest Williams• Ken Yeager• Vacant•

ADVISORY COMMITTEESThere are four advisory committees offering Cal-train management input on a regular basis. These are as follows:

The Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) is com-• prised of staff from the three partner agencies. Responsibilities include review and coordina-tion of upcoming board agenda items.The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is • comprised of nine representatives, three from each member county, appointed by the JPB. The committee acts in an advisory capacity to the JPB. Responsibilities include provid-ing input on the needs of current and potential transit users. The Bicycle Advisory Committee is comprised • of Caltrain and Amtrak staff and representa-tives from the community with an interest in


bicycle issues as they relate to Caltrain. Re-sponsibilities include reviewing and provid-ing input on policies and actions that relate to Caltrain’s bicycle guidelines and programs. The Accessibility Advisory Committee is com-• prised of District staff, members of agencies representing persons with disabilities, and Cal-train customers with disabilities. Responsibili-ties include reviewing and providing input on access to train cars, stations and other Caltrain services.

1.3 THE ORGANIZATION

The JPB is a joint powers authority created by agreement pursuant to Government Code Sec-tions 6500 et seq. The three member agencies of this joint powers authority are the City and County of San Francisco, the San Mateo County Transit District (“District”) and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. The joint powers agree-ment creating this agency designates the District as the Managing Agency of the JPB. The JPB has no direct employees. Rather employees of the District, the Managing Agency, serve as staff to the JPB. Under this contractual arrangement, the General Manager/CEO of the District, serves the JPB as its Executive Director. The Executive Director is supported by fi ve chief offi cers that oversee Admin-istration, Communications, Development, Finance and Operations. See Figure 1-1.

DISTRICT STAFFDistrict staff provides administrative management for the Caltrain system. The Rail Transportation Department is responsible for the day-to-day opera-tion of Caltrain and provides direct oversight of the contract operator, Amtrak. Other District depart-ments provide staff support in engineering, fi nance, capital project development, project monitoring, planning, marketing, customer service, public and media relations, fare and schedule setting, perfor-mance monitoring, personnel recruitment, budget and grant administration, and public outreach.

CONTRACT OPERATOR Through an operating agreement with the JPB, Amtrak provides services to manage and operate Caltrain on the corridor between San Francisco and Gilroy. Under contract with the JPB, Amtrak is re-sponsible for the maintenance, repair, and cleaning of equipment and property directly related to train operations. Amtrak also is responsible for checking tickets on Caltrain, selling tickets at staffed sta-tions, and submitting various fi nancial and opera-tional reports to the JPB. Amtrak is also required to conduct ridership counts and passenger surveys, as needed. The operating contract is awarded on a competitive bid basis. The current contract with Amtrak was extended for three years with two one-year optional years. The three-year extension of the base term under the contract with Amtrak will ex-pire on June 30, 2009. The JPB Board of Directors recently exercised the fi rst-year option to further extend the contract which will continue the man-agement and operating arrangement with Amtrak from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Should the JPB exercise the second one-year option, the term of the current contract with Amtrak could run through June 30, 2011.

LABOR UNION REPRESENTATIONThe JPB utilizes fi ve full-time equivalent employ-ees from the SamTrans Unit Repair section to repair and maintain Caltrain’s Ticket Vending Machines. These workers are covered by the labor agreement between SamTrans and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local Division No. 1574 AFL-CIO-CLC. This agreement is in effect from October 11, 2005 through June 30, 2008.

1.4 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES AND SERVICE AREA

RAIL SERVICECaltrain serves 32 stations along the 77.2-mile route between San Francisco and Gilroy, as illustrated in the system map presented in Figure 1-2. The current schedule includes 96 weekday, 32 Satur-day and 28 Sunday trains. Twenty-three stations are served full-time, with weekend-only service at the Broadway and Atherton stations. The College Park station is served by four trains each weekday.


Five stations on the Gilroy extension are served by six weekday trains only in the peak hours, three trains in each direction. A shuttle bus connects the Tamien station to the San Jose Diridon station on weekends. Stanford Stadium station is served ap-proximately eight days per year when the Stanford football team plays home games. Typical weekday service is provided from 4:30 am to 1:30 am and is a mix of local, limited, local/limited and Baby Bullet express trains. Weekend service is local and hourly most of the day from 7:00 am to 1:30 am on Saturdays and 8:00 am to 10:30 pm on Sundays.

On a typical weekday, early morning and evening service is provided by local trains, with mid-day service provided by alternating local and limited-

Figure 1-1: Joint Powers Board Organization ChartJOINT POWERS

BOARD

San Francisco City/County (SF MTA)San Mateo County Transit District

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

Citizens AdvisoryCommittee

Staff CoordinatingCouncil

Executive DirectorMichael J. Scanlon

• Human Resources• Information Technology• Contracts and Procurement• DBE Compliance• Safety and Risk Management• Security

Special Assistant to theExecutive Director

Mark Simon

JPBSecretary

Martha Martinez

General Counsel

Administration Division

George Cameron• Marketing• Public Information• Media Relations• Customer Service• Advertising• Distribution• Sales

CommunicationsDivisions

Rita Haskin• Engineering and Construction• Capital Program Management• Track Maintenance • Grants and Capital• Government Relations• Legislation• Planning and Research• Real Estate

DevelopmentDivision

Ian McAvoy• Budget Development and Monitoring• Controller: - Payroll - G/L & A/P - Capital Projects and Fixed Assets - Audit• Treasury and Debt Service• Ticket Vending Machines

Finance Division

Virginia Harrington• Rail Transportation• Accessible Transit Services• Bus Transportation• Stations and Parking• Vehicle Maintenance• Operations Planning• Quality Assurance and Management Analysis

Operations Division

Chuck Harvey

stop trains. Most stations have half-hour headways in the mid-day with evening service provided on one-hour headways or longer. Peak-hour service is provided for three hours each weekday morning and evening. One of the three peak hours has four trains per hour, while the other two hours have fi ve trains per hour. There are four sets of Baby Bullet express stopping patterns, two for the traditional peak direction and two for the reverse of the tradi-tional peak direction. The traditional peak direction (northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening) is served by 12 Baby Bullet express trains on weekdays while the reverse direction (south-bound in the morning and northbound in the evening is served by 10 Baby Bullet express trains. No local-only trains run during the peak hours. Local


service is provided by limited-local service train pairs once every hour via transfer at the Redwood City station. Ten limited-stop trains provide the rest of the peak service. Three northbound morning and three southbound evening trains serve the fi ve sta-tions on the Gilroy extension. Half of all weekday trains serve the Tamien station.

Supplemental service is provided for special events in the form of extra trains and/or longer train con-sists. Extra trains are provided for Independence Day, New Year’s Eve, the KaBoom concert and fi reworks and the Bay to Breakers race. Selected regular weekend local trains make stops at the Stan-ford station before and after Stanford home football games. Extra trains also are provided for certain events at AT&T Park near the San Francisco Cal-train station based on demand. The majority of this extra service is for Giants home baseball games. Before Giants home games, one extra scheduled train is provided outside of peak hours with ad-ditional extra trains provided as needed. After Giants games, two extra trains are provided, with the fi rst scheduled to express to San Carlos then make all local stops, followed by a local train, with additional extra trains provided as needed. Service to special events and Giants games is periodically adjusted to meet passenger demand and operational conditions.

CALTRAIN SHUTTLE SERVICESShuttles are an important element of the Caltrain transit network. The Caltrain Shuttle Program was started to meet the demand for increased transit feeder service from Caltrain stations to local em-ployment sites. Caltrain connects with employer-

operated shuttle services at 15 of its stations. The shuttle services meet particular trains, and carry employees directly to nearby offi ce or industrial employment centers. There are currently 30 Cal-train-sponsored shuttles serving Caltrain stations, with other entities providing more. The Caltrain-sponsored shuttles carried an average of 5,000 riders per weekday in FY2007. Caltrain shuttle ridership has increased by double-digit percent-ages over the last two years and is creating capacity challenges. Shuttle capacity is being increased by additional and larger vehicles. The shuttle service is adjusted periodically to account for changes in demand, job location and train service patterns.

Caltrain shuttles are funded by a sponsor, such as a major company, underwriting at least 25 percent of the cost of the service, with the Bay Area Air Qual-ity Management District (BAAQMD) providing year-to-year discretionary fund fi nancing of 25 to 40 percent. The balance is subsidized by Caltrain.

BICYCLESCaltrain has a progressive bicycle access policy. Thirty-two bicycles can be accommodated on all gallery train-equipped consists, with Bombardier equipment holding 16 bicycles. On some consists, during the peak hours, as many as 64 bicycles can be accommodated. Caltrain counted more than 2,300 weekday bike boardings in the annual count conducted in February 2007. There are about 1,200 bicycle lockers available to Caltrain riders at stations, with about 800 (67%) of those utilized. Information on the number of bicycle locker and racks at each station is shown in this chapter under Station Facilities. The San Francisco, Mountain View and Menlo Park stations have substantial bicycle storage. Enhanced contracted bike facili-ties have been established at the Palo Alto and San Francisco stations, which provide guarded parking and other bicycle services.

DEMAND-RESPONSIVE SERVICECaltrain does not provide any demand-response services. Paratransit services in the Caltrain service area are provided by the local transit agencies in each county – SFMTA, SamTrans and VTA. Para-


Figure 1-2: Caltrain System Map


transit service is not a direct responsibility of Cal-train. The services for each county are as follows:

San Francisco County:• The San Francisco Municipal Railway (SFMTA) has provided paratransit services for more than 25 years. SFMTA contracts with a paratransit broker to manage the service. The paratransit broker contracts with van and taxi companies to pro-vide transportation.San Mateo County:• SamTrans operates Redi-Wheels paratransit service to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- eligible patrons in San Mateo County. The service is provided 365 days per year along the Caltrain service cor-ridor. Santa Clara County:• VTA provides para-transit service under contract with Outreach, a private, non-profi t paratransit broker. Service is provided in most of the urban areas in Santa Clara County. Service is operated seven days per week.

Twenty-four Caltrain stations are fully ADA acces-sible and all trains accommodate at least two wheel-chairs at a time. Gallery car consists have onboard wheelchair lifts. Accessible stations also have a hand-powered, mobile wheelchair lift that provides back-up to on-board, train-powered lifts. Mini-high platforms have been installed at key Baby Bul-let stations to facilitate boarding and alighting for disabled patrons on and off of Bombardier consists. The hand-powered, mobile wheelchair lifts pro-vide access to Bombardier consists at stations not equipped with mini-high platforms.

CONNECTING SERVICESCaltrain has direct rail connections with each of the major transit operators along its route, includ-ing the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), and Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor and Coast Starlight.

Caltrain connects with the Muni N-Judah and T-Third light rail lines at the San Francisco termi-nal at Fourth and King. Both lines operate on the

surface along the Embarcadero, then travel under Market Street in the upper level of the Muni/BART subway, providing connections to the remaining Muni light rail lines as well as to the BART system. The N-Judah continues into San Francisco’s west-ern neighborhoods, while the T-Third serves the east and southeast waterfront of San Francisco.

Caltrain connects directly with BART’s Millbrae station, which opened in mid-2003. This connec-tion provides service to the San Francisco Interna-tional Airport as well as to other locations through-out the BART system.

Caltrain connects directly to the VTA light rail system at three locations: Mountain View station (Mountain View-Winchester line), the San Jose Di-ridon station (Mountain View-Winchester line) and Tamien station (Alum Rock-Santa Teresa line).

ACE provides peak-hour commuter rail service from San Joaquin and Alameda counties to employ-ment centers in the Santa Clara Valley. Connec-tions to Caltrain can be made at the Santa Clara (temporarily suspended) and San Jose Diridon stations.

Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor service connects with Caltrain at the San Jose Diridon station. The Capitol Corridor provides intercity rail service be-tween San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento and Auburn. Amtrak’s long distance Coast Starlight train (Los Angeles – Seattle) also stops at the Diridon station.

In addition to these rail connections, Caltrain con-nects with local bus service provided by Muni, SamTrans, VTA, AC Transit, San Benito County Express, Monterey Salinas Transit and Dumbar-ton Express (a consortium of AC Transit, BART,


SamTrans, Union City Transit and VTA). Primary connecting stations include:

San Francisco: Muni bus lines• Hillsdale, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, • Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunny-vale, Santa Clara and Gilroy (each with fi ve or more connecting bus transit lines)San Jose Diridon: Five VTA bus lines, a light • rail stop and free DASH shuttle, plus Monterey Salinas Transit to Monterey, Highway 17 Express bus service to Santa Cruz and Amtrak Thruway bus service to Santa Barbara

1.5 FARE STRUCTURE

Similar to many other commuter rail systems around the nation, the Caltrain fare structure is dis-tance-based. There is a base fare (currently $2.25 for adults) with a fee (currently $1.75 for adults) for each additional zone traveled in. Figure 1-3 shows Caltrain’s six-zone fare structure, in which trips of greater distances have higher fares.

Caltrain implemented a proof-of-payment (POP) fare system in September 2003, whereby riders must board trains with valid fare and show proof of their ticket when requested to do so during random spot checks onboard the trains. Tickets are sold by agents at only two staffed stations, and by ticket vending machines, at all stations, by mail, at select-ed employment sites, at Caltrain headquarters and over the Internet.

Caltrain offers one-way tickets, day passes, 10-ride tickets, monthly passes and the Go Pass. Rates for seniors, persons with disabilities, Medicare card-holders and youth are 50 percent of the standard rate for all ticket types except the Go Pass. A two-zone monthly Caltrain pass is good for unlimited local transit service on SamTrans and VTA routes. A monthly sticker can be purchased for Muni service, with the exception of cable car routes (See Inter-operator Fare Structures and Agreements). The Go Pass is an annual pass purchased by employers for all full-time employees at a work location. For the entire year, the employer pays the price of a two-zone monthly pass for each employee (minimum 70) whether or not an employee uses it.

INTER-OPERATOR FARE STRUCTURES AND AGREEMENTSThe concept behind Caltrain’s inter-operator fare structures and agreements is to encourage ridership and transit connectivity through discounted fares for trips requiring transfers between operators or modes. The arrangements are as follows:

A Muni sticker is available to Caltrain monthly • pass holders for an additional $35 (a savings of $10). This allows the holder unlimited travel throughout the Muni system, except on the cable cars.Caltrain Monthly Pass holders (with a two-• zone or greater pass) may use their passes as a local fare credit on SamTrans and VTA ser-vices. A two-zone or greater Caltrain monthly pass provides a partial transbay fare on the Dumbarton Express and a discount on the Highway 17 bus day pass. There is no revenue sharing associated with these agreements.

1.6 REVENUE FLEET

The current Caltrain revenue fl eet consists of 139 heavy rail vehicles. There are 29 diesel locomo-tives in operation. There are 110 passenger cars. Cars and locomotives operate in a bi-directional “push-pull” mode. Northbound trains are pushed by the locomotive in the rear and controlled from the “cab” passenger car at the front. Southbound trains are pulled by and controlled from the loco-motive at the front. Within the passenger car fl eet, there are two sub-fl eets, bi-level Gallery cars and the newer design, low-fl oor Bombardier-made cars that were acquired for the initial startup of Baby Bullet express service. Originally these cars, which have a distinct color scheme (paired with the MP36 locomotives), were utilized for all Baby Bullet service. Since the number of Baby Bullet trains was roughly doubled in 2005, gallery cars have also been utilized on a regular basis for Baby Bullet service. In order to make vehicle and crew turns, Bombardier cars are used for many non-Baby Bullet trains. A summary of the revenue fl eet is presented in Table 1-1. A detailed inventory of the fl eet is in Appendix A.


BETWEEN TICKET ZONE 1OW $2.25 CALTRAIN FARE STRUCTURE

San Francisco DP $4.50 Effective April 2, 20071 22nd Street 10 $19.25

Bayshore MO $59.75South SF S/D/Y OW $1.00

San Bruno S/D/Y DP $2.25S/D/Y 10 $9.50 OW One-wayS/D/Y MO $29.75 DP Day Pass

ZONE 2 10 10-ride TicketMO Monthly Ticket

Millbrae OW $4.00 $2.25 S/D/Y Senior/Disabled/Medicare Cardholder/Youth2 Broadway DP $8.00 $4.50

Burlingame 10 $34.00 $19.25San Mateo MO $106.00 $59.75

Hayward Park S/D/Y OW $2.00 $1.00 Zone Upgrade (Adult) =Hillsdale S/D/Y DP $4.00 $2.25Belmont S/D/Y 10 $17.00 $9.50 Zone Upgrade (S/D/Y) =

San Carlos S/D/Y MO $53.00 $29.75Redwood City Monthly Bicycle Locker =

ZONE 3Daily Parking =

Atherton OW $5.75 $4.00 $2.25Menlo Park DP $11.50 $8.00 $4.50 Monthly Parking =

3 Palo Alto 10 $49.00 $34.00 $19.25Stanford MO $152.50 $106.00 $59.75 GO Pass =

California Ave. S/D/Y OW $2.75 $2.00 $1.00San Antonio S/D/Y DP $5.75 $4.00 $2.25

Mt. View S/D/Y 10 $24.50 $17.00 $9.50Sunnyvale S/D/Y MO $76.25 $53.00 $29.75

ZONE 4OW $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25

Lawrence DP $15.00 $11.50 $8.00 $4.504 Santa Clara 10 $63.75 $49.00 $34.00 $19.25

College Park MO $198.75 $152.50 $106.00 $59.75S.J. Diridon S/D/Y OW $3.75 $2.75 $2.00 $1.00

Tamien S/D/Y DP $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25S/D/Y 10 $31.75 $24.50 $17.00 $9.50S/D/Y MO $99.25 $76.25 $53.00 $29.75

ZONE 5OW $9.25 $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25

Capitol DP $18.50 $15.00 $11.50 $8.00 $4.505 Blossom Hill 10 $78.75 $63.75 $49.00 $34.00 $19.25

MO $245.25 $198.75 $152.50 $106.00 $59.75S/D/Y OW $4.50 $3.75 $2.75 $2.00 $1.00S/D/Y DP $9.25 $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25S/D/Y 10 $39.25 $31.75 $24.50 $17.00 $9.50S/D/Y MO $122.50 $99.25 $76.25 $53.00 $29.75

ZONE 6OW $11.00 $9.25 $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25

Morgan Hill DP $22.00 $18.50 $15.00 $11.50 $8.00 $4.506 San Martin 10 $93.50 $78.75 $63.75 $49.00 $34.00 $19.25

Gilroy MO $291.50 $245.25 $198.75 $152.50 $106.00 $59.75S/D/Y OW $5.50 $4.50 $3.75 $2.75 $2.00 $1.00S/D/Y DP $11.00 $9.25 $7.50 $5.75 $4.00 $2.25S/D/Y 10 $46.75 $39.25 $31.75 $24.50 $17.00 $9.50

S/D/Y MO $145.75 $122.50 $99.25 $76.25 $53.00 $29.75

$20.00

$106.00

$1.75

$1.00

$5.50

$2.00

Figure 1-3: Caltrain Fare Structure


Series Quantity Number of Seats

Year of Manufacture Make Age

LocomotivesF40 PH-2 18 na 1985 General Motors - EMD 22F40PH-2-CAT 2 na 1987 General Motors - EMD 20F40 PH-2 3 na 1998 Boise Locomotive, Inc. 9MP36PH-3C 6 na 2003 Motive Power, Inc. 4Passenger CarsGallery Trailer 26 142 1985 Nippon Sharyo 22Gallery Trailer 26 148 1985 Nippon Sharyo 22Gallery Trailer 14 122 2000 Nippon Sharyo 7Gallery Cab (Bike) 21 107 1985 Nippon Sharyo 22Gallery Cab (Bike) 6 82 2000 Nippon Sharyo 7Bi-Level Trailer 10 148 2002 Bombardier 5Bi-Level Cab 2 139 2002 Bombardier 5Bi-Level Cab (Bike) 5 123 2001-02 Bombardier 5

1.7 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING FACILITIES

ADMINISTRATIVEAlmost all District staff supporting the JPB perform executive, human resources, information technol-ogy, safety, security, customer service, marketing, public information, communications, contract, procurement, pass sales, real estate, fi nance, engi-neering, project planning and operations planning activities for the JPB do so from the administrative headquarters (Central Offi ce) of the San Mateo County Transit District located in San Carlos. This offi ce building, constructed in 1979, is owned by the District and houses approximately 300 full-time and part-time employees. Nearly 100 full-time equivalents provide operations and capital project support for Caltrain.

Several District employees perform part of their work for Caltrain from District bus storage and maintenance bases. There are only a few District employees based at the new Centralized Equipment, Maintenance and Operations Facility (CEMOF) in San Jose. Most maintenance is performed by con-tractor (Amtrak) employees.

Table 1-1: Caltrain Fleet Inventory

MAINTENANCE AND FUELINGCaltrain recently opened its fi rst real maintenance facility, CEMOF, at the site of an old rail yard at Lenzen Avenue in San Jose. Previously, main-tenance and inspection was performed outdoors at a small maintenance facility just south of the San Jose Diridon station and in a rail yard at the San Francisco station. Many repair jobs had to be shipped to Oakland, Los Angeles or as far away as Arkansas and Delaware.

The $140 million facility occupies a 20-acre site and includes a three-story maintenance shop, Cen-tral Control Facility, train washer, storage tracks, inspection pits and fuel storage. The maintenance shop has a wheel-turning machine, drop table and overhead crane. The train washer water is treated and recycled. Two, 800-foot long service and inspection pits allow daily inspection and routine service of trains. In early 2008, fueling will oc-cur at CEMOF instead of the current system where trains are fueled directly from tanker trucks at three locations. Approximately 150 maintenance and op-eration contract (Amtrak) employees will be based at the facility. CEMOF was designed with electrifi -cation in mind and will be able to accommodate the future Caltrain fl eet.


VEHICLE STORAGEThe majority of vehicles are stored at the multi-track San Francisco north terminus platforms and in the yard and platforms at the San Jose Diridon sta-tion. Three train sets (consists) are stored overnight and on weekends at a small yard at the Gilroy sta-tion. Additional trains are stored in the yard at the San Francisco station. Some trains will be stored at CEMOF as that facility becomes fully operational.

TRACK AND RIGHT OF WAYCaltrain owns the railroad right of way from the San Francisco station (milepost 0.2) to Control Point Lick (milepost 52.0), south of the Tamien sta-tion. Most stations and station buildings are owned by Caltrain. Two exceptions are the Millbrae Inter-modal Station, which is owned by BART, and the Palo Alto station, which is owned by Stanford Uni-versity. Caltrain collects fees at parking facilities owned or operated by Caltrain. Caltrain owned or operated parking is provided at all stations except San Francisco, 22nd Street, San Mateo, Atherton and stations south of the San Jose Diridon station.

The JPB has the perpetual right of access to and from and use of the Gilroy Joint Facilities. The agreement between Union Pacifi c, which owns track from Tamien to Gilroy, and the JPB presently allows Caltrain to run not more than a total of eight scheduled commuter trains between San Jose and Gilroy (four in each direction per day). Caltrain commuter trains are given priority and dispatched by UP on a mutually agreed to upon schedule.

The railroad crosses 43 roads at-grade between San Francisco and the San Jose Diridon station. There are 28 at-grade road crossings between the San Jose Diridon station and Gilroy station.

Within the Caltrain right of way, there are approxi-mately 108 track miles of rail used in revenue ser-vice, 93.5 miles of which are main track 1 (north-bound) and main track 2 (southbound). About 98 percent of all rail is continuously welded. Almost 89 percent is Rail Weight 136 RE and more than 65 percent has been laid since 1991.

STATION FACILITIESCaltrain has 32 stations. Weekday service was suspended at the Broadway and Atherton stations in August 2005. Millbrae, Burlingame, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon are stations listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Table 1-2 displays station facili-ties, including the following information:

Station Name• Location • Parking and Bicycle Amenities• Site Improvements• Signage• Accessories• Telecommunication Amenities•

Caltrain does not maintain any park-and-ride ser-vice aside from its on-site station parking.

BICYCLE FACILITIESBicycle racks and lockers are available at most Cal-train stations. Availability at individual stations is shown on the Station Facility Table 1-2. In addition to racks and lockers, San Francisco and Palo Alto have enhanced bicycle facilities. The San Fran-cisco facility is operated under contract by Warm Planet Bikes and opened in June 2007. The facility, constructed using a combination of federal, state, and local funds, is owned by Caltrain. It provides free attended bike parking for up to 130 bikes, relieving overcrowding of bikes onboard trains and a full service retail bike shop. The operation of the facility is contracted out. The Palo Alto facility is part of the Bikestation not-for-profi t network that seeks to improve the quality of life in urban com-munities through the development and operation of bike-transit centers. Located in the old bag-gage room within the station, Bikestation provides 24-hour secure indoor bike parking that requires membership for access.

chapter 1 overview of transit systemsrtp+2008.pdf · of san francisco, the san mateo county transit...

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