Ridership Plan May Be Thwarting TOD Plans

Two years ago, Caltrain, one of the oldest commuter rail system west of the Mississippi connecting San Jose and San Francisco, inaugurated its "baby bullet" service -- cutting the 21 stop, one and a half our trip down to 5 stops and less than an hour. The shorter trip increased ridership by 13%, yet a group of local leaders are now pushing to restore service to cities along the line.

"A 14-member team of local officials announced July 6 the formation of the Coalition to Expand Train Service, which aims to work with Caltrain and other transportation agencies to increase ridership and expand local service".

The Baby Bullet service reduced service to non-express stations and eliminated weekday service from two lesser used stations.

"The cuts came after some cities began planning for dense, mixed-use development around their train stations, Menlo Park Vice Mayor Kelly Fergusson said. CETS members fear that the decrease in service to certain stations will discourage businesses and homebuilders from setting up shop in their areas".

Thanks to ABAG/MTC Library