Published Tuesday, January 13, 2004, in the San Mateo County Times

New Caltrain schedule has Atherton angry

Lesser-used stations to see service cuts before opening of 'baby
bullet'

By Justin Jouvenal
Staff Writer

A major overhaul of Caltrain's schedule is drawing fire from Atherton
residents, who say the number of weekday trains that will serve their
station will drop by a third.

The Atherton Town Council has formed a subcommittee that is tackling
the issue, and residents have started a petition to stop the changes.
They plan to come out in force to attend a February public hearing on
the schedule.

Caltrain is launching the changes this spring to accommodate the
new "baby bullet" express service and the return of weekend trains.
The baby bullet trains will cut the trip from San Francisco to San
Jose from 90 minutes to under an hour. Trains have been shut down on
Saturday and Sunday for nearly two years so crews can work on the
project.

Caltrain officials said they are sensitive to the concerns of
Atherton residents, but a tight budget is forcing them to make
difficult choices about service levels.

Jayme Maltbie Kunz, a Caltrain spokeswoman, said the changes will
mean about 10 to 15 percent of its busiest stations will get more
service, while 10 to 15 percent of the least-used stations will get
less service. The Atherton station serves about 200 commuters a day,
making it one of Caltrain's least-used stations on the line.

Overall, Caltrain will run 10 extra trains each weekday with the
introduction of baby bullet service. Officials will also launch
more "limited-stop" service trains.

Atherton officials said they can understand Caltrain's budget issues,
but the cuts are too deep.

"Public transit is a public service and should be treated as such,"
said Jim Janz, chair of Atherton's Caltrain Corridor
subcommittee. "It's not a bottom-line operation."

Janz said he fears cutting service will result in a downward spiral
-- fewer people will ride the train, and Caltrain will have to cut
service even more.

The schedule overhaul could be just the beginning of service changes
as Caltrain officials continue to grapple with declining revenues and
ridership. If the numbers don't pick up, service cuts and fare hikes
could be on the horizon this year.

Despite an improving economy, Caltrain still faces a bleak budget
picture next year. Caltrain is looking at a possible $6 million to
$7 million shortfall.

Total revenue for November was down $200,000 over last year from
$1.6 million to $1.4 million. Ridership has plummeted from its high
of around 35,000 in 2000 to 25,600 in November.

The three counties that fund Caltrain -- San Francisco, San Mateo
and Santa Clara -- also will likely not increase their $35 million
subsidy next year, even as costs rise to operate the railroad. And
Caltrain officials are facing increased costs because of the new baby
bullet service.

"We're being squeezed from both ends," Maltbie Kunz said.

The financial picture leaves Caltrain officials few choices as they
draw up the 2004 budget over the next six months.

"We are probably going to need a reduction in service and an increase
in fares," said Caltrain Executive Director Mike Scanlon at a recent
meeting. "And we will still be looking to heaven for a way to fill
the hat."

Scanlon blames the downturn on the loss of jobs in Silicon Valley.

Margaret Okuzumi, president of BayRail Alliance, said the service
changes are tempering what should be a time of renewed interest in
Caltrain with the launch of the new baby-bullet express service.

"It's really too bad," Okuzumi said. "Caltrain is just on the cusp of
rolling out shiny new service. This is not the time to cut back."

Caltrain will hold a public hearing on the schedule changes on Feb. 5
at 10 a.m. The public hearing will be at Caltrain's headquarters,
1250 San Carlos Ave. in San Carlos.


[BATN: See related:

Caltrain adds new weekend schedule option "C"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15836

Atherton lobbies to keep its Caltrain service up
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15829

Atherton panel says "we deserve" Caltrain service
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15652

Petition opposes Atherton Caltrain service cut
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15630

Editorial: Caltrain should give Atherton a break
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15384

Atherton panel gears up to protest Caltrain plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/15378

Caltrain schedule proposal concerns Atherton
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/14860

Caltrain may slash Atherton service; input sought
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/14781

Caltrain may sharply cut Atherton service
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/14657

Letter: Atherton wrong to oppose high-speed rail
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/14658

Atherton to create panel to fight high-speed trains
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/messages/14417

Atherton puts Caltrain grade seps on its wish list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/12669

Atherton officials vow to fight high-speed rail
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/11840

Atherton residents oppose Caltrain corridor plans
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/11561 ]