Buses will carry passengers part of the between Suisun and Sacramento.
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(The following story by Greta Mart appeared on the Martinez NEWS-Gazette on February 12, 2009.)
MARTINEZ, Calif. — Starting Monday, some morning and early afternoon Capitol Corridor commuter trains will not run between Suisun/Fairfield, Davis and Sacramento. Union Pacific is upgrading the rail lines on that route.
“Instead, connecting buses will carry passengers between those two stations, and trains will operate on the remainder of the route on a modified schedule,” said Capitol Corridor spokesperson Luna Salaver. Salaver said the transit agency does not observe President’s Day, and trains on Monday will run according to the regular schedule.
It is expected to take about four weeks – or until March 15 – for Union Pacific to install new railroad ties and repair bridge rails.
Salaver specified that because of limited space on the connecting buses, bicyclists are discouraged from commuting with their bikes during the service advisory.
“This is the third installment of a multi-year track upgrade project between Oakland and Sacramento, designed to keep the railroad in good condition so trains can operate reliably,” said Salaver.
According to a recent Monthly Performance Report, published by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, in December 2008, 130,261 passengers rode the commuter trains that travel back and forth several times a day from Sacramento to Oakland. That is a nine percent increase from Dec. 2007.
In total, 1,729,401 passengers rode the Capitol Corridor, making it the third busiest train route in the country.
Earning $1,931,595 in ticket sales in 2008, the commuter train agency reported that 93 percent overall, its trains arrived and departed on time.