(The Contra Costa Times posted the following article by Lisa Vorderbrueggen on its website on April 16.)
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — At a time when transit agencies all over the nation are losing riders in droves, Capitol Corridor will add its third train in the past six months.
Beginning April 28, Capitol will run 12 trains each weekday between Sacramento, the East Bay and San Jose, up from nine in October.
Capitol tucked the new train into the midday schedule, which cuts the time between trains in the morning and afternoon from two hours to 90 minutes. Its nine-train weekend schedule will not change.
“This will fill a significant gap we had in our schedule,” said Capitol Corridor managing director Eugene Skoropowski.
Equally significant at a time when transit cash has never been tighter, Skoropowski added this train and the prior two without a single additional dollar in his budget.
If history repeats itself, the 12th train will again punch up Capitol’s ridership figures. The line carries more than 4,000 riders daily and has posted record-high ridership numbers each of the past seven months.
Overall, passenger counts are up 8 percent over last year.
“Gene has done a phenomenal job,” said one state rail expert. “Just ask a Capitol rider. He or she will tell you they love the service,” said Richard Silver, executive director of the Rail Passenger Association of California.
Why do riders flock to Capitols when every other Bay Area transit agency, including AC Transit, CalTrain, BART, County Connection, Wheels, WestCat and San Francisco MUNI, have lost passengers?
It appears to be a case of the right service in the right place combined with attractive Amtrak promotions. Amtrak operates the Capitols under contract with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.
Amtrak offered 50 percent off California fares and a “Kids Ride Free” on weekends program. March weekend ridership soared by nearly a third, Skoropowski said.
“Parents are taking their kids to the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento or in the reverse, coming into the Bay Area,” Skoropowski said. “It’s been amazing.”
Capitols’ schedule has become more convenient as well. Unlike BART or bus companies, which have had to cut service, Capitols has steadily expanded its schedule.
Capitols bumped from six to seven trains a day in early 2000. The fleet grew by two additional trains in mid-2001 after the Legislature agreed to fund them.
Skoropowski added the 10th train in late 2002 and the 11th in January. The extra frequency has gone a long way to attract riders, he said.
“If you give riders choice, frequency and reliability, they will ride public transit. We’re proving it.”