OAKLAND, CALIF. August 25, 2006 – The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) announces more direct service to and from San Jose with the addition of six new trains. The 52% increase in direct intercity train service between San Jose and the Bay Area/Sacramento starts August 28, 2006. Coupled with a 30% increase in train service between Oakland and Sacramento, this is the largest service expansion in Capitol Corridor’s history. The new schedule will provide 14 daily trains to and from San Jose for passengers’ ease and convenience.
When CCJPA began managing the Capitol Corridor service in 1998, there were eight daily trains and 463,000 passengers annually. In FY 2005, nearly 1.3 million passengers rode the Capitol Corridor trains. This number is expected to jump further with the increase in service for San Jose/Silicon Valley area.
“Ridership has tripled in the past eight years, and continues to grow. Californians have a renewed interest in traveling by train as car travel has become unattractive with soaring gas prices and growing gridlock,” said Eugene Skoropowski, CCJPA Managing Director. “Passengers have asked for more service all along the corridor, and we’re delivering it to them, with no additional state or federal operating funds. For six years, the Capitol Corridor’s annual state subsidy to operate and manage the service has been level, about $23 million per year.”
The region recognizes the importance of providing transportation alternatives to San Jose and the Silicon Valley. “The ease and convenience to our regular passengers and tourists has increased, not only by adding more 52% more Capitol Corridor trains for San Jose,” says CCJPA Vice Chair Forrest Williams, “but service from Caltrain, VTA, ACE, and transit partners Santa Cruz Metro and Monterey-Salinas Transit [MST], makes the San Jose Diridon station a major hub for regional accessibility. In fact, MST has partnered with CCJPA and VTA to reinstitute Monterey/San Jose connecting bus service with a new route.”
“This service expansion is very important for San Jose, but it also provides more options for all travelers along the entire I-880 corridor,” says Thomas Blalock, CCJPA Board Member, “Communities along the Capitol Corridor service route, like Fremont and Hayward, also benefit from reduced traffic congestion and more transit options.”
With more trains, riders will have greater flexibility in managing their work and leisure hours. They also have the choice to work or relax on the train in Wi-Fi connected cars. Each train also features CafÈ cars that offer food and beverage service, including California wines.
The CCJPA’s service expansion plan, in development for more than seven years, was made possible through the investment of $72M in State public transportation funds to upgrade and add track infrastructure to accommodate increased rail traffic. The benefits of these projects include the increased track capacity for additional trains, reduced travel times, and improved reliability.
With this latest service increase for San Jose/Silicon Valley and the added trains to and from Sacramento, Capitol Corridor continues to provide a cost effective, environmentally friendly, reliable, and convenient transportation alternative connecting Northern California communities.
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