Capitol Corridor Ridership Soars

Capitol Corridor Breaks 12-Month Ridership Threshold
Annual Ridership Soars to Over 1.5 Million Passengers
OAKLAND, CALIF., March 17, 2008 — The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) has announced the highest annual ridership in the history of the Capitol Corridor service. “The February statistics from Amtrak show that our 12-month ridership total hit 1,523,630 passengers last month,” said CCJPA Managing Director Eugene Skoropowski. “This ridership beat our previous threshold that we broke in January when 1,503,210 riders boarded our trains.”
Capitol Corridor is only five months into its fiscal year and already it is demonstrating a continuing trend of improvement in four critical categories. “Ridership increased 14% this year, but surpassing 1.5 million riders is not the only statistic to boast about,” said CCJPA Chair Forrest Williams. “Capitol Corridor revenue is up 20% and our on-time performance reached 86%. The very best news is that our revenue-to-cost ratio for this period is 52%, a cost benefit all transit systems strive to achieve. This is the best report we’ve ever had, for riders, for revenue, and for fare box recovery,” Williams added.
Capitol Corridor officials attribute the rise in revenue to increased ridership as more passengers are paying for longer trips and full-fare tickets. “When it comes to transportation choices, more and more drivers are picking by their pocketbook,” said Skoropowksi. “On an annual basis, we have 200,000 more riders than we did in 2007. Riders are lured to our trains by rising gas prices, our improved on-time performance, train frequency, exceptional customer service, stress-free ride and affordable fares,” Skoropowski added.