Capitol Corridor News – October 13, 2010
In this Issue:
1. Service Advisory- Track work October 18-29, 2010 This project has been canceled. See below for details
2. 1st Annual Bay Area Craft Beer Festival in Martinez
3. Fare increase coming November 9, 2010
4. Riders Laud Capitol Corridor’s “E-Updates” program
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1.CANCELLATION: Service Advisory- Track work October 18-29, 2010
Please note that the track work project previously announced for Oct 18-29 has been CANCELLED. Trains and buses will operate according to the published schedule (dated May 10, 2010). Union Pacific and the City of Oakland do not have an alternate start date planned at this time.
 Track work will occur on the following dates: Monday, October 18th – Friday, October 22nd AND  Monday, October 25th – Friday, October 29th, 2010. We do not anticipate weekend service being affected.
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During this track work project, the following Capitol Corridor trains WILL NOT STOP at the Oakland Jack London or Oakland Coliseum stations:
Capitol Corridor Westbound Trains: 529, 531, 533, 541 and 545
Capitol Corridor Eastbound Trains: 530, 534, 536 and 540
All other trains will operate as scheduled to Oakland Jack London and Oakland Coliseum stations, including those trains traveling to and from San Jose.
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Please visit capitolcorridor.org for more information.
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2. 1st Annual Bay Area Craft Beer Festival in Martinez
Take Capitol Corridor to the 1st Annual Bay Area Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at the historic cannery district at the Martinez Waterfront. Partake of more than 30+ top microbreweries west of the Mississippi and rockin’ live music including The Unauthorized Rolling Stones, Cover2Cover & Garageland Rodeo. Advance online ticketing is strongly encouraged as this event is sure to sell out. VIP Access tickets are available for $50, providing exclusive early access to beer tasting from 12:00pm – 1:00pm (advance sale only). Advance General Admission tickets are $35 with a limited number available at the door for $45. Admission includes commemorative glass, unlimited tasting & entertainment. Free shuttles available to and from North Concord BART; and event conveniently located at the Martinez Amtrak station. Event is rain or shine; inside accommodations in the event of rain. Visit www.BayAreaCraftBeerFestival.com.
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3. Two Percent Fare Increase Effective November 9, 2010
Capitol Corridor will implement a modest, two percent fare increase effective November 9, 2010. In order to meet Capitol Corridor’s revenue projections for this fiscal year, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) Board of Directors approved two incremental fare increases scheduled for Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 as part of adopting the Fiscal Year 2011 business plan. These fare adjustments will offset rising fuel prices and wage increases for Amtrak staff, which are based on their labor agreements.
“While we are aware of the challenging economic conditions we are all facing, these modest fare increases will maintain current service levels and keep train performance and customer service at the superior levels that you, our customers, have become accustomed to,†CCJPA Managing Director David Kutrosky said. “We thank you for your understanding and we continue to value your loyalty to our service.â€
The new fares, which be effective on November 9th, are posted on our website at capitolcorridor.org.Â
4. Riders Laud Capitol Corridor’s “E-Updates” program
In July, the Capitol Corridor upgraded its E-Updates option by teaming up with GovDelivery to provide subscription-based email and SMS updates. E-Updates deliver important Capitol Corridor news directly to your computer or wireless device. Â
After a 30-day pilot program, Capitol Corridor surveyed passengers who signed up for the service and found many users find E-Updates useful. A glimpse of the survey shows:
– 85 percent checked that they were “very satisfied†or “satisfied†with the E-Update feature.
– 78 percent of those surveyed found signing up for the service to be easy.
– 44 percent of those surveyed prefer to receive train-specific information.
– 35 percent would rather know what’s going on along the entire route.
View the survey results at: https://www.capitolcorridor.org/included/docs/survey_summaries/E-updates_SurveySummary.pdf