Ahead of a board budget workshop on Thursday, Caltrain has shared the scenario of what to expect if the regional transit funding measure does not pass.
You can speak up at the Caltrain board meeting to share your thoughts – the meeting starts at 9am, the zoom link is here, and the meeting is at 1250 San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos if you can make it in person.
And you can help! You can volunteer to gather petition signatures for the regional transit funding measure that will prevent these dire cuts by coming to one of many events on the Caltrain corridor and around the Bay.
In line with earlier projections, Caltrain staff believe that they would have to eliminate weekend service, end service after 9pm at night, reduce service during the week to hourly, and close up to a third of stations.
Caltrain’s budget situation has been gradually improving with strong ridership growth since Caltrain launched electric service in September of 2024. Ridership has increased over 50% overall and more than doubled on weekend.
But the agency still faces a $75 million annual budget gap. Cuts would be expected to send ridership downward, and make the budget situation even worse.
The ridership declines would be compounded because BART, Muni and AC Transit face similar budget challenges and cuts if the regional measure doesn’t pass, making trips even harder for people who use more than one agency.
If there is no external funding beyond FY28, there is a risk that Caltrain and BART may have to stop passenger service. Once shut down, it would take minimum of 2-4 years to resume passenger service once funding became available.
The outcome would be crushing traffic on Peninsula Corridor highways. According to the staff report, Caltrain carries about a total of three freeway lanes’ worth of people during peak periods, while US-101 traffic is 93% of pre-pandemic levels at rush hour.
The outcome would be grim for riders who depend on transit. According to Caltrain’s surveys, 51% of riders have no access to a car for their trip, 37% of riders have low incomes and 10% of riders are youth, seniors, or people with disabilities.
So please at the Caltrain board meeting to share your thoughts the zoom link is here. And volunteer to put a measure on the ballot to prevent these cuts by coming to a Connect Bay Area volunteer event on the Caltrain corridor and around the Bay.