MEETING REPORT

CAPITOL CORRIDOR JPA

February 18, 2004

By Russ Jackson

The CCJPA met for its regular meeting this morning (2/18) in Suisun City Hall. Unfortunately, a quorum was not present to enact some items.

However, the positive tone of all of these CCJPA meetings is catching, and makes attending them a very positive experience. Several RailPAC members were in attendance, including myself, Art Lloyd, Bruce Jenkins, Anthony Lee, and Mike Barnbaum.

The FY 2005-06 Business Plan Update was presented by Managing Director, Gene Skoropowski. Without the quorum it could not be adopted, but was discussed in principle by those attending. Highlights include the following:

The present 24 train level will be maintained on the basic system. The Governor's budget has no decreases in operating funds for the state's rail program, but no increases will be allowed. Should Proposition 15 fail, all bets are off, however.
Funding and availability of rolling stock are available to get to 7 roundtrips to San Jose (there are 4 now, 6 on weekends that use the ACE "windows.")
Same for adding 1 roundtrip turn to Roseville, and an additional train to Auburn (see the www.railpac.org home page).

Improvements 2 and 3 above are contingent upon UP track projects, which are scheduled to start soon. What is interesting is the UP is so anxious to have the improvements around Roseville they are negotiating with the State to start construction, with the State agreeing to reimburse the railroad for its share when the funds become available. That work must be done before the railroad agrees to allow the additional Corridor trains to operate east of Sacramento.

The Yolo Causeway double track project is nearing completion at long last, with the cutover taking place the end of this month and full operation to start on March 2. There are plans to take TEN MINUTES out of the running time schedule between Oakland and Sacramento in the April 26 timetable, and it will come from the padding in the present schedule. This long awaited improvement will look better to travelers. The board was shown a video of the UP's track and tie placement equipment in operation on the causeway. One board member noted that her grandfather had arrived in the US from Italy and worked his way across the country doing this kind of work for the railroads, but now machines do the job.

The board approved the principles for the transfer of the Route 22 (San Jose-Santa Cruz) bus service to the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District/Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to provide an improved and cost-effective connection between the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains/buses in San Jose with destinations in Santa Cruz. There is currently one Amtrak Connector bus on the route and it is not meeting the full cost recovery requirement.

A Timeline for the strategic plan for extension of Capitol Corridor trains to Reno was discussed. A capacity modeling will be done with the UP starting April 1. In late July a capital program will begin for completion in December. Since funding is not available, this is all for planning purposes. The Oakland Port Authority will be working with the UP to increase the number of container trains. This group could assist in obtaining new track projects which would also be useful for passenger trains on the Sierra main line.

An overview of the results of the CCJPA's December on-board survey found high acceptance of the service. 75% of the respondents use multi-ride (or monthly) tickets; only 25% are "discretionary" riders. Useage of the BART/Richmond station has increased 30% this year.

The Wi-Fi (wireless internet) pilot program, offering access for riders available in one car have proven so successful it will be expanded to include other providers in the near future and a for-fee service will launch in the Spring. The car's schedule and comment area are available on www.amtrakcapitols.com.

The Berkeley station improvements are under way, with a temporary platform open while the City completes the permanent plan.

For the FY 2003-2004 ridership is off slightly, due partly to the Christmas and New Years holidays being on weekdays. Shopping special promotions helped restore some of the lost daily ridership. On Time Performance for the Year to Date is 85% (many problems with the UP have been ironed out); the Farebox Ratio is 38.8% (the goal is to reach 40% asap), but revenues are up (which allows improving the service without an additional state money commitment). All in all, this is a very successful operation. -RJ


RailPAC Contacts Publications Issues Meeting Reports 2004 Reports 2004-11 Monterey 2004-11 San Joaquin 2004-09 Coast Rail 2004-09-15 Capitol 2004-09 San Joaquin 2004-08 Coast Rail 2004-07 San Joaquin 2004-06 TAMC 2004-04-26 Coast Rail 2004-04-21 Capitol 2004-04-13 LOSSAN 2004-04-13 CAHSRA 2004-03-23 Fresno Station 2004-03-12 San Joaquin 2004-02-18 Capitol 2004-02-02 Monterey 2004-01-09 San Joaquin 2004-01-07 LOSSAN Membership Links	MEETING REPORT CAPITOL CORRIDOR JPA February 18, 2004 By Russ Jackson The CCJPA met for its regular meeting this morning (2/18) in Suisun City Hall. Unfortunately, a quorum was not present to enact some items. However, the positive tone of all of these CCJPA meetings is catching, and makes attending them a very positive experience. Several RailPAC members were in attendance, including myself, Art Lloyd, Bruce Jenkins, Anthony Lee, and Mike Barnbaum. The FY 2005-06 Business Plan Update was presented by Managing Director, Gene Skoropowski. Without the quorum it could not be adopted, but was discussed in principle by those attending. Highlights include the following: The present 24 train level will be maintained on the basic system. The Governor's budget has no decreases in operating funds for the state's rail program, but no increases will be allowed. Should Proposition 15 fail, all bets are off, however. Funding and availability of rolling stock are available to get to 7 roundtrips to San Jose (there are 4 now, 6 on weekends that use the ACE "windows.") Same for adding 1 roundtrip turn to Roseville, and an additional train to Auburn (see the www.railpac.org home page). Improvements 2 and 3 above are contingent upon UP track projects, which are scheduled to start soon. What is interesting is the UP is so anxious to have the improvements around Roseville they are negotiating with the State to start construction, with the State agreeing to reimburse the railroad for its share when the funds become available. That work must be done before the railroad agrees to allow the additional Corridor trains to operate east of Sacramento. The Yolo Causeway double track project is nearing completion at long last, with the cutover taking place the end of this month and full operation to start on March 2. There are plans to take TEN MINUTES out of the running time schedule between Oakland and Sacramento in the April 26 timetable, and it will come from the padding in the present schedule. This long awaited improvement will look better to travelers. The board was shown a video of the UP's track and tie placement equipment in operation on the causeway. One board member noted that her grandfather had arrived in the US from Italy and worked his way across the country doing this kind of work for the railroads, but now machines do the job. The board approved the principles for the transfer of the Route 22 (San Jose-Santa Cruz) bus service to the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District/Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to provide an improved and cost-effective connection between the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains/buses in San Jose with destinations in Santa Cruz. There is currently one Amtrak Connector bus on the route and it is not meeting the full cost recovery requirement. A Timeline for the strategic plan for extension of Capitol Corridor trains to Reno was discussed. A capacity modeling will be done with the UP starting April 1. In late July a capital program will begin for completion in December. Since funding is not available, this is all for planning purposes. The Oakland Port Authority will be working with the UP to increase the number of container trains. This group could assist in obtaining new track projects which would also be useful for passenger trains on the Sierra main line. An overview of the results of the CCJPA's December on-board survey found high acceptance of the service. 75% of the respondents use multi-ride (or monthly) tickets; only 25% are "discretionary" riders. Useage of the BART/Richmond station has increased 30% this year. The Wi-Fi (wireless internet) pilot program, offering access for riders available in one car have proven so successful it will be expanded to include other providers in the near future and a for-fee service will launch in the Spring. The car's schedule and comment area are available on www.amtrakcapitols.com. The Berkeley station improvements are under way, with a temporary platform open while the City completes the permanent plan. For the FY 2003-2004 ridership is off slightly, due partly to the Christmas and New Years holidays being on weekdays. Shopping special promotions helped restore some of the lost daily ridership. On Time Performance for the Year to Date is 85% (many problems with the UP have been ironed out); the Farebox Ratio is 38.8% (the goal is to reach 40% asap), but revenues are up (which allows improving the service without an additional state money commitment). All in all, this is a very successful operation. -RJ
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