1 Letter from Executive Director

2 Modernization

3 Commitment to Safety

4 Ridership

5 Electronic Communications

6 Financials

7 Board Members

Sometimes it seems that Caltrain has a split personality. The rail service is enjoying unprecedented success, with record-breaking ridership and revenues. However, even as revenues continue to grow and Caltrain looks to expand, the railroad faces an ongoing structural deficit that could threaten service in Fiscal Year 2015.

Taking a look at the numbers can help explain this contradiction.

The numbers on ridership are impressive: more people are riding Caltrain than ever before. Caltrain riders have discovered the benefits of taking the train, from the positive impact on the environment, to saving money and making the most of their time. To help accommodate the explosion in ridership growth, we are exploring the possibility of adding equipment.

At the same time, the financial numbers reflect the complexity of funding Caltrain. The additional revenue from ridership does not cover the cost of operating the service. Caltrain must bridge the gap between operating costs and revenue collected from passenger fares. As a transit agency operating without a dedicated funding source, Caltrain struggles every year to balance its budget.

Despite this challenge, we have not stopped planning for the future. After years of preparation and considerable financial investments in infrastructure improvements, Caltrain is poised to transform its service for a new generation of riders.

The Caltrain Modernization Program will be the most substantial change to Peninsula rail service since 1863 when the first passenger boarded the train. Scheduled to begin operation in 2019, modernization includes electrification of the rail system, installation of new signal systems and all-new electrical rail cars and locomotives. This sweeping reinvention of the railroad will affirm Caltrain’s pivotal role as a key mode of public transportation in the region. It will bring more service to more people at more stations, reduce the train’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent, cut the subsidy required to operate the train and take more cars off the region’s roads.

The Modernization Program is moving forward as a result of many months of work between Caltrain and the community to identify and address major areas of concern. The program has gained the widespread support of federal, state and local elected officials, business and civic organizations, labor organizations, environmental groups and transit advocates.

Our commitment to a modern, financially stable Caltrain which improves service for our riders is our number one goal. We are pursuing that goal with single-minded, unwavering determination.

Michael J. Scanlon

Letter from Executive Director

“Caltrain is poised to

transform its service

for a new generation of riders.”

The Caltrain Modernization Program will upgrade the corridor and improve service by converting the system to electric power. In addition to the installation of electric infrastructure, the project also includes an advanced signal system that will provide critical operating benefits, implement Positive Train Control and bring a fleet of new electric trains known as Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) that offer maximum service flexibility. When all these changes are in place, Caltrain will be able to offer more service, more frequently to more people in more places.

Design work on the advanced signal system is underway. The system, which includes Positive Train Control, is expected to be in operation by the federally-mandated deadline of 2015. Installation will begin this fall. The Electrification Environmental Impact Report will be finalized over the next year. Electrified service is expected to be in operation by 2019.

power facilities

trains per hour during the peak

miles of electric service, from San Francisco to San Jose

miles per hour, maximum speed

fewer greenhouse gas emissions

billion: project cost

Caltrain Modernization Program

b y t h e n u m b e r s 1

10 12 51 79 90 1.5

%

Before anything else – before a single train is put into service, a single customer boards a train, a single stop is made – safety comes first at Caltrain. It’s not just a principle, it’s a culture. Caltrain addresses safety on three fronts: engineering, education and enforcement. Engineering focuses on upgrades to the railroad that make it safer for people living and working nearby. These improvements include such things as new pedestrian gates at crossings and grade separation projects that “separate” vehicles and pedestrians from the train tracks. The San Bruno Grade Separation Project, a $155 million project that will elevate the train tracks above three streets in San Bruno, is the latest such project.Scheduled for completion by Spring 2014, the project includes a new train station on the elevated platform and three pedestrian underpasses.

Caltrain takes an active role in educating the public about safe behavior around railroad tracks. As a member of Operation Lifesaver, an international organization pro-moting rail safety, Caltrain gives rail safety presentations to students, community groups, police and firefighters, elected officials and civic leaders. To schedule a rail safety presentation call 650.508.7927. Caltrain is an active partner in community mental health efforts, part of a coalition that continues to work to reduce suicides, to lift the stigma of seeking help for emotional issues and to deliver the fundamental message: There is help and there is hope. Caltrain’s Transit Police represent the enforcement component of Caltrain’s rail safety program. The Transit Police Bureau, comprised of San Mateo County Sheriff’s officers, is responsible for policing Caltrain property, including stations, parking lots and railroad right of way. To report an incident or suspicious activity along the Caltrain rail line, call the Transit Police at 1.877.SAF.RAIL (1.877.723.7245).

Commitment to Safety

crisis interventions with emergency commitments

grade crossings improved

arrests

citations (including trespassing)

people attended safety presentations

feet of fencing installed to help keep people off the train tracks

b y t h e n u m b e r s 2

2933

118438500

16000

Ridership

Caltrain’s ridership is at an all-time high. In July 2013, Caltrain’s average weekday ridership was 54,989, which is an increase of 13 percent over July 2012. July was the third month in a row that Caltrain ridership set an all-time record high. Since 1997, ridership has nearly doubled. Unlike systems in other parts of the country, Caltrain’s commute is almost evenly balanced with as many people commuting south to Silicon Valley as commute north to San Francisco. Some trains are reaching capacity during peak commute hours, with the highest demand for space on the fastest trains. Last year, Caltrain restored some midday trains that had been previously cut due to budget constraints and added two trains on the edges of the commute hours. Since their addition these trains, as well as the schedule-adjacent trains, show an 18.5 percent increase in ridership.

At the same time, stops were added to some peak commute-hour trains. These trains are serving 22.5 percent more riders on an average weekday. Caltrain probably carries more bikes than any transit system in the country. A program to ensure that every train has two bike cars was completed in 2011. Average weekday bike ridership increased nearly 16 percent in the last year. While two of the five cars on the train are designated to carry bikes, the most popular trains often fill to capacity in the first few station stops. Caltrain is looking at bicycle-sharing and wayside bicycle storage options as an answer to this challenging issue.

more riders than last year 3

increase in weekend ridership4

miles, length of average trip4

trains every weekday

riders on northbound train #3294

riders on southbound train #3764

average weekday ridership3

b y t h e n u m b e r s 3

1320

22.892

854912

54989

%

%

Real Time Caltrain recently completed a system that posts train arrival times on the visual message signs on station platforms. The system also makes automatic announcements over the public address system. The system delivers messages up to an hour before the train is due to arrive at the station. The signs are capable of showing arrival times for two trains. The message includes the train number, the scheduled arrival time of the train and if the train is on time or running late. Real-time information also is posted on the Caltrain website. People can sign up for free email alerts and SMS text messages to mobile devices. The same information is available through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s 511 transportation information system.

Social Media The widespread use of social media has changed the way transit riders receive information. Transit riders today use a variety of social platforms, from Twitter to Tumblr to receive service updates and transit information. While social media is an important means for Caltrain to get information out to customers and the public, it also is a significant tool for broadening public engagement through online conversations. Caltrain riders, many of whom live and work in the Silicon Valley, have embraced (if not invented) social media. When Caltrain stepped up its efforts to increase its social media presence this year, the public responded. In May, Caltrain experienced huge increases in social media engagement with Twitter followers increasing by more than 1,000 and huge upticks in public engagement with the content the agency is producing.

Electronic Communications

Facebook Fans

Google+ Plus Ones

Instagram photo likes

LinkedIn average monthly update impressions

Foursquare average monthly check-ins

Pinterest Pins

Quora Views

Twitter Followers

Tumblr Followers

b y t h e n u m b e r s

Social Media Activity5

1700500714

23409366

1408400

1100024

Find us on social: www.facebook.com/Caltrain

Twitter: @Caltrain_News/@GoCaltrain

www.GoCaltrain.tumblr.com

www.youtube.com/CaltrainSMCTD

Instagram: @Caltrain_News

Or check-in with Caltrain on FourSquare!

Operating Budget6 Expenses (millions)Operator services $64.7Fuel 17.8Administration 16.5Other expenses 8.9Insurance 5.5Shuttles 4.8Maintenance 1.8 Total $120.0

Revenue (millions)Fares $66.1Grants and other income 31.3Member contributions 17.2Parking 3.7Shuttles 1.7 Total $120.0

Fiscal Year 2014 Budget

Capital Budget (millions)7

Expenses (millions)Legal mandates $118.0Communications 46.4Caltrain Modernization 13.3Operational Improvements/ 4.4EnhancementsStations 3.6Equipment 2.2Program support and contingency 2.0Planning/studies 0.7 Total $190.6

Revenues (millions)State and regional grants $79.8Federal grants 58.9Other 31.2Member contribution 11.4County match 9.3 Total $190.6

Administrative Office

1250 San Carlos Ave.

P.O. Box 3006

San Carlos, CA 94070-1306

650-508-6200

www.caltrain.com

Æ

1 Caltrain Electrification Environmental Assessment/Final Environmental Impact Report (2009)

2 Caltrain Monthly Safety and Security Report, 2012 calendar year

3 Caltrain Ridership for July 2013 from the Caltrain Board Agenda, Sept. 5, 2013

4 2013 Annual Passenger Counts5 Internal data, calendar year 20136 Fiscal Year 2014 Operating Budget7 Fiscal Year 2014 Capital Budget

Caltrain Board

Ken Yeager, Chair Member, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

Tom Nolan, Vice Chair Chair, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors

Jose Cisneros Treasurer, City and County of San Francisco

Malia Cohen Member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Jerry Deal Member, Burlingame City Council

Ash Kalra Member, San Jose City Council

Arthur Lloyd Transit Expert, San Mateo County

Adrienne Tissier Member, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

Perry Woodward Mayor Pro Tempore, Gilroy City Council

Michael J. Scanlon Executive Director