While Caltrain probably deserves some credit I would say that increased ridership is primarily a function of the rapid growth that the Bay Area is currently fostering. Rents and real estate are skyrocketing, companies are hiring in droves and more & more people are moving here by the boatload. Longer commute trains are a given.


J Mann Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow - this is a success story. This is how a
> railroad should be run. They have demand for
> additional capacity so there is a need for
> additional cars. They found a source of cars that
> can be relatively quickly put in service for what
> seems like a good price. There is nothing that
> says they have to put all the cars in service at
> the same time (except platform length at a couple
> of stations). But they have identified a couple
> of trains that can immediately use an extra car.
> As soon as a new car is ready it can be put in
> service and start repaying for itself. This is
> nice to see. It's not like they would be buying
> the cars with the hope they will be needed in the
> future. They are needed right now!
>
> It goes to show that if you provide a service with
> train frequency often enough then people will use
> it. Caltrain has come a long way from the
> declining ridership and limited service that SP
> had when they turned the operation over to the
> state.
>
> Being a baseball fan I also notice that the
> ridership spikes coincide with baseball season.
> Who would have thought that fans would embrace
> Caltrain to this level as a key transportation
> link to the Giants games.