Encourage the Caltrain Board to study regional governance options
Today is the first of four board workshops scheduled throughout 2021 where the Caltrain Board will discuss what governance structure the agency should pursue to best serve riders - and whether Caltrain should consider joining up with other agencies in the region, including BART, within a more unified regional governance structure.
Riders can play an important role in speaking up in support of fully studying regional governance options that support a more seamless, integrated regional system at today’s meeting, scheduled for 1pm.
Riders can to the meeting using the following Zoom link audio/visual capability: https://zoom.us/j/94407610660?pwd=dVFabHZQK2lwVjJ0M0IzbkNRZzc0dz09
(Webinar ID: 944 0761 0660, Passcode: 541457) for or by calling 1-669-900-6833 (enter webinar ID and press # when prompted for participant ID) for audio only. Callers should dial *9 to Raise their Hand during public comment and *6 to accept being unmuted when being called on to speak. Detailed Instructions here.
Caltrain’s adopted business plan has set ambitious goals for the railroad to become a much higher ridership system by upgrading infrastructure to allow for two-way-all-day service, with seamless local and regional connections, and equity and pricing policies to expand access to more populations.
Studies conducted in 2019 for the business plan identified that Caltrain was the highest performance service of its type in the US, but the structure at that time was insufficient for it to be able to deliver on its ambitious business plan.
Elected officials in San Francisco and Santa Clara County have also expressed dissatisfaction with the level of accountability of shared senior management at SamTrans. At that time, Caltrain CEO position was shared, with the same executive also serving as CEO of SamTrans and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Since then, with General Manager Hartnett stepping down, Caltrain now has a CEO who is working exclusively on Caltrain, reporting to the Caltrain board.
Based on research of other world class transit systems, Seamless Bay Area strongly supports studying of governance options that would bring Caltrain into a broader regional rail network, with a governing board that extends beyond the three counties.
The staff presentation identifies three structural governance paths; modifying the current structure, creating a new structure, and pursuing regional options.
It’s important for riders who support a seamless regional system to encourage the Caltrain board to fully study regional options, which could provide tremendous benefits for transit riders and improve accountability to the public for a fully integrated transit system. Regional options listed by staff include a BART-Caltrain merger, which presumably could lead to a 5-county regional transit agency; or having Caltrain be reformed within a new regional rail transit agency covering the full 9-county Bay Area, and incorporating services like Capitol Corridor.
If you support a seamless regional transit system, please consider making a public comment at today’s meeting - we suggest stressing the following points:
Thank the Caltrain Board for studying governance and staff for the thoughtful presentation.
Encourage the board to put riders first in their consideration of options - the recommended option from this process should seek to provide the best possible access and customer experience for riders from all backgrounds.
Express the importance of Caltrain’s connections to other services; tell a personal story of how seamless connections, timed transfers, or fare integration between Caltrain and other services would enable you or someone you know to use Caltrain more often.
Stress the importance of seriously studying regional options through the business plan process, including potential mergers of Caltrain with other regional agencies, to create a clear lead regional rail agency for the whole region that can better serve riders.