Caltrain, which has served the San Francisco Bay area since 1904, is being forced to scale back operations to how they were during a simpler time.
The railroad is on the verge of hitting rock bottom financially, and in response to the crisis announced it will likely wipe out half of its service, including weekend, nighttime and mid-day trains. It costs just over $60 million a year to run the service, with an additional $13.8 million used for fuel and $9.9 million for administration costs.
“This is real,” Caltrain CEO Mike Scanlon told the agency’s board of directors. “We’re at a watershed moment where there is a possibility that this railroad could go away.”
Caltrain’s board needs to cut $30 million from its $97 million budget, and will vote on specific moves after public hearings.
Compounding Caltrain’s operational duress is the recent reaction from stakeholders. The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) is looking to cut its Caltrain contribution by 70% by 2011. SamTrans, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the San Francisco Muni throw in almost $40 million annually for Caltrain operations. All three cut service and raised fares earlier this year, and Scanlon, who also is the CEO of SamTrans, said the agencies are “beyond broke.”
“We are rapidly approaching a cliff,” he said. “It is probably going to force people back on congested freeways. People are not going to be able to get jobs.”
Caltrain broke ground on a massive subway tunnel project back in early February. The $1.6 billion commuter line, which will receive $1 billion in funding from the U.S. DOT, is expected to be operational by 2018. Despite the dire report, there has been no indication that officials plan to stop the project.
