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Capitol Corridor Breaks 12-Month Ridership Threshold
Annual Ridership Soars to Over 1.5 Million Passengers
OAKLAND, CALIF., March 17, 2008 -- The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) has announced the highest annual ridership in the history of the Capitol Corridor service. "The February statistics from Amtrak show that our 12-month ridership total hit 1,523,630 passengers last month," said CCJPA Managing Director Eugene Skoropowski. "This ridership beat our previous threshold that we broke in January when 1,503,210 riders boarded our trains."
Capitol Corridor is only five months into its fiscal year and already it is demonstrating a continuing trend of improvement in four critical categories. "Ridership increased 14% this year, but surpassing 1.5 million riders is not the only statistic to boast about," said CCJPA Chair Forrest Williams. "Capitol Corridor revenue is up 20% and our on-time performance reached 86%. The very best news is that our revenue-to-cost ratio for this period is 52%, a cost benefit all transit systems strive to achieve. This is the best report we've ever had, for riders, for revenue, and for fare box recovery," Williams added.
Capitol Corridor officials attribute the rise in revenue to increased ridership as more passengers are paying for longer trips and full-fare tickets. "When it comes to transportation choices, more and more drivers are picking by their pocketbook," said Skoropowksi. "On an annual basis, we have 200,000 more riders than we did in 2007. Riders are lured to our trains by rising gas prices, our improved on-time performance, train frequency, exceptional customer service, stress-free ride and affordable fares," Skoropowski added.
TEMPORARY SERVICE MODIFICATION
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 & SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2008
On the weekend of March 29-30, 2008, Capitol Corridor will run a modified train schedule and provide bus-bridges for 10 weekend trains, whose train schedules will be altered. Capitol Corridor is putting these service alterations in place during this period in order to give Union Pacific construction workers time to do necessary track work.
On those days, Union Pacific will be upgrading and replacing track inside the Oleum Tunnel between Richmond and Martinez. This is part of a multi-year track upgrade project between Oakland and Sacramento that will keep the railroad in good condition so trains can operate reliably.
SERVICE DETAILS
MODIFIED TRAIN SCHEDULE
From March 29 through March 30, 2008, weekend trains 746 and 749 WILL NOT OPERATE. All other trains will operate; however many will run with adjusted schedules and passengers should expect some delay as trains pass through the work area. You can find the temporary schedule for March 29-30, 2008 posted at Capitol Corridor stations and on the Capitol Corridor website at www.capitolcorridor.org
Capitol Corridor will return to its regular schedule on Monday, March 31, 2008.
MODIFIED MOTORCOACH SERVICE
The track work project will impact motorcoach service as follows:
Route 99:
- No connection service between Emeryville to/from San Francisco for trains 746 and 749.
- Westbound connections from Emeryville to San Francisco may arrive later than times shown.
Route 3:
- Motorcoach connections from train 728 & 734 will depart later than normal schedule due to altered train times.
All other motorcoach/train connections will operate according to the temporary schedule. For more information, call 877-9-RIDECC (877-974-3322).
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