Phases of the eTicketing Program
Initially, this pilot program will only issue “eTickets” for one-way and roundtrip travel on the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains.  California Thruway Buses will join this pilot over the summer and passengers will continue to receive a conventional paper value ticket if they have purchased a Multi-Ride Ticket (such as a monthly or 10-ride ticket).
During the field pilot in California, only the Capitol Corridor and Amtrak California San Joaquin trains will begin using the new eTicketing system.  Connecting California Thruway Buses will follow suit with the first few bus routes becoming eTicket-ready in early summer.  Amtrak expects to convert the entire California Thruway bus system to eTicketing gradually, with the transition complete by late summer.

Since my announcement and the subsequent feedback, the CCJPA Board of Directors at its February 15, 2012 meeting adopted some Principles that will help guide the development of the CCJPA Bicycle Access Policy (download link included below).   Using these Principles, the CCJPA team has been busy revising and updating some aspects and elements of bicycle access to and storage of bikes on Capitol Corridor trains.  Therefore, based on all of the helpful comments and observations, I would like to take the time to update everyone regarding some of the developments.

Solutions are a Collaborative Effort

The CCJPA views the solutions to the bicycle storage issue as a collaborative effort.  We will strive to be creative as our resources will allow (rail equipment, regulatory safety compliance and funding).  Just as importantly, we will need the help of our bicycle using riders as well.  It’s apparent to CCJPA, Amtrak staff and frequent riders that our soaring ridership and the corresponding growth in bike access in just a few years has presented us all a challenge.  The increased use of bicycles in conjunction with ridership growth has strained our capacity to safely accommodate so many bicycles. Safety, in this instance, is not a subjective concept; safety is the CCJPA’s top priority and it is regulated on intercity passenger trains by federal law.

In order to maintain compliance of federal safety standards, we conducted a survey of bicycle usage on the Capitol Corridor in January/February 2011 and established a Bicycle Policy Working Group comprised of CCJPA, Amtrak, Caltrans Division of Rail and three Capitol Corridor riders (two who use bicycles and one who uses wheelchair). The Bicycle Policy Working Group met several times and worked towards evaluating solutions to this dilemma.

In addition, those who learned of our impending policy change have suggested several steps we could take to better prepare our riders, our conductors, and the service overall.  The comments and suggestions from you to the CCJPA Board of Directors and staff have been thorough and very helpful.  We have examined these concepts and are postponing the official launch of the policy for several months in order to raise awareness among the riders and allow more time for conductor training in preparation for eventual implementation. This will also provide us more time to hopefully be closer to bringing more solutions to bear when implementation arrives.

Some Measures Will Take Time

Rest assured we are working in every creative way to permit travel with a bicycle on the train or stored at a station to be as safely feasible for all involved.  If we can’t implement a concept or an idea, it is because we don’t have the ability to modify existing cars, get more rail car equipment with mass bicycle storage on the train, or get secure bicycle parking solutions at stations ready in the immediate future. We do have plans to implement some improvements which will take time and resources that are not available now.  We truly appreciate your cooperation, patience and understanding and above all, the individual effort you can make with the conductors, with your own travel with a bicycle, and amongst other bicycle-carrying customers also using the train.

Soon you will find more details of all things related to bikes on our trains here:

http://www.capitolcorridor.org/on_board/bikes_on_board.php and http://www.capitolcorridor.org/on_board/bikes_background.php).

These web pages will be refreshed with bike-related news so Capitol Corridor customers to may stay apprised of all aspects of our Bikes on Board program. The first web page will discuss the policy itself and the second will describe the background and measures the CCJPA, Amtrak and Caltrans Rail Division have taken, are working on, as well as steps passengers may take to help.

Doing Our Part

Things we have done so far include:

· Introduced more bicycle storage on most Capitol Corridor trains by shifting around the car types shared between the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services.

· Received information that we have programmed funding (expected to arrive in late 2012 through late 2014) to add secure bicycle parking storage at stations.

· Begun an education period (1) for conductors to gain more consistency and attention to the parking and storage of bicycles on the train, and (2) for customers bringing their bicycles on the trains so that the conductors and travelling public know what to expect in terms of eventual policy application. In this time conductors will hang tags on bicycles (or luggage) that is not stored in a way that is compliant with the future policy.

Thank you once again for providing your comments.  We are committed to accommodating all users of Capitol Corridor trains.  During our upcoming  phase of the program, we will do our best to accommodate our riders who wish to bring their bikes on board, while adhering to federal safety standards.

CCJPA Board Principles for Bicycle Access Policy 02152012

Dear Capitol Corridor riders,

I truly apologize for the delays that were experienced by Capitol Corridor riders Friday evening.  These delays were extensive; in fact, some of the worst in the history of the Capitol Corridor.

At about 4:30pm Friday afternoon, Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) had a major signal outage that stopped all train traffic between Martinez and Suisun. To compound this delay, the timing and location could not have been worse – a Friday evening prior to a three-day weekend along the busiest stretch of Capitol Corridor’s route.

I could elaborate on the technical and communication problems, but that is not the purpose of this message.

This is an apology.

I want all the Capitol Corridor riders that were inconvenienced to know that the CCJPA will be working with Amtrak and UPRR to learn our lessons from this signal outage and its cascading impacts to the passenger and freight trains. We will be working together to establish processes and protocols to ensure that similar outages are either prevented or resolved in a much more expeditious manner.

We did not deliver top quality service to our passengers this evening, but we (CCJPA, Amtrak, UPRR) will make sure that we do everything in our means to recover from this evening’s poor performance and return to our top form.

David Kutrosky,

Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

CCJPA’s Bike Storage Educational Period Begins February 1

You may have heard or read public comments about the Capitol Corridor’s Joint Powers Authority’s (CCJPA) new on board bike storage policy. I want to clarify that on February 1, 2012 we will start our “get acquainted period” to help educate riders who bring bikes on board the importance of proper bike storage. We will begin implementing the new policy several months afterwards in order to give riders time to prepare and acclimate to proper bike storage practices that allow for adequate access and safety.

This policy change is an issue we have been wrestling with as a result of our growing ridership and the corresponding increase in bike usage over the past few years. Quite simply put, the increased use of bicycles in correlation with more riders has outpaced our capacity to safely accommodate so many bikes on board the trains. The CCJPA’s top priority is safety, and in this instance it is not just a viewpoint; it is mandated by compliance with basic operations regulated by federal law and enforced by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

During this educational period, for safety reasons and to acquaint bike riders with the upcoming policy, conductors may “tag” those bikes that aren’t properly secured or stowed in such a way that prevents accessing the aisle ways. We’re giving cyclists several months to learn about how to properly stow their bikes in accordance with the upcoming policy.

Upcoming Bike Policy

Several months from now, when the Capitol Corridor’s new bike policy is in place, passengers who board trains with bikes will be required to:

• Secure bicycles to prevent the sudden or uncontrolled movement of bikes in the event of a sudden train stop; and
• Store bicycles so that all passengers (including those in wheelchairs) can safely navigate the train aisle-ways.

Why the Change?

For the past four years we have seen bike ridership surge. More and more riders are bringing bikes on board; however, bicycle storage demand has outpaced our available space and compromised our ability to stay in compliance with FRA regulations. This means that we must implement solutions aimed to keep bikes secured on our trains, while allowing passengers (especially riders who use wheelchairs) to safely navigate through the train.

We’re looking at other solutions to increase bike storage, including working with Caltrans on possible car modifications; however, like buying new rail cars, train car modifications take time. In the meantime, we are obligated to address a very important issue: with more people on the trains, there is an increased demand for bike storage.

We urge bike riders to help us make our trains safe for all passengers. Conductors are our partners in this goal and will soon be trained to manage bike storage on the trains, refer passengers to our website for an explanation of the new bike policy and help identify safe bike storage solutions. On this page you’ll learn details of the reasons for the policy, what we’ve done to address the issue and ways you can help. For example, you may want to consider switching to a folding bike, an option that many transit systems encourage as folding bikes use less storage space.

Again, our goal is to make travel on the Capitol Corridor a safe, positive experience for all.

Stellar Performances

This year, Northern California travelers have truly made the Capitol Corridor one of the most popular intercity passenger rail services in the nation. The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority’s (CCJPA) year-end Federal Fiscal Year 2011 (FFY2011) results shattered ridership and revenue thresholds set in previous federal fiscal years. The 1.74 million passengers who rode Capitol Corridor from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011, resulted in revenue of $27.2 million and for the second year in a row, it leads the nation in On-Time Performance (OTP). Capitol Corridor’s results for all three performance measures showed a steady upward trend this fiscal year—with some months showing double-digit increases—demonstrating  that travelers who try trains, stay on trains.

I attribute several elements to the Capitol Corridor’s popularity: its consistently high on-time performance (OTP); Union Pacific Railroad’s™ stellar dispatching; Amtrak’s™ commitment to improving mechanical performance; our successful marketing promotions and the CCJPA’s customer -focused business model.

Public Support

Besides our popularity with travelers, public support came via state and federal dollars.

The CCJPA received welcome news from federal officials in May when the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) announced it awarded California’s intercity passenger rail services $68 million to procure 15 new, state-of-the-art train cars and four cleaner-running locomotives. The new cars will be distributed between California’s passenger rail services in the north (Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin) and in the south (Pacific Surfliner). I’m expecting the additional train cars will be on our tracks in three to four years.  We need these additional rail cars to accommodate the steadily growing ridership not just on the Capitol Corridor, but on all three intercity passenger rail services. Each month we see thousands of more riders on our trains and we need to meet passenger capacity needs.

Another federal entity, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), came through for us in September when it obligated $4.8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for the Yolo Causeway West Crossover Project, which is to be located between the Sacramento and Davis stations.  The crossover benefits you, our customer, as it will maintain and improve the reliability of the Capitol Corridor trains by minimizing train congestion delays along this heavily utilized section of track between these two busy stations.  Construction is expected to begin in spring 2012 and be complete by fall 2012.

The CCJPA received great news from state entities when in February the California Transportation Commission approved our request to use $3.75 million in savings from an infrastructure project in Emeryville towards installing Wi-Fi technology instead. The CCJPA joined Amtrak and the other California intercity passenger rail services to launch free wireless service on Cyber Monday, November 28. Free Wi-Fi is our holiday gift to loyal train passengers who have wanted this service for some time. Our customers can now make their travel mode choice based on which mode is more productive or entertaining; soon making Capitol Corridor trains the preferred means of interregional travel.

Also in November the CCJPA Board learned that the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) provided the CCJPA a $320,000 Carl Moyer Fund award to purchase standby power units to run locomotives as they layover at Capitol Corridor/Amtrak Sacramento Valley Station. This award will provide an additional four cleaner power units bringing the total to eight. These added standby units will now be included in the City of Sacramento’s contract with Granite Construction Inc. as part of Sacramento’s track relocation project. Standby units use electricity to power equipment, therefore trains won’t need to burn fossil fuel when stationed for extended periods of time. Instead of idling and emitting harmful diesel emissions as crews clean and maintain the rail cars, passenger trains stopping at the remodeled Sacramento Valley Station next year will be powered by cleaner, quieter standby units. This clean-air grant was the product of a partnership between the City, CCJPA and the SMAQMD.

The environmental benefits to this air pollution reduction measure are significant. Operating eight units will help prevent over 330 tons of greenhouse gases and 2.5 tons of harmful air pollutants from entering our atmosphere each year. Not only will this partnership help the region attain federal air quality standards, we will prevent tons of climate change emissions and will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel costs as well. Once these units are up and running we expect to save about 303,000 gallons of fuel each year.

2011 Golden STAR Award Bestowed to the “Father” of the Capitol Corridor

I saved the best 2011 milestone for last. We had a Golden Star in our platinum year when the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), Amtrak and Caltrans bestowed California’s 2011 Golden STAR (State Advocate of Rail) award to Solano Supervisor James P. Spering as scores of train fans flocked to the fourth annual National Train Day celebration in Martinez.

The three rail entities unanimously selected Solano County Supervisor and long-time CCJPA Board member James P. Spering for the 2011 Golden STAR award.  Supervisor Spering has been instrumental in implementing the vision to make this service what it is today and was selected not only for his tenacity and foresight to establish intercity passenger rail in Northern California but for his years of experience and direction in developing comprehensive transportation system in Northern California. His guidance has led to tremendous improvements to the Capitol Corridor.

Happy Holidays

Yes, this has been a milestone year with memorable activities but we know we owe much of our success to our loyal and new riders, as well as the commitment of our service partners:  UPRR and Amtrak. I wish you a safe and joyful holiday season and look forward to continuous improvements to the Capitol Corridor in the next year.

Well, we did it.

By “we” I mean Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), Caltrans Division of Rail and Amtrak—and by “it” I mean free wireless service.

Starting today, Cyber Monday 2011, riders on California’s three popular intercity passenger trains can stay connected no matter which route you take in the state. We picked today to announce this exciting news to tie in with the busiest Internet holiday shopping day of the year, allowing passengers onboard to shop online.  That’s something you certainly can’t do while driving!

Using any laptop computer or Wi-Fi enabled device, passengers traveling on the Capitol Corridor (Auburn-Sacramento-Emeryville/SF-Oakland-San Jose), San Joaquin (Sacramento-Oakland-Bakersfield), and Pacific Surfliner (San Diego- LA-Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo) trains now can connect to the Internet through AmtrakConnect SM  for general Web surfing and using e-mail. Passengers also can use the Wi-Fi service to access corporate networks through most standard Virtual Private Networks (VPN), turning train trips into productive work time. Today, when I rode Train 525 I noticed most of the passengers who accessed our Wi-Fi service were getting an early start to their work day by sorting through their emails before they hit the office.

Once again, the CCJPA used its customer-focused business model to implement this project. We listened to our riders who made it clear that Wi-Fi on trains was their number one request and we made it our top customer service priority to follow though.

Not only will you be entertained, connected and productive while you ride, many will save up to $700 a year in “air card” costs as well!

Gearing up for Thanksgiving Travel

Speaking of popularity, last year’s Thanksgiving travelers who chose trains over driving helped to make that holiday weekend the busiest in Capitol Corridor’s service history. Fortunately, we had the foresight to be prepared by adding 5,700 seats on the Capitol Corridor, a 14% increase in seating availability. Plans are in the works to accommodate this year’s Thanksgiving passengers as well!

If you’re traveling by train this holiday season, here are a few travel tips:

•  Avoid the Rush: Busiest travel days are the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Purchase tickets (especially for round trip travel) early online at capitolcorridor.org, Quik-Trak ticket vending kiosks or ticket windows at staffed stations.  Allow plenty of time at stations prior to departure – at least 45 minutes before if tickets need to be picked up.  If your trip includes a bus connection, please book in advance to ensure yourself a seat. Print out your ticket confirmation and bring it with you aboard the bus.

• Know the Limits: Note the limit of two carry-on bags per person (excluding laptops, purses, briefcases and infant paraphernalia), and be sure all luggage is tagged with your name and address.  Each bag must weigh less than 50 lbs.

• Carry Photo ID: Passengers are required to show valid, government-issued photo identification when purchasing tickets and to ride Capitol Corridor trains and connecting buses.

Gentle Reminder about Travel Etiquette

With so many new passengers on board, I need to gently remind riders about public transit etiquette. Please refrain from having loud mobile phone conversations or music players when you ride. I also ask that you help make everyone’s Capitol Corridor experience a positive one by storing your stuff in the overhead bin instead of the seat next to you; keeping your feet on the floor instead of the seats; and please use the trash and recycle receptacles for your litter.

We know that public transit is a travel option.  We are grateful to the over 1.7 million passengers who chose to ride instead of drive. Stay tuned to this site for the big announcement of our latest customer service enhancement—our way of saying “Thanks” for riding our trains!

To convince federal legislators to support passenger rail, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) let Congress know that our IPR service strongly opposes the House of Representatives’ proposed THUD Appropriations Act because it includes a provision that eliminates Amtrak’s ability to use federal funds to support the operation of state-supported IPR trains. Such a drastic change to federal policy is short-sighted and would force cuts and eliminate critical Amtrak resources to support popular state IPR trains (like the Capitol Corridor) at a time when those routes are experiencing historic ridership levels.

States have invested millions of dollars to make these IPR routes, which have resulted in these state routes carrying half of Amtrak’s 30 million riders a year. But the House THUD proposal would eliminate Amtrak funding support for state IPR routes effective immediately in FY2012.  Of the twenty-seven (27) state IPR routes in the nation, eleven (11) are either partially state-funded or solely Amtrak-funded and could not under such short notice absorb the burden of the full operating cost of IPR service on such short notice.

What You Can Do
As a voting member of the public, we ask that you contact your Congressional leader or Senator to let them know what you think of IPR services in our country—but do it soon as the deadline for public input is October 21, 2011.

As CCJPA’s Managing Director, I’ve been closely involved with other IPR managers to develop strategies to move states towards funding their own IPR costs. The answer is in Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. It’s a mouthful, but worth reading about.

Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008
The House provision undermines the current efforts by Amtrak and states to implement a policy that will increase state participation and financial contribution to the Amtrak system, significantly reducing federal financial support of state IPR corridor train operations. Amtrak, working in partnership with the states, has developed a standard methodology to allocate, in a fair and equitable manner, the direct operating costs of IPR routes that are to be supported by states.  This methodology is found in Section 209 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) (P.L. 110-432, Division B).

The Section 209 policy has been approved by the Amtrak Board of Directors and was released to the affected IPR states for concurrence with an implementation date of October 16, 2013 (FY2014). This two-year transitional period is necessary, particularly for those states that have not funded the operation of their routes in the past. Under the current proposal in the House FY2012 THUD Appropriations Act, the immediate shift of IPR costs to deficit-ridden states will force the reduction or outright elimination of these popular state IPR services, leaving millions of citizens without an affordable intercity travel option.

As the House and Senate works on reconciling the final THUD spending bill for FY2012, the CCJPA respectfully requested that this committee reject the House provision and allow the states and Amtrak to move forward with the Section 209 policy so that states can begin to fund Amtrak costs directly associated with the operation of the their IPR routes in a timely manner. The CCJPA also requested that our federal leaders appropriate funding to Amtrak that will allow it to provide critical core services and facilities to support the operation of the national IPR network.  Thirty million passengers a year clearly demonstrate that Americans want IPR as a transportation option.

How CCJPA Fits in the Funding Puzzle
As background, the CCJPA currently pays all the operating support for the Capitol Corridor service, however, the implementation of Section 209 will stabilize (and perhaps reduce) the CCJPA operating costs as more states participate in the funding of Amtrak-operated IPR corridor trains. Some state IPR corridors are in a less fortunate situation because Amtrak provides direct funding support to 11 out of 27 state IPRs in the nation. Our main concern is that funding cuts or limiting language to Amtrak could have implications in Amtrak’s indirect support for Capitol Corridor service such as ticketing channels, training and supervisory and management level staffing.

Again, if you want your voice heard about this very important public transportation issue, please contact your Congressional leader or Senator before October 21, 2011.

September 2011 commemorates the third Rail Safety Month in California, which was initiated by Senator Carol Liu (D-Glendale).  Rail Safety Month provides the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority the opportunity to team up with both public and private partners to help build public awareness about rail safety along our corridor.  I want to point out that since Senator Liu’s first Rail Safety Month resolution in 2009, incidents involving Capitol Corridor trains have declined steadily thanks to the efforts of our service partners – Union Pacific Railroad, Amtrak, and the Caltrans Division of Rail.

For me, this year’s graphic is the strongest one we’ve used so far as it illustrates how death by train is a tragedy that affects us all.  The collection of  217 handprints the Caltrans Division of Rail gathered this summer forms one large handprint.  It’s a powerful symbol that shows a trespasser incident not only strikes down the victim, it’s a horrible event that touches us all.  Such accidents also hurts the victim’s surviving loved ones and harms the psyche of the train engineer, conductors, passengers and the first responders who must deal with the tragic memory.

The 10,500 trains we run annually necessitates our efforts to promote rail safety 365 days a year. To that end, our service has reinvested your tax dollars into multiple safety and security projects throughout out system.  These safety projects include installation of:

• video surveillance equipment at six (6) unstaffed stations along the Corridor
• fencing to discourage trespassers from going on railroad tracks in Richmond and Oakland Jack London Square.

We are working closely with the Union Pacific and cities of Hayward and Suisun to install fencing in those cities this year as well.

As California’s Rail Safety month comes to a close, I wanted to underscore that safety and security is a top priority seven days a week, 52 weeks a year for the Capitol Corridor.  If crossing railroad tracks is part of your daily or weekly routine, please be “track smart.” Trains can’t swerve to avoid people walking, playing or illegally crossing railroad tracks.  Remember: Stay off the tracks, stay alive.

Train wrap

Although I’ve had the privilege to speak at countless venues and in front of a wide spectrum of audiences, I was especially excited to serve as guest lecturer for the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) transportation studies program. For those not familiar with the MTI, it’s a program that offers a Masters and two Certificate programs with curriculum aimed to elevate the education of transportation professionals.

Speaking before MTI students gave me an avenue to express my enthusiasm for public transportation’s upward trend, its current renaissance and the opportunities one may find in this field.

Twenty-four years ago, when I embarked on my career path, the MTI was not yet established.  Instead, my first steps in transportation began as an intern while still an undergrad.  I started on the ground floor, learned all I could and climbed up to my current position on the rungs of the ‘transit planning’ ladder, promoting into jobs of greater responsibility until I was appointed to helm the Capitol Corridor.

As a life-long transportation professional, I can see that this country is truly experiencing a rebirth in transportation.  It’s an exciting time for the industry.  Whether starting from the ground up, or taking the scholastic route, if a career in transportation is your objective, be confident that this industry is filled with opportunities.

Ideology aside, our current leaders see the need to reinvest in transportation, not only to maintain what service exists today, but for future growth, especially here in California—where notwithstanding the current economic challenges—the State will continue to grow.  This means that a career in transportation is a solid choice.  Whether you seek employment in the private or public sector, it’s a path ripe for opportunity.

Remember: Jobs in transportation can’t be outsourced!