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Business & Tech

Caltrain Seeks Public's Advice

Caltrain holds local meetings to help solve its $30.3 million deficit and to increase rider count

Fresh with new ideas, Caltrain commuters and supporters went to Mountain View's City Hall on Monday to voice their opinions on the industry’s financial crisis.

Citizens were able to break into small groups and discuss potential short and long-term goals for Caltrain, as well as to gain public support on these ideas.

Caltrain, facing a $30.3 million deficit, is looking into new options in this time of need. The agency has taken steps in the past in an attempt to save money, such as freezing administrative staff salaries in 2008, raising fares twice in the past two years and eliminating eight trains.

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“We are really looking to the leadership groups through recommendations from our stakeholders to help guide us in crafting some long-term sustainable options that will guarantee financial sustainability of the agency," said Seamus Murphy, a Caltrain staff member.

The attendees broke up into smaller groups and collaborated on short-term and long-term goals. Groups focused on getting larger local companies to buy Go Passes for employees as an alternative to driving to work and offering discounts for college and high school students.

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The idea would also extend to families and larger groups traveling together to be a cheaper alternative to carpooling. One suggested that a universal Valley Transportation Authority ticket would be a strong incentive to take public transportation over driving, while one ticket would be able to shuttle commuters from the bus to Caltrain and then to BART.

Caltrain’s next question was how to obtain the support of the public. The overarching idea was to reach out to schools and businesses to encourage employees and students to take the train. A business directory along the Caltrain line is thought to increase the amount of riders over the weekend for general shopping and dining.

“This is truly an important transit system, and as is mentioned a successful transit system. It is important that we work together to find a way to keep it going,” said Margaret Abe-Koga, VTA board chairwoman of Caltrain.

The Caltrain board will host the following meetings regarding potential cuts and goals:

• South Santa Clara County: Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Morgan Hill Community Cultural Center

• San Jose: Monday, 6:30 p.m., MLK Jr. Library, Meeting Room

• Mid Peninsula: Wednesday, April 20, 6 p.m., Redwood City, City Hall, Council Chambers

• Santa Clara: Monday, April 25, 6 p.m., Santa Clara University campus, Locatelli Building, First Floor

• Palo Alto: Tuesday, April 26, 6 p.m., Sheraton Palo Alto, Reception Room

• North Peninsula: Wednesday, April 27, 6 p.m., Burlingame City Hall, Council Chambers

• San Francisco: Wednesday, May 4, 6 p.m., UC San Francisco, Mission Bay Campus, Genentech Auditorium

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