Caltrain Rolls Out Two More Bullet Trains Monday, May 2

When:

8:11 a.m., Monday, May 2

Where:

San Francisco Caltrain Station, Fourth and King streets
Caltrain introduces two new Baby Bullet trains, a southbound train departing the San Francisco station at 8:11 a.m. and a northbound train, which will leave the San Jose Diridon station at 3:47 p.m.

Who:

Caltrain staff members will be on board for the 8:11 a.m. train to welcome southbound riders, who will receive a free commemorative coffee mug.

Why:

Since the first 10 Bullet trains were introduced in June 2004, they have proven to be extremely popular. Most of the trains operate at capacity, and the Bullet trains have boosted overall Caltrain ridership by 16 percent. Caltrain is planning to add another eight trains in August, for a total of 96 weekday trains and 22 Bullets.

Adding these two Bullets now will help Caltrain realize some much-needed revenue, as Bullet trains produce more than twice as much revenue as local trains. Many passengers who work at Silicon Valley jobs had asked for a Bullet train later in the morning than is currently offered.

What:

The Baby Bullet trains operate between Caltrain’s San Francisco terminal at Fourth and King streets and San Jose, stopping at Millbrae, Hillsdale (San Mateo), Palo Alto and Mountain View before arriving in San Jose in under an hour. Six of the trains also stop at the 22nd Street station in San Francisco.

The second set of Bullets, which are to be introduced in August, will for the first time extend this premium express train service to a whole new group of stations: San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Sunnyvale and Tamien in San Jose.

5/2/05