On Monday, April 4, Caltrain
officially launched the addition of a third bike car on all Bombardier-style
train sets at its “Bikes on Bombardiers Event” held at the San Francisco
Caltrain Station. The early morning event featured speeches from bicycle
advocates, an energizer station for cyclists and passengers, and a
ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.
For five years, Caltrain has enjoyed
consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average
weekday riders. Because of Caltrain’s popularity, trains are often
operating at or beyond 100 percent of available capacity.
Capacity is an even bigger issue for
bicyclists due to the limited available space onboard trains for these
riders. To help improve the situation, Caltrain has added a third bike
car to its Bombardier trains, which will increase onboard bike capacity from 48
bikes to 72 bikes. Gallery train sets already accommodate up to 80 onboard
bicycles.
"We are thrilled to see one of
the country’s most bike-friendly transit systems become even more so. A lot of
people in our area use transit to extend the distance that they can bike to
work or play," said Shiloh Ballard, Executive Director of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC),
"According to a survey of our members, 45 percent of respondents would
drive alone to their destination if they could not bring their bike on board.
This increased capacity is a great move to keep people out of their cars and
contribute to regional greenhouse gas reduction goals."
"Transportation options define
our lives. Where we work, where we live, where we shop and where our kids go to
school -- these are all decided in part by the transportation options available
to us," said Janice Li, Advocacy Director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC).
"Caltrain is unique among the world's commuter rail systems because of how
popular biking is among its ridership. The addition of this new bike car shows
Caltrain's continued commitment to increasingly delivering the services that
passengers need to get around."
Caltrain carries more than 7,000
bikes onboard our trains every weekday. Even with the added capacity,
space onboard the trains is limited. In order to sustain and grow the share of
our riders who access Caltrain by bike, the agency has also committed to
expanding and modernizing our bike parking system.
Caltrain recently kicked off a Bike
Parking Management Plan. This Caltrans-funded project will help Caltrain
understand the kinds of bike parking that can best serve customers and
complement the bikes-on-board program.
The study will also guide Caltrain
on how to efficiently deliver and operate bike parking throughout our
system. Caltrain staff is coordinating this effort with partner agencies
and local jurisdictions along the Caltrain corridor, as well as with the SFBC
and SVBC.
In addition, Caltrain has made
recent upgrades to its bike parking facility at the San Francisco Caltrain
Station.
The valet bike parking facility at
the San Francisco Station originally opened in 2007 and in 2013 Bike Hub
assumed operation of the facility. Since that time, Bike Hub has used
funding from San Francisco’s Prop K to nearly double the facility’s capacity
from 120 to 234 bicycles. The sustained success of this parking facility shows
how high-quality bike parking options work hand in hand with Caltrain’s bikes
onboard program to encourage cycling and provide choices to our customers.
In fall 2014, Caltrain purchased 16
used rail cars in response to the growth in demand on the railroad and
significant overcrowding on many of its peak hour trains.
Caltrain recognizes that there is an
urgent need for increased capacity throughout the system and is planning to add
a sixth car to more trains, following the completion of rehabilitation work on
its aging fleet.
To view pictures from today’s “Bikes
on Bombardiers Event,” click HERE.
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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service
from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy.
Caltrain has enjoyed more than four years of consecutive monthly ridership
increases, surpassing more than 60,000 average weekday riders earlier this
year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the
service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger
service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service,
Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent
by 2040 and add more service to more stations.
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