Fall 2015 - Caltrain

Fall 2015
Caltrain Partners with San Mateo
on Suicide Prevention Forum
Information for
Caltrain Board of Directors
Adrienne Tissier, chair
Perry Woodward, vice chair
José Cisneros
Malia Cohen
Jeff Gee
Rose Guilbault
Ash Kalra
Tom Nolan
Ken Yeager
Jim Hartnett
Executive Director
www.caltrain.com
1.800.660.4287
Clarem
ont
9 th
Conc
ar
San Mateo
Caltrain Station
Hayward Park
Caltrain Station
5 th
Baldwin
1 st
th
Caltrain will operate the first
of four bus bridges Saturday,
Nov. 7, to accommodate the
replacement of 100-year old
rail bridges in northern San
Mateo. The first bridge to be
replaced is over Tilton Avenue.
Customers traveling
through San Mateo that Saturday will be required to board
buses between the Hayward
Park station in San Mateo and
the Burlingame station.
The use of buses to connect the trains will require
Caltrain to alter its train
schedule for the entire day.
Northbound trains will operate
on the current Saturday
schedule until they reach
Hayward Park, and southbound trains will use the current schedule until they reach
Burlingame. The new schedule
is posted at www.caltrain.com/
busbridge.
El Cam
ino Rea
l
9 th
Springs
Ellswor
Delawar
e
Crystal
Bellevue
Ralston
El Camino Real
Poplar
eo
ia
Mary Knuckles, editor
[email protected]
Caltrain Connection
P.O. Box 3006
San Carlos, CA 94070-1306
Grant
3 rd
4 th
Peninsula
San Mat
Californ
Caltrain Connection is produced
by the Peninsula Corridor Joint
Powers Board. Comments,
questions, contributions and
suggestions should be directed to:
Grant
Claremon
t
Railroad
Burlingame
Caltrain Station
rnia
Califo
For a list of resources that offer assistance,
visit www.caltrain.com/ThereIsHelp
Monte Di
ablo
ame
e
Burling
Caltrain is an active community
partner in the prevention
of deaths by suicide.
Delawar
Customers
Agency Proposes
Fare Changes
Bus Bridge to Allow Rail
Bridge Replacement
t
8
Community Involvement, and
the panelists included Rocio
Cornejo and Alan Cochran
from the San Mateo Lived
Experience Academy; Narges
Zohoury Dillon of StarVista;
and Salvador Zuno of Caltrain's
Transit Police Bureau.
Caltrain highlighted its
continuing efforts to address
death by suicide, a complex
community health issue. According the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, more
than 41,000 suicides were
reported throughout the United
States, making suicide the
10th leading cause of death
for Americans.
For the past 20 years there
has been an average of 13
deaths a year on the Caltrain
right of way; the majority of
these were caused by suicide.
Although suicides on the
Caltrain right of way make up
only 3 percent of suicides in
the Peninsula region, they are
the focus of public attention
because they impact so many
people.
As a member of the community, Caltrain is committed
to working with community
partners to prevent suicide
and lift the stigma surrounding
mental health issues.
Last year Caltrain launched
a page on its website dedicated
to suicide-prevention. The page
features a crisis hotline number and highlights local
resources for people. Visit
www.caltrain.com/suicideprevention.
Connection
an
Gr
In September, Caltrain
partnered with the County of
San Mateo Health System to
host the Speak Up, Save a Life:
Suicide Prevention Forum in
recognition of National Suicide
Prevention Awareness Month.
The forum featured a panel
of mental health experts and
resources. Other forum partners
included StarVista and
Behavioral Health & Recovery
Services, which is part of the
county's Office of Diversity
and Equity.
The keynote speaker for the
forum was Dr. Jorge Wong
from the Asian Americans for
Caltrain
Maple
The bus bridge will be
provided by SamTrans so
Caltrain customers should look
for the red, white and blue
buses when they get to the
station. Ambassadors will be
on hand to assist customers.
Note: There will be limited
capacity for luggage and bikes
on the buses.
Caltrain will undertake this
same process for the remaining three rail bridges to be
replaced. The next bus bridge
is tentatively scheduled for
December to allow the Monte
Diablo rail bridge to be replaced. The date will be finalized in mid-November.
For more information
on the bridge replacement
project, visit www.caltrain.com/
smbridges.
Caltrain will hold a public
hearing on a proposed fare
increase to go into effect
Feb. 28, 2016 for transit tickets,
and July, 2016 for parking
permits. The draft fare chart is
available for viewing at the
Caltrain Administrative Office
or at www.caltrain.com/tariff.
Proposals to be considered
include:
• Increasing the base adult
fare by 50 cents. Day Pass,
8-ride Ticket, Monthly Pass
and Clipper one-way discount would increase based
on the cash fare. Eligible
Discount fares would remain approximately 50
percent of the adult fares.
• Increasing daily parking
fee from $5.00 to $5.50
and monthly parking permit
fee from $50 to $55.
The public hearing will be held:
Thursday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.
Caltrain Administrative Office
1250 San Carlos Ave.
San Carlos
The Board of Directors is
scheduled to take action at its
December meeting.
Caltrain Recognizes Heroic, Life-saving Acts
of Three Safety and Security Personnel
2
In August, Caltrain's Board of
Directors took a moment from
their meeting to recognize the
actions of Sheriff Deputies Lance
Whitted and Erik Rueppel and
security officer Dell Thompson
who works for G4S Secure
Solutions. The courage they
displayed under intense pressure
exemplified the rail agency's
ongoing commitment to safety
and security.
On two separate occasions
in August, the quick-thinking
and compassionate responses
of safety and security personnel
helped save lives.
The first of these instances
occurred on August 3 at the
Mary Avenue grade crossing in
Sunnyvale. San Mateo County
Sheriff Deputies Lance Whitted
and Erik Rueppel were conducting traffic stops near the rail
tracks as part of their regular
duties. Both deputies were
assigned to the Transit Police
Bureau – a contingent of the
sheriff's office dedicated to pa-
trolling the Caltrain right-of-way.
Around 6:30 p.m. the deputies
were directed to a car that had
skidded through the intersection of West Evelyn Avenue and
Mary Avenue and collided with
a crossing arm tower in front of
the Caltrain tracks. As a result
of the collision, the vehicle was
disabled and trapped on the
railway, leaving the driver, Nelson
Gomez, directly in the line of a
northbound train approaching at
50 miles per hour. Upon arriving
at the scene, Deputies Whitted
and Rueppel immediately sprang
into action.
Deputy Rueppel started
running south along the tracks
toward the oncoming train,
waving his arms in hopes of getting the engineer to notice and
start slowing down. Whitted
dashed toward the car, and
made contact with Gomez, who
was conscious, but incapacitated behind the wheel. Thinking
quickly, Whitted grabbed Gomez's arm and dragged him out
of the vehicle. Just moments
after Whitted had dragged
Gomez to safety, the train
collided with the car.
Without the intervention
of Whitted and Rueppel, Gomez
who was subsequently charged
with driving under the influence
following the event –would not
have been able to free himself
from the car before the train
collided with it.
Both Rueppel and Whitted
are quick to say that they don't
view themselves as heroes but
they are extremely grateful that
they had the opportunity,
training and ability to save a
man's life.
Deputies Whitted and
Rueppel were also honored with
proclamations signed by
Assembly members Rich Gordon
and Kevin Mullin, State Senator
Jerry Hill and U.S. Representative
Jackie Speier.
Holiday Train set
for Dec. 5 & 6
Santa and his elves will be
making whistle stops along the
Peninsula again later this year
as part of the train crew for the
2015 Caltrain Holiday Train
presented by Silicon Valley
Community Foundation. The
glittering show train returns
Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday,
Dec. 6.
Glowing with thousands
of lights and holiday decorations, the train will make stops
at eight stations over the two
nights, collecting toys for underprivileged children in the area.
Representatives from the
Salvation Army and members
of the U.S. Marine Corps
Reserves Toys for Tots Program
will be on hand to collect donations of new, unwrapped toys.
Entertainment will be provided at each station prior to
the train's arrival. During each
20-minute stop, people can
enjoy holiday music led by a
traditional Salvation Army brass
band and onboard carolers.
Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty,
EVENTS CALENDAR
Take Caltrain to these special
events. The station name and
any additional transit service
are listed below each event.
Nov. 6 – 22
Kiss Me Kate
Fox Theatre
www.broadwaybythebay.org
Redwood City station
Nov. 6 – 20
BATS Improv: Super Scene
Rudolph and the rest of the
North Pole gang will get off the
train to greet children and their
families and pose for pictures.
The train starts both nights
at 4 p.m. at the San Francisco
Caltrain Station. On Saturday,
the festivities will kick-off with a
brief ceremony to welcome the
crowd that will include speakers,
musical entertainment and a
chance to meet Santa before
he heads down the Peninsula.
Santa's helpers can get into
the holiday spirit by donating
to the Holiday Train at
www.holiday-train.org.
Holiday Train 2015 Schedule
SATURDAY
Just two days after that harrowing incident, personnel affiliated with Caltrain were again
continued on page 6
Dec. 5, 2015
Arrive
Depart
San Francisco
4:00p
4:45p
Burlingame
5:15p
Redwood City
SUNDAY
Dec. 6, 2015
Arrive
Depart
San Francisco
4:00p
4:50p
5:35p
Millbrae
5:15p
5:35p
6:15p
6:35p
San Mateo
6:20p
6:40p
Mountain View
6:55p
7:15p
Menlo Park
7:45p
8:05p
Santa Clara
8:10p
8:30p
Sunnyvale
8:40p
9:00p
Fort Mason, Bayfront Theater
www.fortmason.org
San Francisco station
Muni Route 30
Nov. 21 & 220
Heroes & Villains FanFest
San Jose Convention Center
www.heroesfanfest.com
San Jose station
VTA Light Rail
Nov. 26 – 30
International Gem Show
San Mateo County Expo Center
www.sanmateoexpo.org
Hillsdale station
Dec. 3
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Sap Center of San Jose
www.sapcentersj.com
San Jose station
Dec. 26
Foster Farms Bowl
Levi's Stadium
www.levisstadium.com
Mountain View station
VTA Light rail
until Jan. 25
"Artists at Work"
Cantor Art Center
Stanford
www.museum.stanford.edu
Palo Alto station
7
Caltrain + Muni Pass
to be Discontinued
Effective Jan. 1, 2016, the
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will eliminate
the Caltrain + Muni Monthly
Pass.
Customers who currently
Autoload a Caltrain Adult
Monthly Pass with a special
discounted Muni pass on
their Clipper card will need
to change their order by early
November. If autoload isn't
adjusted, Clipper will no longer
automatically load a Caltrain
Monthly Pass after December.
Caltrain customers taking
18 roundtrips or more on Muni
6 Life-saving Acts
continued from page 2
faced with a life and death situation, and again responded in
admirable fashion.
On August 5 near the Redwood City Caltrain Station, Dell
Thompson – a security officer
working with and contracted
to patrol Caltrain properties –
noticed a distraught woman
step on the tracks in front of
an incoming southbound train.
Thompson approached the
woman and calmly asked her
to step away from the tracks
and out of harm's way. He didn't
each month may want to buy
and load an Adult Muni Only
"M" Pass on their Clipper card
for $70.
For less than 18 roundtrips,
you may want to add cash
value to your Clipper card and
receive a new 50-cent discount
on the Muni adult fare of $2.25
when you transfer from Caltrain
to Muni within 60 minutes of
tagging off Caltrain.
You must tag on and off
Caltrain – even if you have a
Caltrain Monthly Pass – to
receive the discount on Muni.
endanger himself by walking
on the tracks, but his composed demeanor convinced the
woman to step off the railway
and away from potential harm.
His life-saving efforts were aided
by the Caltrain engineer, who
slowed down the train after
noticing the woman on the
tracks, giving Thompson enough
time to sway the woman off the
tracks. Thompson then stayed
with the woman until transit
police arrived, at which time she
admitted having suicidal
thoughts and ending her life
using Caltrain.
Funding Support from
Air Quality Board
Caltrain Adjusts
Holiday Schedules
Riding the rails over the
holidays? Refer to the information below for Caltrain sevice
changes.
Caltrain will operate a Sunday
schedule on Thanksgiving Day,
Thursday, Nov. 26.
Regular service
Christmas & New Year's Eve
Thursday, Dec. 24
Thursday, Dec. 31
Sunday schedule
Christmas & New Year's Day
Friday, Dec. 25
Friday, Jan. 1
*Extra service on New Year's
Trains depart San Francisco at
12:45 a.m., 1:15 a.m., 1:45 a.m.,
and 2:15 a.m., or when full,
making all regular local stops.
Caltrain will be free beginning
at 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.
REMINDER: Drink responsibly.
Open alcoholic beverage containers are prohibited on special
event trains beginning at 9 p.m.
The Bay Area Air Quality
Management District's Board of
Directors approved the allocation
of $20 million dollars to help
fund the electrification of the
Caltrain corridor.
"This is the one of the most
significant air pollution reduction
funding projects the Air District
has undertaken in recent years,"
said Jack Broadbent, executive
officer of the Air District. "By
replacing diesel-powered trains
with electric, air quality will be
substantially improved for everyone along the Peninsula train
corridor."
Key benefits associated with
electrifying the 51 miles of rail
line between San Francisco and
San Jose also include a reduction of greenhouse gases, in-
creased frequency and speed
of train service, reduced engine
noise, and reduced traffic
congestion from automobiles
along U.S. Highway 101 and
Interstate 280.
The Air District allocation
of $20 million over the next
several years is a key component
of the overall funding strategy.
The total Peninsula Corridor
Electrification Project cost is
estimated to be $1.53 billion
and will be supported through
a combination of local, regional,
state and federal sources.
Caltrain is working with their
partner agencies to secure the
remaining $431 million that is
needed to complete the funding
for the project.
Sustainability Efforts
Paying Off
Caltrain has made strides to
become more sustainable. You
may have noticed the rail agency
is using water-wise landscaping
techniques on its property, including covering plant beds with
mulch to reduce evaporation and
using "smart" irrigation controllers that adjust watering schedules based on local temperature
and rainfall. There are also signs
posted at Caltrain facilities reminding employees about helpful
conservation tips.
At its Central Equipment
Maintenance and Operations
Facility, the maintenance team
recycles oils and lubricants.
The train wash system recycles
80 percent of the water used.
Caltrain offers waste bins
for recyclables, compostables,
including food waste, and trash
at all stations.
• • •
CalMod E-newsletter
Safety Message
• Never drive onto a railroad crossing
until you are sure the traffic ahead has
left enough space to drive across without boxing you in.
• Do not shift gears while driving across
the tracks.
• If your vehicle stalls on the crossing
get everyone out and get off the tracks.
Call 911 or 1.877.723.7245 to report
the situation.
Going Out of Town for the Holidays?
Caltrain connects to San Francisco International, San Jose
Mineta International and Oakland International Airports via
BART at Millbrae Transit Center and VTA Airport Flyer (Line
10) at Santa Clara station.
caltrain.com/specialevents
Fast Facts
Have Luggage?
Please board luggage car.
Keep up-to-date on all things
CalMod. Check out the Caltrain
Modernization newsletter at
www.caltrain.com/calmod.
• • •
Three Nonprofits
Receive $10K Gift
Through the generous
donations collected from the
annual Holiday Train event
sponsored by Caltrain and the
Silicon Valley Community
Foundation, three local nonprofit
organizations each received a
$10,000 grant – Larkin Street
Youth Services based in
San Francisco, Second Harvest
Food Bank of Santa Clara and
San Mateo Counties, and Youth
United for Community Action of
East Palo Alto.
3
Visit Your Home
Hometown
etown
for Holiday Shopping, Dinin
ng, Entertainment & Parades
4
Caltrain invites everyone to experience the magical holiday season by taking the train to explore
trendy boutiques and malls or to take friends and family to see festive shows or attend holiday
celebrations. Be of good cheer, and leave the parking and traffic hassles to Scrooge.
SHOPPING
Downtown Mountain View
Mountain View station
Explore the shopping district
along Castro Street.
Downtown Sunnyvale
Just blocks from Sunnyvale
station
Macy's & Target, boutique
shops & restaurants along
Washington & Evelyn avenues.
California Avenue Shopping
District
California Avenue station
Just a few blocks from the
Stanford campus is the 6-block
wide historic shopping district
that offers a wide variety of
retail businesses and is home
to many outstanding and
diverse restaurants.
Stanford Shopping Center
About a 10-minute walk from
Palo Alto station
Discover Neiman Marcus,
Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom,
Macy's plus 140 other world
class stores, restaurants and
services.
Downtown Menlo Park
Menlo Park station
Stroll along Santa Cruz Avenue
and you'll find a great mix of
shops and businesses to take
care of your holiday needs.
Downtown Redwood City
Redwood City station
Movie theaters, trendy
restaurants and the annual
Hometown Holidays Parade
puts this city on Santa's "good"
list.
Downtown San Carlos
San Carlos station
Give yourself a rest and stroll
down Laurel Street for a coffee
or choose one of the excellent
restaurants for a bite to eat.
Hillsdale Shopping Center
Hillsdale station
Visit Nordstrom, Macy's and
Sears, plus 120 specialty stores
and restaurants.
Downtown San Mateo
San Mateo station
You'll find a variety of charming
boutiques and places to dine.
Downtown Burlingame
Burlingame or Broadway
stations
Explore the trendy shops,
restaurants and boutiques
along Burlingame and
Broadway avenues.
San Francisco
San Francisco station
You'll leave your heart in The
City by the Bay with its fine
dining, trendy shops and glittering sites. Celebrate New Year's
on the Embarcadero.
THE NUTCRACKER
Nov. 27 to 29
Pacific Ballet
Mountain View Center for the
Performing Arts
CHRISTMAS CAROL
Dec. 4 to 27
A.C.T's Geary Theatre
Millbrae Transit Center
Powell BART
www.act-sf.org
A CHRISTMAS STORY
Dec. 9 to 13
Orpheum Theatre
Millbrae Transit Center
Civic Center BART
www.shnsf.com
Dec. 4 & 5
Western Ballet Company
Mountain View Center for the
Performing Arts
Mountain View station
www.mvcpa.com
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Dec. 19 to 21
Peninsula Ballet Theatre
Fox Theatre
Redwood City station
www.peninsulaballet.org
Nov. 27
Christmas in the Park Tree
Lighting
Downtown San Jose
San Jose station
Nov. 21 & 22
Pier 39 Tree Lighting
San Francisco station
Muni Routes 30, 47
www.pier39.com
VTA Dash
www.christmasinthepark.com
Dec. 4
Holiday Tree Lighting
Ceremony
Santa Clara Civic Center
Santa Clara station
VTA Bus 22 (head sign –
Palo Alto)
Bus stop at El Camino Real &
Lincoln Ave.
www.santaclaraca.gov
Dec. 4
Night of Holiday Lights
Downtown San Carlos
San Carlos station
www.cityofsancarlos.org
Dec. 5
Hometown Holidays Parade
Downtown Redwood City
Redwood City station
www.hometownholidays.org
5