More commuters taking Capitol Corridor trains

More commuters taking the train
http://www.dailyrepublic.com/story.php?id=101.9

The Capitol Corridor trains keep rolling over previous ridership marks. More than 1.4 million passengers rode the train for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, nearly a 15 percent increase from the previous year. That marked the ninth consecutive year that ridership has risen..

The Capitol Corridor system runs trains between Sacramento and San Jose. The lone Solano County stop is at the Suisun-Fairfield train station in Old Town, Suisun City. One reason for the ridership increase last fiscal year is an increase in service. The system in August 2006 grew from 24 trips daily to 32..

Ridership surveys show that escaping congestion and the associated stress is a major ! reason people use the trains. Whether the Capitol Corridor system can sustain its torrid growth rate is questionable. A limiting factor is space. Peak-hour trains are getting crowded.

The service plans to ultimately add more cars to its existing trains. Skoropowski expressed hope that new cars could be available in three to four years.. Farebox recovery rate for the Capitol Corridor last fiscal year hit 48 percent, the highest yet. That's just short of the 50 percent goal set by the state. But there is a cloud. About 75 percent of the trains arrived on time, better than the 73 percent the previous year, but far below the 90 percent goal..