California State Rail Plan 2007-08 to 2017-18

Chapter IX – Commuter Rail Servicesweekday trains run on 30-minute headways at major stations and one-hourheadways at minor stations. Also, on weekdays, six trains are extended to andfrom Gilroy.The system provides extensive weekend service, which consists of 32 trains onSaturday, and 28 on Sundays. The weekend trains provide local service betweenSan Francisco and San Jose Diridon stations on one-hour headways.Buses provide a connection between Diridon and Tamien stations (see Figure 9G).FARE STRUCTURECaltrain uses a six-zone fare structure based on distance traveled. Tickets,including one-way tickets, one-day passes, ten-ride tickets, and monthly passes,must be purchased in advance at staffed stations, from automated ticket vendingmachines located at station platforms, by mail, at selected employment sitesthroughout the Bay Area, or over the Internet. Seniors, the disabled, and youthmay travel at half the fare for all types of tickets. Riders must show proof of theirticket when asked to do so during random spot checks by fare enforcementpersonnel.Caltrain monthly pass holders receive a local fare credit on SamTrans buses andon VTA buses and light rail vehicles. For SamTrans patrons, the pass must be twozones or greater to receive the credit. For VTA passengers, the monthly pass mustbe two zones or greater for adult and senior/disabled riders, three zones or greaterfor youth riders. A two-zone Caltrain monthly pass also is valid for a free transferto the Dumbarton Express bus. Caltrain customers connecting with San FranciscoMuni may purchase a discounted Muni Pass along with their Caltrain monthlypass to make the connection.Caltrain is currently participating in a program called TransLink, a universal faresmart card (a form of electronic cash card) with a microchip that stores fareinformation. Riders can use the smart card to pay for fares on any public transitservice in the Bay Area. When fully operational, it is expected that all Bay Areaoperators will use TransLink, and is expected to be implemented on Caltrainbeginning in December 2007.CONNECTING SERVICESCaltrain has a direct connection with other major operators on its route. Many ofCaltrain’s stations are multimodal and facilitate transfers between other transitoperators, including Muni, BART, SamTrans, VTA light rail and buses,AC Transit, the Dumbarton Express bus, and ACE that provides commuter servicefrom Stockton to San Jose. ACE shares a terminal with Caltrain at San JoseDiridon station.153