Caltrain News

[DET63]

The last BART trips start at about midnight, and end at about 1:15 to 1:30, depending on when the train reaches the end of the line. Those who begin a journey after 11:00 may or may not be able to complete it, depending on exactly when they begin and any transfers needed, before the service shuts down.

 

[tp49]

I live here. I know where BART runs. BART does run after 11:00pm.
I checked 511.org. It came up with an all-bus itinerary that took about an hour longer than taking Caltrain.

Last train leaves Millbrae at 11:49 PM. It's the last train through Powell to the East Bay that leaves at 12:22 AM. Any night I'm in San Francisco late I have to remember that's the last train of the night to the East Bay and my car.

 

[DET63]

I live here. I know where BART runs. BART does run after 11:00pm.
I checked 511.org. It came up with an all-bus itinerary that took about an hour longer than taking Caltrain.

Last train leaves Millbrae at 11:49 PM. It's the last train through Powell to the East Bay that leaves at 12:22 AM. Any night I'm in San Francisco late I have to remember that's the last train of the night to the East Bay and my car.

I haven't checked the BART schedule in a while, so I didn't know that the last train left Millbrae before the witching hour. However, as tp49 has pointed out, if you are out somewhere in the wee hours, you'd better make sure you don't miss your train, because there won't be another one for several hours.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Obviously, it is a passenger's responsibility to make the trains. The thing is, given that responsibility, people are likely to choose not to ride if they don't think they will be able to reach the train station and catch a train within a convienent amount of time- convienent being in the eyes of the rider- within the level of guarentee the rider personally wants.

That is, reduce frequency and reduce the number of hours the service operates, the less riders will be confident they with a) find it convienent, and b) not get stranded. As that diminishes, so does ridership. Even if the ridership at the hour you have decided to discontinue is minimal. The knowledge the train will be there if it is needed is actually more important then the actual people moving of that particular run.

 

[DET63]

Obviously, it is a passenger's responsibility to make the trains. The thing is, given that responsibility, people are likely to choose not to ride if they don't think they will be able to reach the train station and catch a train within a convienent amount of time- convienent being in the eyes of the rider- within the level of guarentee the rider personally wants.
That is, reduce frequency and reduce the number of hours the service operates, the less riders will be confident they with a) find it convienent, and b) not get stranded. As that diminishes, so does ridership. Even if the ridership at the hour you have decided to discontinue is minimal. The knowledge the train will be there if it is needed is actually more important then the actual people moving of that particular run.

That may be good social policy, but it may be harder to justify when you're trying to balance your books. Hiring a train operator to take a train out that has only half a dozen people aboard at 3:00 am may be good for the potential passenger working the night shift, but it may not be good for the passenger aboard the 6:00 pm train on the way home from work who is packed in like a sardine, paying a higher fare, and unable to ride a longer train or take advantage of more frequent service due to budget considerations precipitated by the costs of operating the red-eye.

 

[George Harris]

Just to note: Most high speed systems around the world shut down between midnight and 6:00am for maintenance of the tracks, overhead, etc. For example: Look at the Shinkansen schedules. If you aren't where you want to get to by midnight, find a hotel, because you will not be moving again on their trains before 6:00am. On the systems that run 24/7, there are still time periods tha maintenance windows must be given.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Just to note: Most high speed systems around the world shut down between midnight and 6:00am for maintenance of the tracks, overhead, etc. For example: Look at the Shinkansen schedules. If you aren't where you want to get to by midnight, find a hotel, because you will not be moving again on their trains before 6:00am. On the systems that run 24/7, there are still time periods tha maintenance windows must be given.

Most rail transit systems shut down over night. Even the London Underground and Paris Metro don't run during the wee hours. New York City may be one of the few places with true 24-hour subway service. In Chicago, the CTA's Red and Blue lines run 24 hours, but the other rapid transit routes close down between 1 and 4 a.m. Metra also shuts down between 1 and 4 a.m.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

That may be good social policy, but it may be harder to justify when you're trying to balance your books. Hiring a train operator to take a train out that has only half a dozen people aboard at 3:00 am may be good for the potential passenger working the night shift, but it may not be good for the passenger aboard the 6:00 pm train on the way home from work who is packed in like a sardine, paying a higher fare, and unable to ride a longer train or take advantage of more frequent service due to budget considerations precipitated by the costs of operating the red-eye.

You are suggesting, for no reason I can fathom, that one has to exist over the other- which is not true.

Furthermore, VW sells its Bugatti Veyron at a loss of something like $500 grand a copy, this despite its $1.2 million price tag. They do this because they are trying to build up the brand in preparation for making money further down the line.

A transit system will make more money (or lose less) as its trains fill up. Just because this train is being run almost empty, and at an allocable loss of a colossal amount, does not mean that the discontinuance of this train will improve the financial performance of the system. Indeed, the existence of service at that hour may be crucial to its performance being maintained at the current level.

Lastly, George, I'm not talking 24 hour operation. I'm just talking the general concept of a system has to be perceived as convenient in order to gain riders.

 

[sechs]

Just because this train is being run almost empty, and at an allocable loss of a colossal amount, does not mean that the discontinuance of this train will improve the financial performance of the system.

Indeed, just because your budget is cut does not mean that passengers wish to pay more... but the money must come from somewhere.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Just because this train is being run almost empty, and at an allocable loss of a colossal amount, does not mean that the discontinuance of this train will improve the financial performance of the system.

Indeed, just because your budget is cut does not mean that passengers wish to pay more... but the money must come from somewhere.

Yeah, the pockets of lazy, self centered people who drive their cars in unreasonable situations.