Local & State News
   Published Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News 
   
BART, light-rail traffic dips with the economy

   BY [62]GARY RICHARDS
   Mercury News
   
   Ridership on BART and light rail is down about 5 percent due to our
   battered economy. Fewer workers mean fewer commuters taking the train.
   
   BART is averaging around 320,000 riders, down from nearly 340,000 a
   year ago.
   
   At the same time, light-rail ridership in Santa Clara County is at
   28,482 a day, down from more than 30,000 after the opening of the
   Mountain View extension two years ago. Still, that's up from the
   18,257 daily riders in 1995.
   
   But Caltrain ridership is up 7 percent to nearly 35,000 riders every
   weekday. There may not be more riders, but fewer cheaters.
   
   Since Caltrain began requiring passengers to buy tickets before
   boarding or pay an extra $1, more tickets are being collected. As one
   Caltrain official said: There aren't as many people getting free rides
   anymore.
   
   ``BART-like'': Negotiations to bring BART to Santa Clara County may
   now include ``BART-like'' trains, according to the Valley
   Transportation Authority.
   
   Come again?
   
   VTA officials are studying the costs of adding another form of
   commuter train to link up with BART if millions in federal money are
   not forthcoming. VTA lawyers say money from the sales tax approved by
   voters a year ago can only be used for BART or ``BART-like'' trains --
   not for light-rail or Caltrain-style trains -- to link up with BART.
   However, they did not define what ``BART-like'' means.
   
   Even if legal arguments are valid, critics say there is a problem:
   Voters approved BART. ``You need to do some political analysis,'' San
   Jose Councilman Chuck Reed told the VTA. `` `BART-like' is not BART.''
   
   Transit meetings: Four meetings have been set to discuss improvements
   from Fremont to San Jose. All sessions are from 6 to 8 p.m.
   
      Oct. 11: Bowers Park, 2582 Cabrillo Ave., Santa Clara.
   
      Oct. 15: Milpitas Community Center, 457 E. Calaveras Blvd.
   
      Oct. 17: Fremont Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd.
   
      Oct. 18: San Jose Fire Training Center, 255 S. Montgomery St.
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