Riders get more runs on Capitol Corridors

From Daily Republic
By Barry Eberling

SUISUN CITY - Train riders now have more choices in times to catch the Capitol Corridors at the Suisun-Fairfield station.

The Capitols this week started operating 32 trains daily between Oakland and Sacramento, with 16 in each direction. The service had been operating 24 trains.

"We have as many trains now between Oakland and Sacramento as Amtrak operates on the northeast corridor between Boston and New York," Capitols Managing Director Eugene Skoropowski said.

For example, early morning commuters can catch trains from Suisun City toward Oakland at 5:09 a.m., 6:09 a.m., 6:59 a.m. and 7:39 a.m. The station is located at 177 Main St. in Old Town, under the Highway 12 overpass.

"We've got a train almost anytime you want to go," Skoropowski said.

In the future, the Capitols for the Sacramento/Oakland stretch will concentrate on adding more cars to trains. For example, a five-car train might become an eight-car train, Skoropowski said.

The Capitols made one other change this week. The number of trains traveling to and from Oakland and San Jose increased from eight to 14. Along the way, they stop in such places as Hayward and Fremont.

These train increases for the San Jose run proved key to the Oakland-Sacramento increases as well. Before, trains that went to San Jose had to stay there for long periods because of the amount of freight traffic on the line.Track improvements made by the Capitol Corridor service this summer allowed the extra San Jose service. And that in turn allowed these trains to continue back to the Oakland/Sacramento stretch, adding the extra service there.

Now the Capitols can generate more revenue with the same amount of equipment, Skoropowski said.

There's more work ahead. The Capitols will try to add still more trains for the Oakland/San Jose and Sacramento/Roseville/Auburn stretches.

But Skoropowski believes the Capitols are already offering the kind of service envisioned when state voters in 1990 passed a bond to help pay for them.

"I think the message is, 'We delivered,' " Skoropowski said.

Reach Barry Eberling at 425-4646 Ext. 232 or at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.

TRAIN TIMES

Weekday Capitol Corridor schedule for Suisun/Fairfield:
Westbound: 5:09 a.m., 6:09 a.m., 6:59 a.m., 7:39 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 9:09 a.m., 9:59 a.m., 10:49 a.m., 12:49 p.m., 2:49 p.m., 4:14 p.m., 5:19 p.m., 6:19 p.m., 7:19 p.m., 8:19 p.m., 9:49 p.m.

Eastbound: 5:38 a.m., 6:48 a.m., 7:38 a.m., 8:53 a.m., 10:23 a.m., 11:23 a.m., 1:23 p.m., 2:33 p.m., 3:58 p.m., 4:38 p.m., 5:18 p.m., 5:58 p.m., 6:42 p.m., 8:03 p.m., 9:27 p.m., 10:28 p.m.