California Capitol Corridor breaks passenger revenue record

More good news from out west. Sacramento Business Journal has the whole enchilada.

by Melanie Turner Staff writer

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Capitol Corridor rail service saw a 16.8 percent increase in ridership and a 24 percent increase in revenue in fiscal 2008 — record-breaking results for the year ending Sept. 30.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority said the ridership and revenue growth was due to the convenience and affordability of the passenger rail, as well as riders’ increased environmental awareness.

“We surveyed our riders and found that protecting the environment was among the top five reasons why people choose to ride Capitol Corridor trains,” Eugene Skoropowski, managing director for the authority said in a news release. “If we did not exist, 85 percent of our passengers would use a car to get to their destinations. By riding our trains, the additional 300,000 passengers who hopped on board this fiscal year prevented 29,600 pounds of smog and 45,400 pounds of greenhouse gases from spewing into the atmosphere.”

Ridership and revenue stayed strong in October despite the fall in gas prices, authority chairman Forrest Williams said in the release.

Filed under: Amtrak, Passenger Rail Politics, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy, Regional USA Passenger Rail