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Corrections:
The most common destination city is Santa Clara, not San Jose. There is no Interstate 120 in California. There is a state highweay CA-120.
Fremont Argus
Thursday, April 19, 2001 7:19 AM MST
{pictute --ACE train commuters prepare to board Wednesday evening at the
Centerville train depot in Fremont. ARIC CRABB -- Staff]
Fremont is second hottest spot on ACE line
Sun Microsystems may draw commuters
By Sean R. Cabibi
STAFF WRITER
FREMONT -- With 8 percent of the total number of Altamont Commuter
Express riders heading west ending their journey in Fremont, the city
has the second highest destination percentage, after San Jose,
according to the Annual Passenger Survey 2000.
"Exact reasons are hard to say, but large companies such as Sun
Microsystems play a major role," said Ceali Lein, an operations
analyst for ACE.
Sun Microsystems officials were unable to estimate how many of its
employees ride ACE.
Most commuters to the Bay Area tend to work for large corporations and
the cities that have those corporations have the highest percentages
of riders, Lien said.
The Great America station is the single largest destination point with
71 percent of riders disembarking there.
"Many businesses from various cities around Great America have shuttle
services so it's the most popular destination," Lein said. "Many of
the companies shuttle people to work from there so it encompasses a
large area."
ACE runs trains from Stockton west into Livermore and Pleasanton,
through Niles Canyon and Fremont to Santa Clara.
"Sometimes it's easier than driving," said Mark Rich, an employee at
Sun Microsystems who rides the ACE train regularly from his home in
Tracy.
Rich said he considered moving to the area but the high cost of living
and having to pull his son from school didn't appeal to him.
"It's nice to have (ACE) as an option because driving can be a real
pain," Rich said.
Francis Benes, who rides ACE from Stockton into Fremont to work three
times a week, agreed. "It makes life a little easier, that is for
sure," she said. "I travel quite a bit and driving isn't always a good
way to go, especially if (Interstate 120) gets crowded."
Commuters from Fremont comprise 7 percent of total ACE riders and
predominantly live in the 95346 zip code. Sixty-three percent are
males and the majority of the riders, 44 percent, are between the ages
of 34 to 44. Forty-four percent of all commuters from Fremont make
more than $100,000 a year, the survey reported.
A stop in Santa Clara has been added and will be included in a survey
scheduled to be conducted in June, Lien said.
ACE is looking at adding lines from Modesto and possibly as far north
as Sacramento.
--->ACE was created to help serve the population that was commuting to
the Bay Area from the north end of the Central Valley.
______________
Sean R. Cabibi covers transportation for the Argus. He can be reached
at (510) 353-7014 or at[41] scabibi@angnewspapers.com.
________________________________________________________
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