ACERider: News for Passengers

I have a friend who had his vehicle stolen from the Tracy ACE
station.  When he called ACE their response was that they could
nothing to help him- they are not liable.  This begs the same question
about the video cameras- what is their purpose?  If something happens
how do we get someone to view the video?  When he went to report the
theft at the police station they told him there had a been an increase
in thefts from the Tracy station and implied it might be gang related.

Mr. Marshall,

My apologies for the tardy reply to your concerns over the security in
the parking lot shared by ACE train and AMTRAK customers. We have
previously received concerns from train riders as to the theft from
vehicles in the area.

The parking lot is in the City of Santa Clara and as such any crime
occurring there is our responsibility. The prevention of crime is also
our responsibility. Because the lot is so close to the Light Rail
(VTA) and is utilized by AMTRAK, we have contacted both the Santa
Clara County Sheriff's Office (who provide police service to the VTA)
and AMTRAK police about assisting us with patrols of the area. Both
agencies have agreed to provide more frequent patrols.

The lighting in the area has been checked and deemed adequate. The
security camera idea, while an outstanding one, is cost prohibitive. I
will ensure that our patrol officers are reminded of the request for
frequent checks of the area. Please feel free to contact me for
further assistance.

Lieutenant Diana Bishop
Santa Clara Police Department
408 615-4753 

If you've been eager to bring friends or family on ACE, here's a great
opportunity! On Saturday, August 9, for the first time in ACE history, we're
running a special Saturday train to two great destinations: Paramount's
Great America and the San Jose Jazz Festival! We're still working out the
times, but the morning train will depart from the Lathrop/Manteca station at
sometime around 9 a.m., and two evening trains will give riders the option
of departing at around 6 p.m. or approximately 8:30 p.m. Tickets are only
$8, REGARDLESS OF ZONE, and supply is extremely limited, so be sure to
reserve yours soon! Remember, too, that ACE has deep deals on passes to the
Great America theme park: we're selling them for only $22.50 this year! Jazz
festival passes are even cheaper -- general admission is FREE! Call Renee
Enriquez in the ACE Ticketing Department for more information: 
(209) 468-5660.

More info and details

The Honorable Sharon Brown, Chair 
MTC
101 Eighth St
Oakland, CA 94607

Improved Stations, Improved Fare System, Improved Trains, Improved Schedule, Improved Shuttle Buses.

Improved Stations

1. A pay phone at the Lathrop Station.
2. Add loudspeakers at Great America and at Fremont, like those at Pleasanton, and use them to announce problems like the mudslide, track delays, etc. When incidents happen, there is no information delivery method at Great America or Fremont.
3. A second ticket validator machine at Fremont-Centerville.
4. A traffic cop at Pleasanton, at least in the evenings. There has been lots of avoidance of this issue and lame excuses like this is county property. But the Pleasanton Police find the time to do radar traps on Bernal early in the morning, but can't seem to be responsible in the evening.
5. Ticket vending machines - not the fancy Metrolink/Caltrain type that custom print each ticket, just a "vendor", like in the post office, that has a dozen selections, for the twelve most popular tickets at that station. For example, most tickets sold at Pleasanton are either two or three zones, monthly, 20, round trip and one way. 8 different tickets. Plus one way and round trip for the senior/youth/disabled tickets - 4 more. Anything else could be sold at Diridon, Great America (or even on the train).
6. Post shuttle and transit info at the individual stations in conspicuous bulletin boards in a large font presentation. Include vicinity maps showing how to get from the train to the bus.

Improved Fare System

1. Institute joint ticketing with Amtrak Capitol Corridor -- an extension of current ticketing policy for bus 3910. At a minimun, strike a deal with Amtrak so that ACE monthly ticket holders may use their valid ACE ticket on the Capitol Corridors.
2. Pass out information on Section 132 tax benefits for pre-tax and employer-contributed commuter checks. This program is very much like Section 125, where an employee can take pre tax dollars to buy transit passes. The limit is $65 per month but goes to $100 in 2002. Alternatively, employers can give employees the $65 tax free, or any mix totaling $65. This program is no more difficult to administer than 125 (actually it's easier), but the largest companies in America not in the program are in Silicon Valley. This can be on the ACE website, and can be posted and passed out on the train. www.commutercheck.com has more details.
3. If ACE must slightly retreat from the fare increase, keep the fares round numbers (eg, $8, not $7.80) delay the increase by a few months rather than increasing fares to uneven amounts.
4. Use the VTA Fremont-South-Bay commuter rail funding to pay for ACE operations and cut ACE fares. The VTA has been collecting funds under the 1996 Measure B for commuter rail between Santa Clara and Alameda County. In 2001 there should be about $100,000,000 available under this program which the VTA's board approved spending to "support expansion of the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE), the Capitol Corridor Intercity, and Amtrak rail services on the Alviso line." source.

Improved Trains

1. Label the train cars - "This is Car 3 - opens at every station", "This is car 6 - does not open in Alameda County" It's difficult for a passenger to determine if they're on car 3 or car 4.
2. Put the car numbers in the rest rooms. So if someone pushes the emergency button, they can tell the train personnel where they are.

Improved Schedule

1. Add an evening bus from Great America to Fremont-Centerville and Pleasanton, one hour after the last train of the day.
2. Add more turn-back trains. The earliest train could go back to Tracy, or Livermore for a mid-morning run, and the last train of the day could do a mid-afternoon run and get back to Diridon for its full run. UP has three scheduled container trains during the day, and these turnback trains could fit around UP's freights. Shuttles would probably not be needed for these mid-morning and mid-afternoon trains, or a "round-robin" shuttle, covering parts of the existing shuttle routes could be implemented.

Improved Shuttle Buses

1. Publish a comprehensive current shuttle bus map on the web: Something like the now obsolete http://acerider.org/maps/shuttle_2000.html
   Also publish a list and map of employers who operate private shuttles.
2. Bring back the Blue Shuttle so Moffett employees can use ACE. The present Light Rail connection does not work well. Have the Blue shuttle go to Moffett, then head south on Moffett Blvd, to Middlefield, then east on Middlefield, north on Logue, then east on Maude then north on Matilda back to CA-237. There are a lot of ACE riders and potential riders for that area and most of them are at least half a mile from Light Rail, plus the pedestrian crossings are not very safe in that area.
3. Add shuttles timed to connect to BART to suit a rider who begins in the morning by riding BART to Dublin/Pleasanton or to Fremont (or Union City), then transfers to ACE; then reverses this trip in the evening.
4. Improve the general quality of the bus fleet. The charter company that supplies these buses has various of quality problems. No heat or air conditioning, no lighting at times. Sometimes missing a 'this is an ORANGE, YELLOW, etc BUS' sign. Many of the drivers do not know where the other shuttles load or where they go.

Altamont Commuter Express will be running a special train on Saturday, June 02 from Lathrop to Fremont CA, in conjunction with Operation Lifesaver and Fremont/Centerville Depot Days. The Operation Lifesaver program is a nationwide, non-profit organization designed to help reduce accidents at highway-railroad crossings and to promote safety around railroad tracks.

Depot Days is an annual event celebrating the preservation of this former Southern Pacific station. Depot Days hours are 09:00 to 15:00 and in addition to a transportation and business fair, you can enjoy live music, a food plaza, children's games, operating model railroads and 1900's era costumes.

ACE will offer to the public, a special Operation Lifesaver train between Fremont and Livermore. This train will depart Fremont at 10:30 am, operate non-stop to Livermore and arrive back in Fremont at 12:15. There is no fee to ride the train, but you must sign up at the Operation Lifesaver booth in the depot parking lot. Seating is limited. Registration hours are 9:00 until 10:15 and you will be asked to view a 15-20 minute Operation Lifesaver presentation on board the train. The trip from Stockton to Fremont and return will also feature on-board Operation Lifesaver presentations, but is reserved for ACE monthly pass holders and their families. ACE will be using one locomotive and a six-car train set for the Special. The complete schedule is as follows:

07:30 Depart Stockton Yard
08:00 Arrive Lathrop
08:15 Depart Lathrop
09:15 Arrive Livermore
09:30 Depart Livermore
10:15 Arrive Fremont
10:30 Depart Fremont
11:15 Arrive Livermore
11:30 Depart Livermore
12:15 Arrive Fremont
12:30 Depart Fremont
13:10 Arrive Livermore
13:15 Depart Livermore
14:15 Arrive Lathrop
14:30 Depart Lathrop
15:00 Arrive Stockton Yard

Report on this meeting

2001 May 14  06:00pm - 08:00pm  (Monday)
Santa Clara Embassy Suites
2885 Lakeside Drive
Santa Clara

2001 May 16  06:00pm - 08:00pm  (Wednesday)
Fremont Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom
46100 Landing Parkway,
Fremont, CA
(just west of I-880 at Warren/Mission/Cushing/Fremont Blvd)

2001 May 17  06:00pm - 08:00pm  (Thursday)
Milpitas High School Library,
1285 Escuela Parkway, Milpitas

2001 May 21  06:00pm - 08:00pm  (Monday)
MLK Library, 180 West San Carlos, San Jose

Northern Alameda County
Tuesday, April 24, 2001, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Oakland City Hall
Hearing Room 3 (enter on 14th Street)
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza (corner of 14th and Broadway)
Oakland 

Southern Alameda County
Wednesday, April 25, 2001, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Kennedy Community Center
1333 Decoto Road
Union City