Caltrain Seeks Input On Minority and Low-Income Policies

In response to new Federal Transit Administration Title VI discrimination protection requirements, Caltrain is seeking public comment on its proposed policies that would define when fare and service changes are significant enough that it would trigger analysis of their impacts on minority and low-income populations. 

Public meeting:

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Bayview Opera House

4705 Third St., San Francisco 

 The proposed policy sets analysis criteria for two areas: major service changes and unfair or disproportionate impacts to minority and low-income populations.  When a fare change or major service change is proposed, Caltrain would conduct analysis based on whether the proposal meets the criteria spelled out below.

Caltrain is recommending analysis be required:

- for all fare changes- changes that reduce or add total passenger service by 25 percent or more per day- changes that reduce or add stops at a specific station by 50 percent per day. 

These disparate, or unfair, impacts and disproportional burden thresholds are proposed to be triggered whenever the cumulative impact of a change affects minority or low-income populations the agency serves by 10 percent more than other parts of the community.   

Caltrain will be hosting public meetings at several locations along the rail corridor to receive feedback on the proposal before asking the board to adopt the policies at its April meeting.

Caltrain is accepting public comment on these proposals at the meetings or by:

• E-mail to TitleVI@caltrain.com
• U.S. Postal Service:
  

Caltrain
C/o Operations Planning
P.O. Box 3006
San Carlos, CA 94070-1306

• Phone: 1.800.660.4287 (TTY: 650.508.6448 for hearing impaired)
  

The deadline for public comment is Friday, March 29 at 5 p.m.  To view the draft policies, visit www.caltrain.com/TitleVI.

Hearing impaired and non-English speaking attendees may arrange for sign language or foreign language translation by calling 650.508.6370 at least 72 hours prior to the meetings.

Title VI, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, protects all people from discrimination, stating:  

“No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

About Caltrain:   Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain has enjoyed 28 consecutive months of ridership increases, surpassing more than 50,000 average weekday riders earlier this year. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad will celebrate 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the corridor by 2019, reducing diesel emissions by 90 percent and adding more service to more stations.
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