Capitol Corridor Announces Steady Ridership Thanks to Successful Promotions and Steller On-Time Performance

As the economy slowly recovers, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) is experiencing a steady upward trend in ridership and revenue, as well as unprecedented on-time performance thresholds. In fact, in September Capitol Corridor achieved 98 percent on-time performance–the best intercity passenger rail performance in the nation.

“Nearly 1.6 million people rode Capitol Corridor trains in Fiscal Year 2009-10, (FY 2009-10) which ended on September 30,” CCJPA Chair Jim Holmes announced. “Although ridership results struggled in the first five months of the fiscal year, we were thrilled to see ridership increasing four percent in the last seven months. We are grateful for this upward trend. Our revenue for the fiscal year also showed a four percent increase when compared to the previous fiscal year. What’s even more significant is the consistent, high level of on-time performance the Capitol Corridor achieved all year. We ended the month of September with a superior 98 percent on-time performance—the best performance in the history of our service. We are proud to have the most reliable intercity passenger rail service in the nation.”

Capitol Corridor officials attribute these positive results to a recovering economy, improved performance by its host railroad, Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), and two very successful marketing promotions launched in the spring: Kids Ride Free on Weekends (Friday, too) and Seniors Ride Half Off. Both discount offers end on October 31, 2010.

 “Thousands of families and seniors took advantage of our discounted fares this summer, which helped fill our seats during off-peak travel periods,” CCJPA Managing Director David Kutrosky said. “So far this season, families using the Kids Ride Free on Weekends discount increased a remarkable103 percent over FY 2008-09. The senior discount showed even more impressive results: 160 percent more active seniors took advantage of the mid-week discount compared to last fiscal year!”

 “In planning our marketing strategies for the FY2009-10 year we paid close attention to the economic landscape and acknowledged that discretionary travel is more attractive at discounted fares,” CCJPA Marketing Manager Priscilla Kalugdan said. “Our strategy paid off. Through August more than 15,400 family members and 11,120 seniors took advantage of our lowered fares.”

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