Caltrain Funding Reconfigured

Caltrain may soon see $3.7 million in much-needed funding from a funds swap approved by the SamTrans Board of Directors at a meeting Wednesday.

The SamTrans board unanimously voted in favor of an exchange of $3.7 million of SamTrans Proposition 1B funds, meant for capital improvements, to finance a portion of the Caltrain operating budget in fiscal year 2012.

This funding commitment comes as going into fiscal year 2012, beginning July 1 of this year.

The $3.7 million had yet to be allocated to any specific project.

SamTrans board member Adrienne Tissier said she voted in favor of the funds swap because Caltrain is an essential piece to the entire public transit system serving the Bay Area, without which roads and highways may see an influx in vehicle congestion.

“Its about the overall health in our county,” Tisser said of the funding commitment.

Staff is now moving forward to close a tentative agreement for the funds swap to finance Caltrain operations.

SamTrans, facing a structural deficit of its own, had previously proposed to reduce its operating subsidy to Caltrain by $11.7 million over two years (fiscal year 2011 and 2012).

After discussion with the Joint Powers Board (JPB) member agencies, the City and County of San Francisco, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the district crafted a new proposal to contribute $10.6 million in operating subsidy to Caltrain for fiscal year 2012.

The $3.7 million fund swap is just one portion of that operating subsidy, with $4.9 coming from Measure A funds from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and $2 million from VTA’s repayment of the district’s investment in Caltrain right-of-way funding.

Securing this funding has been a collaborative effort on the part of all of these transit agencies.

Adina Levin, a leader behind the non-profit, grassroots organization Friends of Caltrain, was also present at the board meeting in support of funding a no-service-cuts Caltrain.

Levin brought with her a petition for the board to approve the funds swap. It was signed by close to 300 people.

In April, the Caltrain board approved a no-cuts Caltrain schedule after previously projecting that it may need to cut nearly half of its operating train schedule due to budget constraints.

This anticipated funding commitment will subsidize the operational cost of a 86-train, no-cut schedule.