Amtrak ridership soars with gas prices

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 26, 2008 | by Janis Mara

Driven by high gas prices, Bay Area commuters are hopping on trains in record-breaking numbers, according to Amtrak.

Riders fleeing fuel costs in July leapt aboard the two Amtrak systems serving the Bay Area, pushing up ridership.

The Capitol Corridor, Amtrak's major commuter train service with stops from San Jose to Sacramento, saw a nearly 33 percent jump compared with July of last year, to more than 160,000 passengers.

The San Joaquin route, between San Francisco, Oakland and Bakersfield, jumped 32 percent, to more than 100,000 passengers.

Other Bay Area train services such as Caltrain reported jumps, as well. On the national level, thanks to higher gas and airline issues, more than 2.75 million people took trains in July, Amtrak said.

"The most noticeable (ridership) increases occurred in June and July when gas prices spiked," said Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham.

Gas has dipped since hitting a peak of $4.58 in the East Bay on June 18.

But a gallon of regular is selling for $3.98 a gallon here, according to AAA, compared with $2.89 a gallon at this time a year ago.

The summer is traditionally Amtrak's peak travel time, Graham said, as people hop on trains for vacations.

Traffic congestion and the cost and hassle of airplane travel also contributed to the jump in ridership, with "about 50 percent" of the jump attributable to gas prices.

Graham expects that ridership will continue to increase, "just because that's what we've been seeing year after year. August may not see as significant an increase, but most likely will be an increase over August 2007."

Reach Janis Mara at 925-952-2671 or jmara@bayareanewsgroup.com. For the Bay Area's lowest gas prices, visit the Gas Prices Page at www.contracostatimes.com/gasprices.>

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