The Capitol Corridor
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 3 June 2010 — 3 comments below »
Barring any further debilitating condition of the funding mechanism, Capitol Corridor (Amtrak) will be stopping in Hercules in early 2013 (with the completion of the Intermodal Station, albeit a full 8 years behind schedule), and residents will soon grow accustomed to the sight and sound of a train pulling into station…
(The video above is of Train No. 520 arriving at Martinez last month.)
Although it is rather difficult to discern how much Capitol Corridor will cost for Herculeans and Hercules passengers — who knows what the Joint Powers will come up with? — one could assume an even split between what it currently costs Richmond (RIC) and Martinez (MTZ) passengers, since Hercules is roughly halfway between the two.
Therefore, below is a table — herein “matrix” — for major destinations on the line and an interpolated cost for the Hercules station (possibly HRC, since HER is already taken)…
| Destination | Richmond (RIC) | Martinez (MTZ) | Hercules (HRC) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-way | Monthly | One-way | Monthly | One-way | Monthly | |
| Sacramento (SAC) | $16 | $368 | $23 | $269 | $20 | $319 |
| Davis (DAV) | $20 | $337 | $14 | $236 | $17 | $287 |
| Richmond (RIC; BART transfer) | N/A | N/A | $10 | $169 | $5 | $85 |
| Emeryville (EMY; bus service to SF) | $7.50 | $118 | $11 | $185 | $9.50 | $152 |
| Oakland (OKJ) | $8.50 | $136 | $12 | $202 | $10.50 | $169 |
| Oak Coliseum (OKC; shuttle to OAK)* | $10 | $168 | $14 | $218 | $12 | $193 |
| San Jose (SJC; connect to Caltrain)* | $17 | $272 | $22 | $363 | $20 | $318 |
* Not all trains go past OKJ; only certain trains throughout the day stop at OKC and SJC.
This is probably about right, and the main reason why so few people use public transportation in the US (as opposed to just about everywhere else). Who would pay $80 round trip for a couple to go to Sacramento instead of driving their car, especially considering the subsequent cost of getting to where you need to go in town? And $20 round trip for a couple to get to the Richmond BART station? I can take a taxi for about that much. If we want to get people to use public transportation, we must bring down these costs (and improve the performance).
The main reason why public transportation is not as popular in the US as the rest of the world isn’t so much about ticket prices. The bigger cost as I see it, is the cost of time and convenience (let alone the quality of the overall experience).
Most American towns & cities built after WWII have been designed around the car, which makes public transit (not to mention walking or biking) a hassle and very impractical. Groups that don’t have access to an automobile (be it the old, the young, or the poor) suffer from being trapped in a car-centric world.
We’re very lucky that our city has been reinventing itself by designing around transit and pedestrian friendly places. In America (especially California) this is very unique and makes Hercules something rather special. Thumbs up for that.
@ Jeff Boore — Capitol Corridor is largely a commuter line (and will likely remain so since it has few stops), and the monthly unlimited pass to Sacramento from Hercules comes to around $8 each way. Much more reasonable.