Passenger Trains > Caltrain can't afford cost of adding wi-fi service

How about a small ticket surcharge? The benefit would certainly outweigh any potential small drop in ridership.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Caltrain-can-t-afford-to-install-Wi-Fi-4094370.php

Better yet how about cutting the very bloated management at Caltrain ????
This agency has--had the HIGHEST paid CEO in ALL of California transit.
DO NOT hit the poor and beleaguered public with yet more and higher fares.
The Southern Pacific Railroad required far less management to run this same service.
The Capitol Corridor JPA could easily and better add this line to their excellent management team.
Why why do we need Samtrans in San Carlos when we have already an EXCELLENT Cap-Corr team in Oakland ???
The Capitol COrridor was the very FIRST agency to experiment with WIFI service.
Here just across the SF Bay Caltrain will be the very LAST agency to offer WIFI.
The Cap Corr makes things happen while Caltrain--Samtrans just makes excuses !!!!
Management must be FORCED to make some MAJOR sacrifices for the sake of society.
---- Daniel



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/12 10:32 by daniel3197.

Well said! I'm fed up with all the bloated management ranks out there. CUT MANAGEMENT, or outsource them (who needs them?--hire someone in India and tell them to call in with their ideas!), then add the savings to service improvement.

It does seem to the rogue elephant of transit operations. Being a Joint Powers Board of the nearby Transit agencies makes it kinda awkward. The HSR connection seems kinda strained, maybe just sell the whole show and let folks commute to LA as well.

Public authorities seem to have their own structure, and their deals with local politicians make the authority ripe for dumping retiring legislators, lobbyists, political hacks, etc into high paid jobs. We have the same problem in NJ, with the authorities creating brand new highly paid jobs for outgoing politicians and their associates. Never needed that $200,000 deputy assistant director for legislative liaison before this guy went out looking for it...

Like the legislature, there's little discipline other than the initiative process. Maybe it's time for a proposition limiting pay and bonus to $150,000 unless the name, amount and the job duties are publicly listed and voted on each year.

Capitol Corridor is managed by BART. Best to have Caltrain operated by BART. Should've built BART around the bay.


> The Capitol Corridor JPA could easily and better
> add this line to their excellent management team.
> Why why do we need Samtrans in San Carlos when we
> have already an EXCELLENT Cap-Corr team in Oakland

WHAT DROP IN RIDERSHIP. IT IS UP 15 PERCENT. WANT TO PLAY WITH A COMPUTER, BUY A STICK FOR YOUR COMPUTER USE YOUR USE YOUR CELL PHONE. THERE IS FOUR PLUGS OR MORE FOR AC ON BOARD EACH TRAIN. iT MIGHT HAPPEN SOMEDAY, BUT NOT NOW.

PAY UP, SUPPORT THE $ COME BACK.

All capital letters, that is shouting I believe.
Sid.

Metrolink doesn't have WiFi, nor do they have plans to add it. Their official stance is that they provide transportation, customers who need WiFi during their commute will likely have their own HotSpot or mobile device capable of reaching the Internet. Although I have a lot of people ask about WiFi nobody seems to be terribly disappointed when I tell them we don't have it. I doubt it will help ridership in any way, just another expense.

golden-spike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WANT TO PLAY WITH A COMPUTER, BUY A STICK FOR YOUR
> COMPUTER USE YOUR USE YOUR CELL PHONE.
>

That's fine, except for the coverage gaps for a lot of networks.
That's an advantage to having wireless on the train.
For a service with a lot of people commuting for business, that's a plus.

Hush little luxury, don't you cry--you'll be a necessity by and by.

daniel3197 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Better yet how about cutting the very bloated
> management at Caltrain ????
> This agency has--had the HIGHEST paid CEO in ALL
> of California transit.
> DO NOT hit the poor and beleaguered public with
> yet more and higher fares.
> The Southern Pacific Railroad required far less
> management to run this same service.
> The Capitol Corridor JPA could easily and better
> add this line to their excellent management team.
> Why why do we need Samtrans in San Carlos when we
> have already an EXCELLENT Cap-Corr team in Oakland
> ???
> The Capitol COrridor was the very FIRST agency to
> experiment with WIFI service.
> Here just across the SF Bay Caltrain will be the
> very LAST agency to offer WIFI.
> The Cap Corr makes things happen while
> Caltrain--Samtrans just makes excuses !!!!
> Management must be FORCED to make some MAJOR
> sacrifices for the sake of society.
> ---- Daniel

They are in the business of moving people, not playing HALO.

Don't get it. Can aford HSR but not wi-fi??

And Xfinity (Comcast) is now installing many wifi access points in California so that its customers may soon be able to stay connected while riding Caltrain.

I think airlines have added wifi as an incentive for passengers to choose their airline over competitors. Since Caltrain has no real competitors (I do use Samtrans at times if more convenient to my destination in the City), I don't see what advantage they would obtain by offering wifi at their expense on their trains.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/12 12:39 by chakk.