There is no need for Caltrain riders to “stand up and be counted.” Beginning Jan. 20, Caltrain will conduct its annual onboard count of riders, both seated and standing. With an estimated 60,000 riders on an average weekday, Caltrain is setting historic ridership records month after month. The count will provide critical information for planning future service improvements, allocating limited resources and validating ridership estimates based on ticket sales.
The physical head count of riders is conducted this time of year because there are typically fewer holidays and special events that could skew ridership numbers. And, by conducting the count at the same time each year, comparisons from one year to the next are more accurate.
Weekdays, every rider on every train is counted for one week and averaged over five weekdays. Weekends, riders on every train are counted for one weekend. The number of bike boardings and the number of bike riders not able to board the train due to overcrowding also will be counted.
Average weekday ridership has more than doubled since 1997, when it was 24,597, compared to 2014, when it was 52,611. Caltrain typically sees its heaviest ridership months beginning in summer and through the fall. Last year was no exception, with ridership data breaking 60,000 average weekday riders multiple times over the past year. The annual ridership count will confirm those trends and help the agency make projections for 2016.
In addition to an overall count of riders, the data is used to determine such things as the most popular stations and the most popular trains in the Caltrain system.
Results of the 2015 passenger count will be released after the data has been analyzed. The results of previous counts are posted on the Caltrain website.
