Bay Meadows

On a recent sunny morning, Bay Area leaders gathered to celebrate the 10^th year of service for Caltrain’s Baby Bullet. The express train was a welcome addition on the rails in 2004 when it cut travel times between San Francisco and San Jose from 90 minutes to less than 60 minutes.

As Caltrain presses full steam ahead with its electrification and preparation for High Speed Rail, ridership has soared. Reflecting the hot jobs market along with a desire for less car-dependence, the increased ridership has catalyzed numerous business leaders to help Caltrain address the challenges of greater demand.

Joining the festivities at Caltrain’s anniversary party was Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council, an association of the region’s larger companies. The Bay Area Council announced a new initiative to help advocate for funding and support to increase Caltrain’s capacity. While the Baby Bullet has helped to fuel the astounding economic growth along Highway 101 over the past decade, the system faces capacity constraints.

In the 10 years since the Baby Bullet trains were added to Caltrain’s schedule, average weekday ridership on the system has climbed from 23,947 passengers to more than 61,000 passengers—a staggering 150 percent increase.

Enter the Caltrain Commuter Coalition (C3), which includes participation from companies such as Google, Oracle, LinkedIn, the 49ers, Stanford University and others. C3 will collectively advocate for Caltrain modernization, capacity enhancement and other improvements to bolster job creation and continue to drive economic growth in the region. Other groups supporting C3 include SAMCEDA, SPUR and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Everyone loves train photos! As we develop community, we want to see how you live or play at Bay Meadows. Share your fun lifestyle photos with our community by using #baymeadowslife in our Fame x Frame Photo Contest. You could WIN $50 or our Grand Prize of $500 at the end of 2014 and be featured in a live pop-up photo gallery exhibit. Click here for official rules. Each month, Bay Meadows will select one photo to WIN a $50 gift card at Whole Foods Market San Mateo. Simply hop on instagram or twitter at tag us using #baymeadowslife or submit up to 10 photos per month to photos@BayMeadows.com .

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