Caltrain South County Connector (Part 3)

I’ve seen the November South County Connector ridership numbers (Monday-Friday 4 Trains North in morning and 4 Trains South in evening) Gilroy 133 riders/day, San Martin 34 riders/day, Morgan Hill 136 riders/day, Blossom Hill 76 riders/day, Capitol 49 riders/day. It's not fiscally responsible to fund Caltrain South County Connector at $15 million for 428 riders/day M-F when they aren’t serving the current commute travel patterns and while VTA is facing a fiscally constrained FY26 and FY27 Transit Operating Budget. Caltrain is heading into a deficit for FY27 too. These five stations south of Tamien are not electrified and Caltrain doesn’t own the tracks, Union Pacific Railroad does. South County Caltrain service doesn’t have the impact needed to relieve congestion on U.S. Route 101 today or historically. 

-Gilroy Dispatch OpEd August 14, 2025 

-Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board August

-Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board December

-Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board January

Although VTA Staff has stated they will not cut frequent/daily Gilroy VTA bus service in order to keep Caltrain service, I remain concerned that Caltrain Staff will still try and pursue this option. All while VTA is facing a fiscally constrained FY26 and FY27 Transit Operating Budget and Caltrain is heading into a deficit for FY27 too. The demographic of riders I am currently hearing from that use VTA vs South County Caltrain are contrasted between those whose incomes need frequent/daily public transportation on VTA for their jobs, groceries, healthcare, and aging in place, may be sacrificed for those with significantly more means that are attending private prep-schools and commuting an average of 3 days a week on Caltrain.

We continue to talk about this at our South County VTA agenda preparation meetings with VTA staff and Caltrain staff. Caltrain and VTA aren’t focused just on Gilroy and Morgan Hill. We are focused on moving the most people on mass transit from Gilroy to Diridon. We track and budget the ridership/cost from both agencies and have been comparing them for a long time. When ridership is low, services get cut, that’s a given. 

Seated capacity for each of the 4 diesel trains that make up the South County Connector as configured currently (3 cars, including 1 bike car) is 394-415, with space for 24 bikes. Each car has between 114 and 144 seated capacities and the standing room capacity ranges from 472-498. Total max seated capacity of the South County Connector service is 1,660. Standing room max capacity 1,992. Caltrain FY26 cost of South County Connector from a calculation in April is $14,451,619. More trains or increased frequency will increase that cost. That's not worth it for the current or future budget cycle. Caltrain operations should not be funded from VTA Transit funds, 2000 Measure A funds, or 2016 Measure B Caltrain Corridor Capacity. There are no grants that would be beneficial in funding this current level of service and ridership. Caltrain is currently using Federal funds to operate the South County Connector and that is about to run out. 

Gilroy isn’t the starting point for traffic any longer. San Benito County and Monterey County drivers contribute to it as well. In 2023 Caltrans Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) at Cochrane in Morgan Hill was 142,000 vehicles per day and in 2019 Caltrans Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) at Cochrane in Morgan Hill was 148,000 vehicles per day.

Per the 1996 Restated Joint Powers Agreement (JPA Sections A and B) make VTA “responsible for all net operating costs of the Gilroy service” and “obtaining all Gilroy Service capital projects”. It does not obligate Caltrain or VTA to operate service to Gilroy, though it assumed there would always be a market. 

The State provided funding for one battery powered train (not four) which will serve as a pilot and it is supposed to run on the electrified system from Diridon to SF. The last update I received is this is not going to happen in FY26 or FY27. 

VTA, Caltrain, and South County communities do minimal to increase Caltrain South County Connector ridership, so the expectation that ridership on Caltrain will increase is not a reality today. It's not fiscally responsible to fund $15 million for 428 riders/day M-F. 

I am proud to represent Gilroy on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and CalTrain Local Policy Maker Group (LPMG) Alternate in 2026.

La Ofrenda Festival

Nestled in the heart of Downtown Gilroy, the La Ofrenda Festival | Gilroy’s third annual Día de Muertos Festival & Wellness Fair on November 1st 1-7pm will be an extraordinary event and is more than just a day of festivities; it’s an immersive experience that embraces the essence of Día de Muertos – a time when families come together to honor their departed loved ones and celebrate the eternal bond between the living and the deceased. With vibrant ofrendas (altars) adorned with marigold flowers, moving performances, a community bike ride, and a variety of talented artists, our festival promises an unforgettable experience that will leave a lasting impression on the South County community and beyond. La Ofrenda Festival is made possible with a Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grant, a program of SVCreates, with support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, City of Gilroy, County of Santa Clara and fiscally sponsored by Local Color, 501c3. https://www.laofrendafestival.com

This is the best team that I’ve been on and built up by my friend Rubén Darío Villa. We are all unique creatives, festival leads, and high level leaders in our own spaces. The success of this team is that we all gave something into the La Ofrenda Festival & Wellness Fair and expected nothing in return but success of each other and the festival. My dreams for a bike/ped/walk/transit oriented festival have come true with the creation of Cycle, Health, and Transit Plaza. Thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors, and organizations that made it come true.

Gilroy’s La Ofrenda Festival is bringing together a cross section of sponsorships and partnerships from government, education, health, private sector, arts, transportation, culture, non-profits, labor workforce and more. I would like to personally invite you to join us, and travel to the festival by bike, bus, walk, or drive. The Arts are alive in Gilroy. In 2021, I was contacted by SV Creates (Santa Clara County Arts Council) to build a relationship that wasn’t here prior in Gilroy. From those first initial meetings blossomed into an Arts Círculo held at 6th St Art Studios and around the corner at the Neon Exchange. Today we have a monthly Arts Roundtable, Third Friday Art Walk, Chalk Fest, La Ofrenda Festival, La Casa de Cultura y Arte, and doors continue to open. 

La Ofrenda Festival will have many experiences for you including a Community Bike Ride, Free Bike Parking, Helmet Fittings, Bike Repair, Bike Education, Wellness Vendors, and a Transit & Mobility Plaza that features a VTA bus. This year’s presenting partner, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), will be bringing their Dream Home mobile demonstration, where community members can learn about and interact with electric equipment and appliances. 

We are actively advancing ideas and projects that promote the concept of free-range people in the City of Gilroy. We advocate for building and planning that considers future generations as well as current residents who don’t own cars. Advancing mobility options reflects what we are teaching the youth in our community through Safe Routes to School and why we are nationally recognized as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, as well as recognized by the World Health Organization as an Age-Friendly Community. The City of Gilroy is a Complete Streets and Recreation Destination community by resolution.

The City of Gilroy celebrates the role that the arts and creativity play in helping us navigate a pandemic, amplify the need for racial equity, and highlight the power of the arts to change our lives for the better. The Gilroy Arts & Culture Commission and SV Creates work in partnership to support the arts and creativity in Gilroy as an essential part of our thriving community. SV Creates partners locally with the Gilroy Arts & Culture Commission and Gilroy Arts Roundtable to include the City of Gilroy with a network of leaders who care about the resilience of our arts ecosystem and its impact to our community. They are conveners, promoters, incubators, and funders of the arts with a mission to elevate Silicon Valley’s creative culture. The City of Gilroy recognizes that the arts and creativity support student success and life-long learning, provide key job skills, and bring joy to our community while strengthening our connections; and values partnering with SV Creates and State-level organizations to promote unified support for the arts.

Caltrain South County Connector (Part 2)

I’ve seen the June South County Caltrain ridership numbers (Monday-Friday 4 Trains North in morning and 4 Trains South in evening) Gilroy 126 riders/day, San Martin 22 riders/day, Morgan Hill 104 riders/day, Blossom Hill 68 riders/day, Capitol 45 riders/day. It's not fiscally responsible to fund Caltrain South County at $15 million for 365 riders/day M-F when they aren’t serving the current commute travel patterns. These five stations south of Tamien are not electrified and Caltrain doesn’t own the tracks, Union Pacific Railroad does. South County Caltrain service doesn’t have the impact needed to relieve congestion on U.S. Route 101 today or historically.

My concern is that frequent/daily Gilroy VTA bus service will be cut in order to keep Caltrain service. All while VTA is facing a fiscally constrained FY26 and FY27 Transit Operating Budget and Caltrain is heading into a deficit for FY27 too. The demographic of riders I am currently hearing from that use VTA vs South County Caltrain are contrasted between those whose incomes need frequent/daily public transportation on VTA for their jobs, groceries, healthcare, and aging in place, may be sacrificed for those with significantly more means that are attending private prep-schools and commuting an average of 3 days a week on Caltrain. 

We continue to talk about this at our South County VTA agenda preparation meetings with VTA staff and Caltrain staff. VTA plays a role in our development review process, Caltrain doesn’t. We are focused on moving the most people on mass transit from Gilroy to Diridon. We track and budget the ridership/cost from both agencies and have been comparing them for a long time. When ridership is low, services get cut, that’s a given.

Gilroy Dispatch OpEd August 14, 2025

Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board August

Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board December

Full Letter to VTA and Caltrain Board January

Caltrain plans on putting the full burden of the South County Caltrain (Capitol, Blossom Hill, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy) cost onto VTA and it starts at $15 million. More trains or increased frequency will increase that cost. Caltrain operations should not be funded from VTA Transit funds, 2000 Measure A funds, or 2016 Measure B Caltrain Corridor Capacity. There are no grants that would be beneficial in funding this current level of service and ridership.

Caltrain is currently using Federal Tax funds to operate South County Caltrain and that is about to run out. Those funds could be better spent on service that meets the needs for mass transit. Gilroy isn’t the starting point for traffic any longer. San Benito County and Monterey County drivers contribute to it as well. 

The State provided funding for one battery powered train (not four) which will serve as a pilot and it is supposed to run on the electrified system from Diridon to SF. The last update I received is this is not going to happen in FY26 or FY27. 

VTA, Caltrain, and South County communities do minimal to increase South County Caltrain ridership, so the expectation that suddenly ridership on Caltrain will increase is not a reality today. It's not fiscally responsible to fund $15 million for 365 riders/day M-F. Enhancing the current South County ridership of the Frequent 68 and Rapid 568 lines is the more fiscally responsible path for these next two years. 

I encourage both VTA and Caltrain to pause South County Caltrain service while we work collaboratively with all partners on ways to double track or purchase the existing tracks with a goal to have the same service levels as Tamien to San Francisco. Continue to enhance the successful current services on the VTA Frequent 68 and Rapid 568 bus lines that currently serve thousands of daily riders from South County. 

I am proud to represent Gilroy on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and CalTrain Local Policy Maker Group (LPMG) in 2025.