Board proclaims September Transit Month, marks VTA’s 30th anniversary and Caltrain electrification milestones

The board proclaimed September as Transit Month and acknowledged two transit milestones: the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) 30th anniversary and the first anniversary of Caltrain's electrified service.

Supervisor Abakkoga (spelling appears as Abakoga/Abakova in the transcript) introduced the proclamation and noted transit's role in connecting residents to jobs and services. She said about 20% of county residents are considered transit dependent. The presentation highlighted VTA projects including the BART to Silicon Valley extension (six additional miles and four stations in Santa Clara and San Jose) and the Eastridge-to-BART regional connector, and noted VTA’s work on transit-oriented development that requires at least 25% of homes in such developments to be affordable to households at or below 60% of area median income.

Caltrain representatives said electrified service, launched roughly one year earlier, has produced quieter, cleaner and faster service and that ridership has increased since electrification. Caltrain chief-of-staff representative Casey Fromson said the system is serving over a million riders monthly and reported a ridership increase of 75% year-over-year (July to July) and weekend ridership at 169% of pre-COVID levels. Evelyn Tran, VTA general counsel, accepted the recognition for VTA and summarized current capital projects and outreach for Transit Month.

Board members praised the agencies and lauded transit as a tool for reducing congestion and advancing climate goals.