I’ve seen the Caltrain South County ridership numbers: Gilroy, 100 riders per day; San Martin, 22 riders per day; Morgan Hill, 120 riders per day; Blossom Hill, 54 riders per day; Capitol, 42 riders per day.
These five stations south of Tamien are not electrified and Caltrain doesn’t own the tracks; Union Pacific Railroad does.
I’ve been trying for nine years to get the City of Gilroy and Caltrain to advertise, educate and encourage ridership. It’s not built into our culture and it’s a heavy lift for me to continue promoting Caltrain to South County and, in the future, to Salinas.
We recently talked about this at our May South County VTA agenda preparation meeting with VTA staff and Caltrain staff. VTA plays a role in our development review process; Caltrain doesn’t.
As of February 2025, the VTA’s Frequent 68 (San Jose to Gilroy every day) runs every 15 minutes and averages 4,219 daily boardings. The Rapid 568 (San Jose to Gilroy Monday-Friday) runs every 30 minutes and averages 932 daily boardings. I’ve been keeping track for a few years and reporting out the numbers at Gilroy City Council meetings and my newsletters.
Those are numbers to support the cost to operate, while we continue to shift residents to transit.
I attended the May VTA Joint Committees workshop where we reviewed the budget and asked questions. Caltrain is putting the full burden of the South County Caltrain (Capitol, Blossom Hill, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy) cost onto VTA and it’s been estimated to reach $15 million.
That’s not worth it for this budget cycle. Per the 1996 Restated Joint Powers Agreement (JPA Sections A and B), VTA is “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.
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 338 riders per day Monday through Friday. 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’ve encouraged the VTA board and Caltrain board to pause South County Caltrain service for the next two years 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.
Use the savings 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.
Many residents are employed outside of Gilroy, but we have a large population that work, attend school and are retired in Gilroy. Thirty-eight percent of our population is aged 24 years and younger. They benefit from local transit and rideshare.
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. I am proud to represent Gilroy on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) in 2025.
Zach Hilton
Gilroy City Council member
