[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 188 (Thursday, December 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2209-E2210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2011

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 20th 
anniversary of the Capitol Corridor train service, which connects the 
Sacramento Region to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a great pleasure 
to recognize the corridor's stellar track record of providing cost-
effective, public transportation that stimulates economic development, 
reduces emissions, and promotes partnerships among passengers, private 
investors, and the communities. As the Capitol Corridors' supporters 
and partners gather to celebrate this milestone, I ask all my 
colleagues to join me in honoring the essential role that the Capitol 
Corridor plays in Northern California.
  Since its inception on December 12, 1991, with a mere six trains 
between Sacramento

[[Page E2210]]

and San Jose, the Capitol Corridor has significantly grown and invested 
in infrastructure, increasing the number of weekday trains to thirty-
two, weekend trains to twenty-two and expanding its corridor to span 
seven counties with a total population of 6.7 million. In addition to 
investing in railcars and tracks, it has established signaling systems 
and sixteen stations that directly connect its passengers to the Bay 
Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, Santa Clara Valley Transportation 
Authority buses, and Sacramento Regional Transit light rails.
  Over the past twenty years, the Capital Corridor has experienced a 
600 percent increase in ridership, up to 1.7 million passengers in the 
2010-2011 fiscal year. In all, it has carried nearly 19 million people 
to travel 1.3 billion miles. With this popular intercity train service, 
the downtown Sacramento Valley Station is now the seventh busiest 
Amtrak station in the country.
  The Capitol Corridor has been managed by the Capitol Corridor Joint 
Powers Authority (CCJPA) since 1998. Previously, the Capitol Corridor 
was a partnership between Amtrak and Caltrans. The CCJPA consists of a 
partnership of six transit agencies from the counties serviced by the 
Capitol Corridor. Operating funds for the CCJPA are provided by 
Caltrans. Administrative costs are kept down because of the strong 
partnership between Amtrak, BART, Caltrain, Caltrans, CCJPA and Union 
Pacific Railroad. In the past twenty years, the Capitol Corridor has 
stayed major accident-free and also improved lives by reducing air 
pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to the Capital Corridor, and 
its record of giving Northern Californians more transportation options, 
on their 20th anniversary. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring 
the Capitol Corridor's outstanding work in providing the community with 
much needed services.

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