Caltrain Considers Declaring Fiscal Emergency To Close Deficit
SAN CARLOS (KCBS) - Caltrain officials said Thursday they would hold a hearing in March on whether to declare a fiscal emergency that would allow them cut service, close stations and raise fares without a full review.
The agency is facing a $30 million budget shortfall that CEO Mike Scanlon said would be difficult to close without a dedicated source of funding.
KCBS' Mark Seelig Reports:
"I've been in the crisis for many years now, so you sort of get good at it," he said.
"You find one-time money and OK, then it becomes two-time money because you can hit that source again. But I think now it's pretty safe to say the tricks, we've definitely run out of them."
Riders at Thursday's board meeting said Caltrain is an important part of life on the Peninsula for both weekday commuters and weekend sports fans.
Ideas during the public comment phase of the meeting included having the San Francisco Giants and San Jose Sharks stage benefits for the transit agency since so many fans rely on the trains to catch games.
Another speaker cited a transportation study showing U.S. Highway 101 would have to add two additional lanes to absorb the additional traffic if Caltrain were to stop running.
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