REGION: College riders cause Sprinter spike

District adds cars to handle crunch

By PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer | Saturday, August 30, 2008 5:10 PM PDT ∞

A westbound Sprinter train pulls into the Cal State San Marcos station Wednesday afternoon. The trains have seen an increase in passengers since classes began last week. (Photo by Bill Wechter - staff photographer)
CSUSM student David Vazquez reads a textbook while waiting for a westbound Sprinter train at the Cal State San Marcos station Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Bill Wechter - staff photographer)

NORTH COUNTY ---- The start of the fall semester at three North County college campuses has brought a spike in riders on the Sprinter light-rail line and has pushed transit planners to double seating capacity during busy morning and afternoon runs.

Though the North County Transit District, which operates the 22-mile line between Oceanside and Escondido, has had no updated passenger count available ---- classes started Monday ---- the stops at Cal State San Marcos, Palomar College and MiraCosta College have seen crowds of students streaming off packed trains each morning.

The district does acknowledge a spike in riders.

Judy Garza, a junior at Cal State San Marcos, said she has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of students riding the Sprinter this fall.

"In the spring, there were just a handful, but now when you get on, there are always at least 20 other students there as well," Garza said Thursday, as she waited for a campus shuttle to take her from the Sprinter stop to the main buildings on campus.

"I think people are realizing now that it is cheaper and faster to just ride the train," she said.

Garza, who lives in Ramona, said she drives her car to the Escondido Transit Center on Valley Parkway before getting on the Sprinter. A parking pass at Cal State costs $55 per month, while a subsidized bus and rail pass costs $45.

Sarah Benson, a spokesperson for the transit district, said organizers worked hard over the summer to court college riders, mailing about 25,000 postcards to students urging them to use the Sprinter to get to and from classes this fall.

The district will conduct formal passenger counts in about two weeks to better measure the college-driven increase, Benson said.

"We're going to be monitoring the situation to see how it goes, but we know we have seen a real spike in the mornings and the evenings," she said.

The district has already taken action to help keep Sprinter cars from getting too packed.

Planners decided to double the Sprinter's morning and evening capacity Monday through Friday by doubling the number of cars traveling the line, a move that increases capacity from 226 to 452 passengers per trip. The change also doubles the number of bicycles that can be carried per trip. Benson said double trains will operate from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

All three campuses have reported significant increases in Sprinter train riders with the start of the fall semester. Of the three, Cal State San Marcos has the best way of counting the increase.

The college provides a free shuttle bus to haul students nearly one mile from the Sprinter Station at La Moree Road and East Barham Drive to its main cluster of buildings. Shuttle drivers keep a running tally of how many students and employees ride the shuttle every day, providing an objective measure of how the number of Sprinter riders has increased from the spring to fall semesters.

Deb Schmidt, the university's transportation manager, said the shuttle carried an average of 68 passengers per day in the spring, but that number jumped to about 250 per day in the first four days of the fall semester.

Schmidt said she expects the campus to sell all 150 of its subsidized monthly transit passes in the first week of classes.

"So far, our numbers indicate a very large increase," Schmidt said.

MiraCosta College reported a similar swell in the number of riders.

Dick Robertson, MiraCosta's vice president of student services, said the community college in Oceanside is considering whether to increase the number of subsidized transit passes it sells each month beyond its current limit of 200.

He added that a large fall enrollment has filled every available parking spot on campus, making the Sprinter more attractive for students who want to avoid the daily hunt for a parking space.

"We're at capacity," Robertson said. "We have no room to park anyone else. It's anecdotal at this point, but there is no doubt we have more students riding public transportation this fall than we did in the spring."

With 30,000 full and part-time students, Palomar College in San Marcos is the Sprinter's largest college customer. At 9:10 a.m. Thursday, the eastbound Sprinter delivered about 100 students to Palomar. Among them was first-year student Asia Russell of Fallbrook, who said she parks at the Vista Transit Center and rides the train to campus.

"It's a lot easier than driving and finding parking," Russell said. "That's why a lot of us are doing it."

The North County Transit District has said for years that the three colleges along the Sprinter's route will be a key constituent in helping the line reach its goal of nearly 12,000 daily boardings by the end of its first year of operation. In June, monitors stationed at each of the Sprinter's 15 stations estimated that the line was carrying 7,659 riders per day.

Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Mike S. wrote on Aug 30, 2008 9:10 PM:Well, it isn't "nearly a mile" from the CSUSM Sprinter station to the nearest classroom buildings on campus, because I can walk it in about 8 minutes. I can get to my office, in one of the more distant buildings, in 13 minutes.

And student passes for CSUSM students are $49.00, not $45.00 as reported.

George wrote on Aug 31, 2008 12:45 AM:There are 136 seats in each Sprinter car. You need to have 90 standees to reach the stated capacity of 226, which means you are packing them together like sardines. I prefer my own car, thank you.

train rider wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:45 AM:It seems like just yesterday all I heard on this forum was that the train was a waste of money and that nobody would ride it...hhhmmnnn. Sounds like a bunch of people are eating their words right now and we know darn well that they are from the republican (reactionist) party that continues to be without any forsight, and just reacts to the problems they create...The sprinter is the future...the future is here...what other change can we come up with to make the world better....HHmmmnnn I wonder???

Transit rider wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:15 AM:They did build it and we have come. Sprinter is proving itself a good investment in moving North County people, and the nay-sayers must be furious!

Umm.. wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:48 AM:...and the service actually opened mid-semester and lots of folks had already purchased their parking passes and what not since then. Now that a new semester has started those who really wanted to use the train service have been able to shape their schedule around it.

Too bad you can't use it for night classes at Palomar.

Ride the rails wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:45 AM:Make fuel prices high enough and you can force people into public transportation. Fuel prices caused by the republican administration that sleeps with the oil industry.

Screw us all... wrote on Aug 31, 2008 12:46 PM:"Ride the rails" is another paranoid uber-liberal. That's a good solution to raise the price of all goods and services too, which impacts the poor far more than rich guys like me. I can soak up $5+ gas like it's cool, but people making $10 an hour will be out to lynch idiots like you. Then who are your liberal buddies going to blame?

Walt wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:03 PM:Hopefully train rider, Transit rider, and CSUSM students say a little prayer of thanks for the bargain they get at taxpayer expense. Students drive to taxpayer-provided "free" parking then pay about $5 for two Sprinter trips that cost taxpayers over $15 just to board, and cost taxpayers another $10 or so to operate. Then use that "free" one mile shuttle taxpayers provide, after taxpayers had paid several $million to extend Sprinter "to" campus. All that to save 30 cents or so per day instead of parking in a taxpayer subsidized space right on campus. Of course we hear maybe no space. But then with a little forthought one could be provided for about 1/5 the real cost of Sprinter. Save some $ 4/gal gas? Then there are those half price or less buses to the Sprinter stations. Welcome to what Transit rider calls a good investment.

Well just walk I guess wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:18 PM:"Ride the rails" is another paranoid uber-liberal. That's a good solution to raise the price of all goods and services too, which impacts the poor far more than rich guys like me. I can soak up $5+ gas like it's cool, but people making $10 an hour will be out to lynch idiots like you. Then who are your liberal buddies going to blame?

To Walt wrote on Aug 31, 2008 4:57 PM:Thanks for your help but you aren't the only one paying for it. I ride the Sprinter to work and go to class. I have been a tax payer for over 30 years and see many other tax payers use it. I assume the young kids that use it have parents that are taxpayers too. It isn't all about you!

Nick wrote on Aug 31, 2008 5:12 PM:To Train Rider, I'm adding a little salt to my words right now. Yes, spoon by spoon I shall eat my words. I was one of those who swore the Sprinter would be a waste of taxpayers money and would do nothing more than be a ghost train filled with taxpayers money. I am however glad I was wrong and shall now retire my keyboard to begin this wonderful meal of words.

Big Spender wrote on Aug 31, 2008 7:47 PM:Yes Transit Rider, we the taxpayers are furious,why you ask? We had great bus service that ran to all these colleges and other points of interest and our politians that run NCTD thought we would welcome spending 1 billion for a train. Yes, I said 1 billion. Do you really think this train only cost 485 million. I say to all of you, GET A GRIP ON REALITY! This fiasco will never make any money. Now there are buses at every station to pick people up that the train drops off and takes them where they need to go. We were better off with buses only. Think of the money NCTD would have saved of our tax dollars.
Sure people are riding the train, they have no choice. Next up will be a bridge to no where. Oh wait, that's aready been tried.

Dennis wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:00 PM:after losing my license because an "I can't prit it" person lamed me I have no other way than public transit I waited yrs for the sprinter, and am glad my Tax money went to it. I probally didn't think so then, but there was no inter-net either!!

TO BIG SPENDER wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:00 PM:Not all tax payers are furious, I use the sprinter and had never used the bus. Each of us has different needs

Richard wrote on Sep 19, 2008 7:02 AM:A few more buses could have done the job for a tiny, tiny fraction of the Sprinter cost, and reached out to other areas off the Sprinter line. But buses make for poor photo ops for politicians.

And they don't stop traffic.

With the increased but low priced ridership, the Sprinter won't pay even its operating costs, and not a dime towards the half billion capital costs. Nor will it pay to replace the rolling stock as it wears out.

In essence, the Sprinter is providing satellite parking for the campuses at incredible cost.

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