Caltrain carried more than 12.5 million passengers in fiscal year 2026, its strongest year since the pandemic, and Burlingame's two stations are seeing the effects.
The agency released the annual figures Saturday, July 19.
Average weekday ridership broke 40,000 for the first time, a 36.9% jump over the prior year. Weekend ridership hit 150% of pre-pandemic levels system-wide.
"That's what's bringing more people on every day, and we have room for everyone else who's tired of gridlock on the highways," Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said in the announcement, crediting the electric fleet's speed and comfort.
The weekend surge matters locally. Broadway station, which serves riders only on weekends and holidays, doubled its service to trains every 30 minutes after electrification launched in September 2024. Broadway's average weekend ridership jumped 112% in FY2025 to 91 riders per day, the most recent station-level data available. The Burlingame Avenue station, which offers full weekday and weekend service, now runs 75 weekday trains, up from 61 before electrification.
Monthly ridership crossed one million in March 2026, three months earlier than in FY2025, when the system didn't hit that mark until June. Totals stayed above one million every month after March.
Major events pushed the numbers higher. More than 38,000 riders took Caltrain to World Cup matches and watch parties, according to the agency. The Super Bowl and a BTS concert at Stanford also drew heavy ridership, Caltrain reported.
By the end of FY26, the system had recovered to 81.5% of pre-pandemic levels, up from 64.4% at the start of the fiscal year. The American Public Transportation Association named Caltrain the fastest-growing transit system in the country in 2025, and customer satisfaction surveys show an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Funding gap threatens service
The good news comes with a caveat. Caltrain's FY26 fare revenue was approximately $60.5 million, according to the Joint Powers Board's FY27 budget documents. The agency's proposed FY27 operating budget is $269 million, leaving a structural deficit of roughly $47.6 million that Caltrain plans to cover with a state loan.
Caltrain leaders have warned the agency could shut down without new funding. A regional sales tax measure called Connect Bay Area would provide about $50 million annually in locally controlled transit funding for San Mateo County over 14 years if voters approve it in November 2026. The measure has not yet formally qualified for the ballot.
What's ahead for Broadway
Burlingame riders waiting for weekday service at Broadway won't board a weekday train there yet. A grade separation project at the Broadway and California Drive crossing, awarded to a Flatiron-Herzog joint venture in April 2024, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028, according to project documents. The rebuilt station will include wider platforms and is designed to accommodate weekday train service, though Caltrain has not committed to a schedule for restoring it.
The next JPB Finance Committee meeting is Monday, July 27, at 2:30 p.m. The JPB Board of Directors meets Thursday, August 6, at 9 a.m.
