A lone commuter waiting for a train. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Once bustling stations that catered to tech commuters now resemble hushed mausoleums
Here’s a transit board member — San Jose’s Mayor speaking of the VTA light rail network — not afraid to bite the bullet and speak truth:
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who also sits on the VTA board, is calling for a drastic change to the system. He says VTA should replace the light rail with a fleet of electric buses to more easily adapt to changing travel patterns – a years-long transition that would likely carry a hefty price tag. Currently, the VTA is investing over $450 million to extend the Orange Line from Alum Rock Station to the Eastridge Transit Center in East San Jose.
“It’s not a poor system. It’s a colossally bad system,” said Liccardo. “And we’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars to expand it as we speak.”