Caltrain Suspends Weekend Service to San Francisco for Electrification Work

Target Audience: The target audience was weekend Caltrain riders travelling between San Francisco, 22nd Street and Bayshore Stations impacted by the tunnel maintenance work closure.

Strategy Objective:The main objective was to get as much early coverage as possible leading up to the first weekend closure date. We also wanted to be well prepared so as to avoid the possibility of any negative customer experience. Our overall goal was to empathize with our customers who rely on our service. The strategy involved an integrated Communications and Marketing approach: - Media/Press Releases: email, TV, radio, web - Social Media Engagement: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Next Door - Outreach Events: Customer Engagement, promo giveaway items - Public Info/Customer Experience: Seat Drops, Newsletters - Creative Services: Printed Schedules, Wayfinding Signage, Giveaway Items - Marketing Promotions: Ad buys

Situation Challenge: Starting Oct. 6, 2018, trains stopped serving two San Francisco stations on weekends. This closure was necessary to complete the San Francisco Tunnel Work, which will pave the way for Caltrain Electrification. Free SamTrans bus service was provided to connect Caltrain riders traveling from Bayshore Station to 22nd Street and San Francisco. Regular weekend service resumes mid 2019. On the first weekend of the closure, we set up an outreach tent at the Bayshore Station staging area handing out packets of printed information and helped direct riders between the trains and buses. Knowing this would be a major inconvenience to our customers, we wanted to soften the pain by also handing out "stress trains" as a promotional giveaway.

Results Impact: The results of the communications effort helped increase Public Awareness of not just the Service Impacts, but also provided the opportunity to explain the main reasons for the Tunnel Closure. With "boots-on-the-ground" public engagement, the effort provided valuable feedback on lessons learned and suggestions for improving processes for the remainder of the weekend closures.

Why Submit: This entry is an example of a successful Communications educational effort by working collaboratively across internal departments (Planning, Operations, Communications, Marketing, Customer Experience) and with regional partner Transit Agencies (Caltrain, SamTrans, SFMTA, VTA, BART). During the Outreach, we learned many riders were already aware about the service impacts. Those that didn't know were mostly visitors from out of town. Bottom line, we put a face to the Agency for the customer to help lessen the negative impact on them. By understanding the needs of our customers and anticipating potential pain points, we were able to temper the challenging customer experience through educational materials, handing out a fun, playful giveaway and engaging with our riders on a personal level.