Caltrain Board Elects Officers

Santa Clara City Councilman John McLemore was elected chair of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers board, Caltrain's policy board, at its January meeting.

Maria Ayerdi, transportation advisor to San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, was elected vice chair at the same meeting.

Burlingame City Council Member Mary Janney was appointed recently to fill the vacancy left after former board member and former Menlo Park Mayor Stephen Schmidt recently retired.

McLemore succeeds San Mateo County Supervisor Michael Nevin, who served as Caltrain's board chair throughout 2002.

Nevin was praised for steering Caltrain through particularly turbulent times. His chairmanship began as the nation was still recovering from the shock of 9/11 and while the Bay Area was entering a severe economic downturn.

Under Nevin's stewardship as a vocal rail safety advocate, Caltrain had one of its safest years on record in 2002.

The Caltrain board has nine members, with representatives from each of the three counties through which the rail service operates - San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara.

The Caltrain board meets the first Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at its headquarters, 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, two blocks from the train station.

Caltrain operates weekday service between San Francisco and San Jose and Gilroy and weekend alternate bus service between San Francisco and San Jose for the duration of the CTX construction project. Caltrain connects with light rail lines at three stations, and with international airports in San Francisco and San Jose via free shuttle buses.