Railroad Readies Onboard Ticket Validation System

Railroad Readies Onboard Ticket Validation System

Oracle implementation represents paradigm shift.

By Elliot King

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) manages an Amtrak intercity passenger train service in eight Northern California counties, partnering with Amtrak, the Union Pacific Railroad, and Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation. Serving 16 stations along a 170-mile rail corridor, CCJPA offers a convenient way to travel between the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose and the rest of the Silicon Valley.

Although the train runs through one of the most technologically advanced regions of the country, the procedure through which tickets are collected and processed closely resembles the process used in the 19th century. Conductors walk through the cars collecting and punching tickets, creating reconciliation reports by hand at the end of the run. But that is about to change. Committed to continually improving customer service and security, CCJPA is in the process of implementing California's first real-time ticket sales and validation system on its trains.

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