The two transit systems, which are jointly administered, are marketing to film commissions in San Francisco, San Mateo County and San Jose and to local chambers of commerce the attractiveness of Caltrain and SamTrans as filming “locations.”

“Whether the production is a movie, a commercial or still photography, we are film-friendly,” said James Namba, who coordinates the Caltrain-SamTrans film program.

“We offer a range of train stations, from modern transit centers to the seven Caltrain stations which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” Namba said. “And we can also work with producers who want to film on our buses and trains.”

During the heyday of the dot-com boom, Caltrain was featured in several commercials and other projects for companies, most of them at the San Francisco terminal, which offers the bustle of an urban rail terminal in a glass-and-steel structure with beautiful ambient light.

As a result of those initial collaborations, Caltrain and SamTrans have posted information about filming (PDF, 2.77 MB) on their websites. Film permit fees range from $500 to $1,000, depending on the project, and there is a fee for staff assistance during the filming.

Agency staff will provide interested companies with information about insurance and meeting safety requirements, a great concern in an active railroad environment.

Among the companies which have done film projects with Caltrain are Intel Corp., SBC and Scion Corp.

Not only do filming projects offer a potential revenue source for the transit agencies, filming also helps raise awareness about Caltrain and SamTrans – not to mention injecting some excitement for both commuters and employees alike when the director calls “Action!”

11/16/04