Caltrain is finally electrified.
After greater than seven years of construction, lawmakers including Governor Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, business leaders and transportation officials boarded an electrical train on Saturday for its maiden voyage from San Francisco to Millbrae and back.
It was a brief but quiet ride, drawing applause from the several hundred people on board because the train returned safely to San Francisco station.
“Today marks an important milestone for electrified rail service that will serve our region for decades to come,” said Assemblyman Marc Berman, a Democrat who represents Menlo Park. “The quieter, cleaner and faster trains will improve the quality of life on the Peninsula. As we approach the light at the end of the tunnel, I congratulate Caltrain on their decades of hard work leading up to today and invite everyone who lives and works on the Peninsula to come see Caltrain's future for themselves.”
On Sunday, the primary electric trains will begin regular service to the general public, with additional electric trains being introduced each week until the brand new schedule and fully electrified service between San Francisco and San Jose is implemented starting Saturday, September 21.
Saturday's VIP event was a celebration atmosphere, with loads of Caltrain merchandise and a listing of speakers who all – in some unspecified time in the future – made the project possible. The event culminated in Newsom and Pelosi calling “All aboard!” from the conductor's window as a whole lot boarded the shiny latest red and white train.
Caltrain says the $2.4 billion electrification project, which has faced delays and other hurdles, signals a groundbreaking shift toward a faster, more frequent and more environmentally friendly public transit network along the San Francisco Peninsula.
The express service will allow commuters to travel between San Francisco and San Jose in lower than an hour. Previously, it took an hour and five minutes to travel through seven stations. The latest trains will travel through 11 stations in 59 minutes.
The latest trains will even improve service by 20% because they will speed up and brake much faster than diesel trains. Trains will run every 15 to twenty minutes at 16 stations during peak hours, and all stations will likely be served every half-hour on weekends, in comparison with previous wait times of 1 hour. The latest trains will even improve access and repair for low-income and underserved communities by greater than 25%, a Caltrain spokesperson said.
Caltrain says electrification will even help meet ambitious regional and state climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality and reducing traffic congestion. Switching from diesel to electric trains will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 250,000 tons annually — the equivalent of taking 55,000 cars off the road every year, officials said.
“Today marks the beginning of a cleaner, greener and better connected Bay Area, led by an electrified Caltrain that will improve our air quality, combat climate change and bring real benefits to all who call this region home,” said State Senator Josh Becker, who represents San Mateo County and a part of Santa Clara County.
The latest trains will even feature improved amenities, including higher Wi-Fi, latest on-board digital displays, power outlets at every forward-facing seat, energy-efficient lighting, improved air-con, changing tables in the lavatory, security cameras and more under-seat storage.
According to officials, the project created 33,000 jobs in 36 states and promoted economic growth and innovation in local communities and across the country.
The project is a joint effort between the state, which contributed greater than $1.1 billion, the federal government, which contributed $1 billion, and native funding sources, which provided $262 million for the project, Caltrain officials said.
Caltrain is the primary electric rail system in California's history.
“The completed Caltrain project is an integral part of the high-speed rail network and the story California is telling about clean transportation,” Newsom said in an announcement. “And Californians are already seeing the results for themselves as we electrify Caltrain, complete structures, lay track, design and build stations, and purchase trains. We are making rail a reality in California.”
The launch on Saturday comes 25 years after the unique idea of an electrified system.
“Proposals for electric trains have been made since 1999 and now they're finally here,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed. “In bureaucratic years, that's a little fast, but not as fast as these trains.”
However, the project was not without challenges.
Three years ago, Caltrain announced that the launch of electrified service had been delayed by two years, citing complications installing signaling systems, unexpected conditions beneath Caltrain's tracks and the coronavirus pandemic, which severely disrupted supply chains. A 3-month delay in a $647 million federal grant in 2017 and environmental litigation also temporarily slowed the project.
As regular passengers entered and exited the San Francisco Caltrain station on Saturday, some said they were excited for a greener, cleaner and quieter train ride.
“I’m excited to try it out,” said San Francisco resident Tim Fellows, waiting for an old train.
Martyn Kavanagh was visiting San Francisco from Australia and took one among the old diesel trains to see town. “(Diesel) is not the image we expect of California,” he said. “Electric trains are a better fit for Silicon Valley.”
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