The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board will switch all Caltrain diesel fleets to fully electric-powered vehicles by Sept. 21 for the 52-mile route corridor in the Bay Area. The board initiated limited service for Caltrain’s new electric trains on Aug. 10.
The $2.4 billion Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project, credited with creating over 14,000 jobs, broke ground in 2017 in order to optimize trip duration and reduce diesel pollution. The 37 new electric trains are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 250,000 tons annually and provide a variety of routes with 17 stops between San Francisco and Gilroy.
“Caltrain’s project is an important piece to the bigger vision of electrified rail throughout California,” incoming CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Ian Choudri said in a press release from Gavin Newsom. Caltrain references the planned electric–operated route from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
The project was made possible by $2 billion in state and federal funding, accompanied with $250 million from local ballot initiatives and county contributions.
Officials hope to soon expand the Caltrain system underground to connect with the statewide California High-Speed Rail, which is to run through the Central Valley. The electrification is expected to double service frequency on weekends, increasing the number of stations with peak-period half-hour service from seven to 16.
“High-speed rail linked to an electrified Caltrain will not just get Californians where they’re going faster, it’s connecting communities and driving economic growth,” Newsom said in the press release. “The completed Caltrain project is an integral part of high-speed rail and the story California is telling about clean transportation.”
Engine sound will also be reduced by 20 decibels, according to Caltrain external affairs manager Brent Tietjen. The new fleets will provide an improved rider experience with new Wi-Fi, charging plugs, electronic displays and redesigned bathrooms.
Newsom commended the installment of the electric fleet.
“The future happens here first. We are America’s coming attraction,” Newsom said to CBS. “That’s a point of pride … because we don’t imitate — we are a model to others.”
UCI students can use the Metrolink system for free with the Student Adventure Pass and a valid student ID. The program was renewed in June and was made possible by grant funding from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program. Metrolink currently services a “Green Train Fleet” with 182 low-emissions or hybrid vehicles in select areas.
California currently holds a directive to reach sustainable carbon neutrality by 2045, passed by Executive Order B-FF-18 in 2018. The state’s “biggest hurdle” to this goal is reducing transportation emissions, according to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research.
“[This project] is an incredibly complex undertaking that happened outside of our working schedule — meaning a whole lot of late nights for the workers,” Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman said to NBC. “A huge amount of credit goes to the men and women who actually built this system.”
Malaika Sultan is a News Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. She can be reached at malaiks1@uci.edu.
Edited by Karen Wang, Uma Desai, and Jaheem Conley
