CalTrain Launches Fully Electric Service From San Francisco to San Jose

<p>Caltrain has launched a new electrified schedule&comma; bringing the 160-year-old San Francisco-San Jose rail corridor from diesel power to electric&period; Caltrain is currently running 100&percnt; renewable&comma; zero-emission service from San Francisco to San Jose for the first time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The new high-performance&comma; state-of-the-art electric trains offer a <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;caltrain&period;com&sol;servicebenefits">better experience for Caltrain riders<&sol;a>&period; Caltrain service is now <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;caltrain&period;com&sol;projects&sol;electrification&sol;project-benefits&sol;caltrain-electrified-service-plan">faster and more frequent<&sol;a>&comma; with 16 stations receiving trains every 20 to 15 minutes during peak hours&comma; weekend trains arriving twice hourly and express service from San Francisco to San Jose in under an hour&period; Additionally&comma; the new vehicles offer enhanced amenities&comma; including free Wi-Fi&comma; onboard digital displays&comma; power outlets at each forward-facing seat&comma; energy-efficient lighting&comma; baby-changing tables in the bathroom&comma; security cameras&comma; an improved climate control system and expanded storage under the cantilevered seats&period; The electric trains also generate less noise than their diesel equivalent&comma; making the trip more enjoyable both for riders and residents that live near Caltrain tracks&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Electrification Project is fully funded due to the efforts of federal&comma; state and local partners that helped secure funding&period; Caltrain’s historic Electrification Project is the first diesel-to-electric transition in North America in a generation&comma; heralding a new day in the legacy of American rail&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The electrification of Caltrain is a milestone that we have been working towards for decades&comma; and now everyone we serve can enjoy world class rail travel&period; I am grateful for the thousands of men and women who have worked hard to make this day a reality&comma;” said<strong> Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard<&sol;strong>&period;  &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The future of Caltrain has arrived&comma; and I invite everyone to get on board the premier mode of transportation from San Francisco to San Jose&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;160 years ago&comma; trains first made the run from San Francisco to San Jose&comma; and today&comma; they are again the best way to travel along the Peninsula&comma;” said <strong>Caltrain Board Chair Dev Davis<&sol;strong>&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Now everyone across the three counties we serve has access to a fast&comma; frequent&comma; sustainable&comma; quiet&comma; comfortable&comma; Wi-Fi-enabled form of transit for the first time&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Electrification will help meet ambitious regional and state climate action goals by lowering greenhouse gas emissions&comma; improving air quality and relieving traffic congestion&period; Additionally&comma; electrified service will advance equity along the corridor by reducing noise and air pollution while increasing access for equity priority communities&period; It will also set the framework for California’s future High Speed Rail network&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Each trainset will have seven cars&comma; as opposed to the current five to six&period; The new trains accelerate and decelerate faster than the diesel fleet&comma; allowing more frequent stops in the same amount of time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Diesel trains may still be occasionally utilized along the corridor in certain circumstances&comma; such as a maintenance issue or emergency situation&period; Diesel freight trains will also continue to operate on Caltrain tracks&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Riders taking the South County Connector from stations south of Tamien can save up to 20 minutes thanks to the new schedule&period; South County riders will ride on the diesel trains to San Jose Diridon Station&comma; where they will find a three-minute cross-platform transfer to one of the new electric trains&period; In the event of a late-arriving train&comma; connecting trains will be held at San Jose Diridon between two to five minutes to accommodate South County passengers&comma; with the final South County Connector of the evening &lpar;&num;822&rpar; holding as late as needed to ensure no passenger is left behind&period; Caltrain eventually plans to replace this transfer by introducing battery-equipped electric trains into service that would run on overhead power in the electrified service areas and then use battery charge to travel &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;off-wire” on non-electrified track areas&comma; leading to fully zero-emission South County service&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The trains were built by Stadler US at their facility in Salt Lake City&comma; UT&period; After they were assembled&comma; they were sent to a test facility in Pueblo&comma; CO where they were tested at high speeds under numerous conditions as required by the Federal Railroad Administration&period; The trains were tested for braking&comma; propulsion&comma; ride quality&comma; noise and vibration&comma; door operation&comma; Positive Train Control and Electromagnetic Interference over the course of eight months and were then tested over one thousand miles of travel before being certified for passenger service&period; The trains first began service in August of this year&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;"alignnone size-full wp-image-6390" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;jpq&period;a9a&period;mytemp&period;website&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2024&sol;09&sol;3S6A3662&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" width&equals;"670" height&equals;"447" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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