Bay Area, state and federal leaders celebrated the inaugural run of Caltrain’s sleek and quiet electric train as it departed the city’s Fourth and King streets station early Saturday morning.
The construction to update Caltrain’s system to support its electric fleet began in 2017 and will now offer limited electric service launching on Sunday and throughout the rest of August. Caltrain officials said they will start adding new trains into service every week in August until the official launch on Sept. 21.
Guests, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed were treated to the inaugural 30-minute ride from San Francisco to Millbrae and Caltrain swag, including an inaugural golden key to commemorate the event, tote bags, posters and toy model trains for kids.
Newsom said at the press conference before boarding the train:
“This is the most transformative project of its type in a generation.”
The electric fleet will bring new benefits to daily commuters such as a faster commute to San Jose as the new trains can accelerate and decelerate faster. The commute to San Jose from San Francisco on a local currently takes approximately an hour and a half but that commute on the new trains will cut the travel time by 25 minutes. Express train service from San Francisco to San Jose will take under just an hour.
During peak hours, trains will run every 15 to 20 minutes at 16 stations instead of seven stations today. On weekends, trains will run north of San Jose every 30 minutes instead of hourly, according to Caltrain.
Other new amenities onboard the new electric fleet include Wi-Fi, power outlets and larger accessible restrooms. New digital displays are also onboard the trains with trip information and more storage under the seat and overhead areas.
One of the more important features that officials emphasized is that Caltrain is transitioning from its diesel fleet to electric and reducing greenhouse gas emissions the transit system emits. Transit officials said carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by 250,000 metric tons annually.
California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin said:
“Why is this important for the people of this region? More than 55,000 cars will be taken off the road in this region because of the emissions that will be reduced by these trains coming through here.”
Talks of electrifying Caltrain have long been talked about, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said:
“Since 1999, electric trains have been proposed and they are finally here. In bureaucratic years, I would say that’s a little fast, but not as fast as these trains.”
The road for electrification for Caltrain was not easy as the project faced delays, including problems with installing the signal systems, unanticipated track conditions and the Covid-19 pandemic, which Caltrain said distributed suppliers who were essential to the project in 2021.
Administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, Amit Bose, said the completion of the electrification project is another step towards high-speed rail in the state as Caltrain’s track between San Francisco and San Jose will be shared with high-speed rail service.
