SF Chronicle: Caltrain debuts electric trains that are faster, more spacious and quieter than past models
By Ricardo Cano
Caltrain, the oldest continually operating rail service west of the Mississippi River, once again became a pioneer Saturday with the debut of its new electric fleet.
The 160-year-old Peninsula commuter rail system’s transition from diesel to electric service is the first project of its kind in North America. Completion of the decades-long project means riders will board sleek and spacious new trains, powered by overhead electrical wires, that run faster and quieter than their diesel-fueled counterparts.
The electrification project also carries major implications for California’s high-speed rail project and San Francisco’s planned downtown rail extension to Salesforce Transit Center.
The 51-mile stretch of electrified tracks is also expected to carry bullet trains from the Central Valley to the city. San Francisco’s massive downtown transit hub includes a vacant train box in its basement designed to accommodate Caltrain and high-speed rail.
And, like many of the Bay Area’s major transit infrastructure projects, this one took decades of planning and construction to get to the finish line — while suffering through some pandemic-induced setbacks.
For all these reasons, the electric fleet’s first ride Saturday from Caltrain’s Fourth and King Station in San Francisco attracted the who’s who of Bay Area and state leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who helped secure $1.2 billion in federal funds for the roughly $2.4 billion project.
“This project is a model to the nation,” Pelosi said.
The first thing Caltrain riders are likely to notice is how quiet the electric trains are compared to the diesel trains. The newer Caltrain zipped from San Francisco to Millbrae in a quiet hum, clocking the one-way trip in around 15 minutes.
The electric trains feature brightly lit sleek interiors with double-decker seating. Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain’s executive director, said the new trains include 650 seats and have a capacity of around 1,000 passengers.
The commuter rail agency started operating limited service with the electric trains on Sunday and will gradually add more of the newer trains each week. Full passenger service with the electric fleet is scheduled to start on Sept. 21.
“You’ll see a much-enhanced customer experience with Wi-Fi and plugs at every single table,” Bouchard said. “You’ll have a much shorter trip because of the performance of the train, and you’ll have a much quieter trip because it’s electric and not diesel. And, finally, you will experience a zero-emissions corridor, so it’s not only a benefit to the customer but also a benefit to the communities in which we operate.”
Steve Heminger, who represents San Francisco on the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board that operates Caltrain, said the project may impact more than the quality of public transit on the Peninsula.
“Another thing that doesn’t get mentioned as much, although we talk about these trains being quieter, is that I think they’re going to enable more development around the stations,” Heminger said. “Because right now, the stations can be a bit noisy, and I think people are going to be more willing to live near a station thanks to the quieter trains.”
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