Caltrain, the popular diesel train service, is electrifying its fleet of trains by fall 2024. Over 60% of San Mateo County’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from transportation, and upgrading to a modern system will dramatically reduce Caltrain’s carbon footprint. The plan is expected to decrease travel time, increase comfort during travel, and improve the company’s sustainability index.
Once the new system is implemented, faster acceleration and deceleration of the trains will allow for shorter dwell times and overall faster service. According to Caltrain’s service plan, 16 Caltrain stations will be able to receive more than two times the amount of trains per hour than they currently can. Additionally, weekends will see trains every half hour instead of every hour.
Caltrain anticipates that the improvements will significantly decrease the time of train rides; the 90-minute train ride from San Francisco to San Jose will take under 60 minutes.
CalTrain’s Public Information Officer Dan Lieberman said, “An improved Caltrain schedule will provide a welcome alternative to Highway 101 gridlock, and every car that comes off the highway is one less vehicle expanding our carbon footprint.”
The ride of the passenger is also expected to improve with the new changes. “The new trains will be quieter, which is good news both for passengers and our neighbors. The new trains also come with modern amenities, including passenger-facing Wi-Fi, easily accessible plugs, monitor displays, security cameras, and brand-new comfortable seats,” Lieberman said. “Compared to our current fleet, which has been in service for decades, electrified service represents an across-the-board improvement over our current service.”
For students at M-A who use Caltrain regularly, this new and improved option will provide quicker and more convenient travel. Lieberman concluded, saying, “Given that our rail corridor is celebrating the 160th anniversary of SF-SJ rail service this year, I’m confident this system will be helping people for decades to come.”
