Caltrain to Celebrate Full Electrification This Weekend with Launch Party and Free Rides

The rail agency will hold launch parties as service goes 100% electric from San Francisco to San Jose 

In honor of Caltrain launching its new electrified service schedule this weekend, the agency is holding celebratory events in every city along the corridor all weekend long. Caltrain service is free of charge both days, allowing the public to easily attend the main events in Palo Alto on Saturday, Sept 21, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and in San Mateo on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., as well as the many other events hosted by local cities and other transportation agencies. 

The weekend’s events will feature a wide range of things to see, including food trucks, DJs, live music, dance troupes, speeches from Caltrain supporters, railroad museum exhibits, Caltrain giveaways and a flash mob doing the electric slide. Half hourly free service this weekend will make it easy to visit all of these events without the hassle of driving and parking.  

This weekend’s launch will see fully electrified passenger service running between San Francisco and San Jose for the first time in this rail corridor’s 160-year history. Caltrain riders will enjoy faster and more frequent service, with 16 stations receiving trains every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours, weekend trains arriving twice hourly and express service from San Francisco to San Jose in under an hour.  

Additionally, the new vehicles offer enhanced amenities, including customer-facing Wi-Fi, onboard digital displays, power outlets at each forward-facing seat, energy-efficient lighting, baby-changing tables in the bathroom, security cameras, an improved climate control system and expanded storage under the cantilevered seats. They also generate less noise than their diesel equivalent, making the trip more enjoyable both for riders and residents that live near Caltrain tracks. Caltrain introduced the first of these trains into public service on Aug. 11, and the new vehicles have earned rave reviews from riders during the soft launch, even before the full benefits of electric service were realized. 

“The new Caltrain is cleaner, greener, faster, and all around better than it ever has been before,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard.  “I would like to invite everyone to celebrate this historic achievement this weekend and to see the future of Caltrain for yourselves.” 

The events were sponsored in part by RSE Corporation and Gannett Fleming. 

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About Caltrain: Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with commute service to Gilroy. Serving the region since 1863, Caltrain is the oldest continually operating rail system west of the Mississippi. Looking to the future, Caltrain is set to electrify the corridor by 2024, which will reduce diesel emissions and add more service to more stations while advancing the agency’s equity goals.  

Like us on Facebook at www.caltrain.com and follow on X @Caltrain.  

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Media Contact: Dan Lieberman, 650.622.2492