The new state-of-the-art vehicles will be put into service in Fall 2024
Caltrain will be holding the first public tour of the agency’s new electric train cars from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 29. The new train cars will serve as the centerpiece of the transformative Caltrain Electrification Project.
With 3,600 RSVPs thus far, this tour seems likely to attract large crowds. Attendees can enjoy food trucks, a live DJ and more as they await their opportunity to see the future of Caltrain for themselves. Tours will begin at 10 a.m. after a brief program featuring Assemblymember Ash Kalra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Caltrain Board of Directors Chair Jeff Gee and Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard.
The new high-performance trains will offer a better experience for Caltrain riders. The new vehicles offer enhanced amenities, including new digital onboard displays, power outlets at each forward-facing seat, a new seat color palette selected by the public, energy-efficient lighting, coat hooks, security cameras, and expanded storage under the cantilevered seats. They will also generate less noise than their diesel equivalent, making the trip more enjoyable both for riders and residents that live near Caltrain tracks.
Electrification will also help meet ambitious regional and state climate action goals by lowering greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality and relieving traffic congestion. Additionally, electrified service will advance equity along the corridor by reducing noise and air pollution while increasing access for equity priority communities. It will also set the framework for California’s future High Speed Rail network.
Each trainset will have seven cars, as opposed to the current five to six. The new trains also accelerate and decelerate faster than their diesel alternatives, allowing more frequent stops in the same amount of time.
These new trains will go into service in 2024, and is currently undergoing testing to ensure it, and the infrastructure it will rely upon, is in good working order.
The trains were built by Stadler US at their facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. After they were assembled, they were sent to a test facility in Pueblo, Colo. where they were tested at high speeds under numerous conditions as required by the Federal Railroad Administration. The trains were tested for braking, propulsion, ride quality, noise and vibration, door operation, Positive Train Control and Electromagnetic Interference over the course of eight months.
More public tours of the new vehicles are planned for later this year.
The Caltrain Electrification Project will electrify the corridor from the San Francisco Station at 4th and King Streets to approximately the Tamien Station in San Jose, allowing diesel-hauled trains to be replaced by electric trains.
Caltrain’s historic electrification project is the first undertaking in North America in a generation in which diesel trains and their infrastructure components are transitioned to an electrified system.
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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.
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Media Contact: Dan Lieberman, 650.622.2492