USA: Californian commuter train operator Caltrain celebrated the start of 25 kV 60 Hz electrified services with an inaugural train carrying invited guests from San Francisco on August 10.
Public services began the following day. More electric trains will be added ahead of the start of a new timetable with a full electric service on the 82 km San Francisco – San Jose route on September 21; diesel haulage will be retained to Gilroy.
The operator said its Stadler Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units would be quieter and less polluting than the diesel locomotives they are replacing. Express services would be able to connect San Francisco and San Jose in under 1 h, and better acceleration will allow an increase in station calls to improve access to public transport in the heavily populated corridor.
Caltrain estimates that the transition from diesel to electric traction will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 250 000 tonnes/year.
The electrification equipment was installed by Balfour Beatty under a design-and-build contract, with the notice to proceed issued in 2017. Wabtec supplied Positive Train Control for interoperability with Amtrak and the freight railways serving the region.
The 23 seven-car EMUs supplied from Stadler’s Salt Lake City factory have power outlets at each forward-facing seat, digital displays, energy-efficient lighting, an improved climate control system, baby-changing tables in the toilets, CCTV, under-seat storage and wi-fi provided using Nomad Digital technology. One four-car battery electric multiple-unit has also been ordered.
‘These new trains will enhance the commuting experience through Silicon Valley by making it more comfortable, convenient, reliable, faster and, most importantly, emission-free’, said Stadler US CEO Martin Ritter.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Caltrain electrification project would ’set a standard for other rail systems to follow as we work to reduce carbon pollution across the country’.
California State Assembly member Diane Papan added that ‘our cities were built on the railroad. Our downtowns flow from our stations. Caltrain is the life-giving artery running through the Peninsula and electrification represents a renewal of its beating heart.’
- ·Subscribers can read an in-depth article on the Caltrain electrification project from the December 2022 issue of Railway Gazette International magazine.
