By Silas Valentino Dec 11, 2023
The highly anticipated electrified transit system from Caltrain is slated to be fully operational this time next year, with a new fleet of trains and faster service times for Bay Area riders.
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As Caltrain nears the finish line, recently boosted by $367 million in funding from a state rail program, it announced a finalized service plan with an insight into just how fast the new all-electric trains will run.
The trains that run on the 51 miles of track from San Francisco’s station at Fourth and King streets to San Jose’s Diridon Station are converting to fully electric, which will accelerate speeds compared to its current diesel fleet. The trains will also provide free on-board Wi-Fi and outlets at every seat.
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With better trains comes better service! Electrification means faster, more frequent, and comfier trains. Arriving Fall 2024. Read more: https://t.co/zd4talGmch.
— Caltrain (@Caltrain) December 7, 2023
Additional mentions: @SAMCEDA @SVLeadershipGrp @BayAreaCouncil
As it is today, a Caltrain express train requires about 66 minutes to run between San Francisco and San Jose. A spokesperson for the transit system told SFGATE that electric trains are expected to travel the same route in 59 minutes — a smooth 10.6% faster than before.
The forthcoming express trains are slated to see incremental speed increases across the line. Starting from downtown San Francisco, express trains are expected to shave 3 minutes off the current time it takes to get to Redwood City and 6 minutes off the time it takes to get to Mountain View. Local service times for the full route should shorten by about 25%, from 100 minutes down to 75 minutes.
The electric trains are slated to run every 30 minutes on weekends, and Caltrain is plotting to add more trains during peak hours — running up to six trains per hour — as ridership and revenue grow.
Ridership numbers on Caltrain are growing but have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Daily Journal reported in August that total monthly ridership is still at 39% compared to before, which is one of the lowest in the Bay Area.
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Dec 11, 2023
Silas Valentino is SFGATE’s Travel Editor. He was born in Bakersfield and raised in Marin County. He covered the New York City music scene for The Village Voice before returning west to report for the Point Reyes Light. Recently, he contributed to the launch of a monthly lifestyle magazine called PUNCH that focuses on the Peninsula. Outside of reading, writing and storytelling, Silas values his family (including eight nieces and nephews) and exploring the state. He lives with his girlfriend above a wine shop in Cole Valley. Email: silas.valentino@sfgate.com
