Caltrain, the commuter railway operator in California, celebrated, on July 21st, the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Caltrain Electrification Project. The project will electrify the Caltrain corridor between San Francisco and San Jose and will equip the corridor with high-performance electric trains that will deliver faster, more frequent service to help the system accommodate rapidly increasing ridership demand.
“Today marks the beginning of a faster, cleaner, better Caltrain, a Caltrain that will allow tens of thousands of people to travel throughout the Peninsula with ease. This project will deliver the innovative and cutting-edge transit system that our communities deserve,” Caltrain CEO Jim Hartnett said.
The Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project will equip the rail corridor with electrification infrastructure and replace most of the system’s diesel trains with high-performance electric vehicles. These improvements will help address rapidly growing ridership by providing more service to more riders at more stations and will significantly decrease vehicle-miles travelled and greenhouse gas emissions along the Peninsula corridor.
In September 2016, Caltrain awarded contracts to Balfour Beatty to construct the electrification infrastructure and Stadler to manufacture high-performance electric trains. Last year, Balfour Beatty has been awarded a USD 697 million contract to undertake electrification of the 83.6 km Caltrain rail corridor between San Francisco and San Jose. The company will design and build a 25kv AC overhead catenary system to serve as the power source for the new high speed trains and construct two traction power substations, one switching substation and seven paralleling substations. The construction will take place throughout the Caltrain corridor installing the new infrastructure necessary to support an electrified system. The electrification project is expected to be completed in 2021.
Last year, Caltrain and Stadler signed a USD 551 million contract for the supply of 6 six-car Kiss double-decker electric multiple-unit trains. The contract has an option for an additional 96 cars. The first electric trains are anticipated to be in service end of 2020 / early 2021. The purchase of electric railcars is one of Caltrain’s most important projects and would replace 75% of the diesel vehicle fleet operating along the San Francisco – San Jose line.
The USD 1.9 billion program is funded through a nine-party agreement and a seven-party agreement that leverages local, regional and federal funding.
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