Caltrain has completed the final foundation for the new 25kV ac overhead catenary system (OCS system) that will support the deployment of electric trains.
Since 2017, when Caltrain started the project, has completed 3,092 foundations along the 82 km rail corridor connecting San Francisco and San Jose.
The completion “marks a major achievement in the history of Caltrain. This final foundation marks a turning point in the electrification of this rail, towards a modern, efficient service that the people of the Bay Area deserve,” Caltrain Acting Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said.
This is the first of several major project milestones this year. Within a couple months, the OCS system in the southern section of the project will be energised and an AEM7 electric locomotive will begin testing the OCS and by summer 2022 on the entire rail corridor.
The first high-performance and energy-efficient electric trains manufactured by Stadler will arrive in spring, after completing 10 months of intensive testing at speeds up to 115mph (185 km/h) at the Transport Technology Centre test track in Pueblo, Colorado. While there are still difficult signalling and system integration work, the project is on track “for a historic change” and the commercial operation will start by 2024.
In June, Caltrain has announced that the project is delayed by 2 years due to the complications of the installation of signalling systems and the pandemic. At the end of 2021, the company unveiled that the project’s costs increased by USD 462 million bringing the total cost to USD 2.44 billion. Caltrain is working with its funding partners, as well as its federal and state legislative delegations to fill the funding gap. To date, Caltrain has received an additional USD 52.4 million from the federal government, has access to USD 150 million financing credit and USD 60 million in Measure RR capital reserve towards the funding gap.
The Caltrain electrification project will allow company to reduce its carbon emissions by 97% while attracting more passengers to rail transport.
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