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With electric trains set to hit the tracks in the Fall of 2024, Caltrain is inviting the public to take a first look at what future riders can expect in the way of amenities during a tour of its San Jose Diridon Station, where it will showcase model electric trains on Saturday.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman, by launching these new electric trains in the Fall of next year, around 75% of Caltrain’s fleet will be electric. The electric trains will run between San Francisco and Tamian station in San Jose, which includes a stop in Redwood City.
The trains cost $2.4 billion dollars to produce and received funding from local, state and federal governments.
Lieberman says that the electric trains will differ from the current diesel powered trains in a number of ways, with the primary difference being the effect on the environment.
“Switching towards a greener source of power than diesel fuel is going to create less pollution and less carbon right along our corridor, ” Lieberman said.
Lieberman also emphasized the accessories and the upgrades to the new fleet’s interior.
“These new trains are, frankly, gorgeous,” Lieberman said. “They’ve got all new seats. We’ve got WiFi on board. We’ve got plugs in the seats as well. This is something that is designed for a more modern audience than our current fleet is.”
In addition to the upgrades to the interior of the trains, the new electric trains will be able to accelerate and decelerate faster, increasing previous service levels.
Caltrain Board of Directors Chair Jeff Gee said that the launch of these trains has been in the works for many, many years.
“The vision for an electrified Caltrain was born about 30 to 40 years ago,” Gee said. “That vision was a faster, cleaner, quieter, more environmentally friendly rail service on the Peninsula.”
But Gee says that even though this project fulfills a vision that is decades old, there is still more innovation and plans in the works for the future. According to Gee, this could mean a complete separation of the railway and car and pedestrian traffic.
“There's a major effort underway to see what we can do to separate the rail from cars, pedestrians and bikes and make sure it's safer,” Gee said. “As well as making it so that the trains don't need to have gates come down during traffic.”
Gee emphasized that this project would be very difficult to plan and execute and that it should not be expected any time in the near future.
