Caltrain runs eight trains simultaneously on newly completed corridor

Upon the substantial completion of all major construction for Caltrain Electrification, the agency conducted a successful test of eight trains running simultaneously on the corridor. This marks the final corridor wide test before the launch of electrified service in September.

For the past eight years, construction has gone on day and night, including locating underground utilities, testing soil conditions, inspecting signal and communication equipment and pruning and removing trees. The project team installed over 2,500 pre-engineered poles and strung over 2.6 million feet of wire to support the Overhead Contact System (OCS) which provides power to the fleet of new, high-performing electric trains.

Caltrain plans on launching its electric service on September 21, which will feature a San Francisco to San Jose trip in under an hour, peak hour trains every 15-20 minutes at 16 stations and trains every half hour during mid-day, evenings and weekends.

Additionally, 10 traction power facilities, which will provide, distribute and regulate electricity to the OCS and electric trains, were installed between the San Francisco and San Jose.

Caltrain’s historic electrification project is the first undertaking in North America in a generation in which diesel trains and their infrastructure components are transitioned to an electrified system.

This year marks the 160th anniversary of San Francisco-San Jose rail service.