SAN FRANCISCO — California is looking to replace technologies that rely on fossil fuels with technologies that use electricity. On Saturday, local, state and federal leaders in San Francisco celebrated Caltrain’s switch to all-electric trains, in what some call a model for the future.
Caltrain is the oldest operating railroad west of the Mississippi, built in 1863 by Pres. Abraham Lincoln. In the 1950s, the old steam engines were replaced by diesel locomotives and have been ever since.
Until now. The era of electrified trains is now a reality in California.
“This project will transform the Peninsula’s rail industry for decades and centuries to come,” said Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman.
At a cost of nearly $2.5 billion, Caltrain now has a fleet of 37 electrified trains. Media and guests were treated to a round-trip ride from San Francisco to the Millbrae station on Saturday, but not before elected officials took their own victory lap.
“We like to say about California — we like to say about San Francisco — that the future happens here first. We are America’s upcoming attraction,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “That’s a point of pride. It’s also a point of privilege and it’s also, I think, a point of spirit that marks this moment. Because we don’t imitate — we are an example to others.”
“This is also a housing issue. It’s an economic issue,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Because all of these initiatives that we’re doing in Congress, when we’re talking about funding for all of this, it’s about the economic development that comes out of it?”
So far, the economy has been slow to recover. Caltrain ridership is still just 38 percent of pre-pandemic levels. Luis Zurinaga, who worked on the electrification project for 15 years, said the faster acceleration of the new trains, which should shorten the trip by 20 percent, could help bring riders back.
“The train is faster, so the rides will be shorter,” Zurinaga said. “So, you know, that speed attracts people.”
The new ride may be smooth and quiet, but the fight for funding was not. Rep. Anna Eshoo secured a deal for the electrification project by pairing it with high-speed rail, but then-Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy killed the plan just as construction was about to begin.
“But you know what? We defeated him. We defeated him and this is today’s victory,” she said. “You know what it is? It’s also satisfying. It’s satisfying that in our time, in our time, we produced something that is so important for the people of our region.”
There’s another reason electrification was so important. Officials want to extend Caltrain underground all the way to the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco, connecting it to all the other Bay Area transit systems. That meant it had to be electric, because you can’t safely run a diesel train in a tunnel that long.
Two of the new electric trains will enter service beginning Sunday, August 11. Caltrain says it plans to launch full electric service on Saturday, September 21.
John Ramos
