SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Four trains per hour during peak periods, trip times for locals cut from 100 minutes to 75 minutes, and increased weekend service highlight Caltrain’s plan for service when electrification begins in fall 2024.
The plan announced last week refines the initial proposal introduced in October [see “Caltrain offers details on initial plans …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 6, 2023], based on public comments.
Caltrain says survey respondents emphasized faster and more frequent service, particularl on weekends. As a result, the service plan now calls for weekend trains every 30 minutes, rather than every hour. Overall, there will be a 20% increase in service; the agency says the electrified system will have the capacity to increase service further, with up to six trains per hour during peak periods.
“With electrified Caltrain service now less than a year away, it is exciting to see a new schedule in place that will allow riders to get to their destinations quicker and more often,” Caltrain Board Chair Jeff Gee said in a press release. “While there is still a lot of work ahead of us, the vision of greener, quieter and more efficient trains will soon be a reality.”
Electrified operation will cut travel times from the southernmost portion of the Caltrain system, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, by nearly 30 minutes, although trips from those stations on the non-electrified section will require a train change. A battery-electric train will eventually offer trial service over the full route [see “Caltrain orders battery-electric trainset …,” News Wire, Aug. 18, 2023].
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