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{{Short description|Faster San Francisco-San Jose rail service}}
{{about|the "Baby Bullet" express train service offered by Caltrain|the racing aircraft built by Edward Bayard Heath|Heath Baby Bullet|the blender|Magic Bullet (appliance)}}
{{Infobox project
[[File:Caltrain train 1.jpg|thumb|250px|Northbound Baby Bullet in 2005]]▼
| name = Caltrain Express (CTX)
| logo =
| image = Caltrain train 1.jpg
| mission_statement =
| commercial =
| type =
| products =
| ___location = [[San Francisco Peninsula]]
| country =
| owner = [[Caltrain]]
| founder =
| primeminister =
| key_people =
| established = {{Start date|2002|04|04|df=y}} (contract award)
| disestablished = {{End date|2004|06|04|df=y}} (revenue service)
| funding =
| budget = US$110 million
| current_status = complete
| website = {{URL|caltrain.com/news_ctx_fact_sheet.html}}<br/>([https://web.archive.org/web/20030412162846/http://caltrain.com/news_ctx_fact_sheet.html Archived] Apr 12, 2003)
}}
The '''Caltrain Express''' ('''CTX''') project was implemented from 2002 to 2004 and led to the establishment of the '''Baby Bullet''' express service, which shortened the transit time between [[San Francisco]] and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], and certain stations in between. New locomotives and rolling stock were purchased for dedicated express service, bypassing most stations; [[Quadruple-track railway|quad-track overtake sections]] were added in two locations along the Peninsula Corridor right-of-way to allow express trains to pass slower local trains that were making all stops; tracks were also upgraded with [[Track (rail transport)#Continuous welded rail|continuous-welded rail]]; a [[centralized traffic control]] system was added; and [[railroad switch|crossovers]] were added every few miles to allow single-tracking trains around disabled trains. Congresswoman [[Jackie Speier]], then serving as a California State Senator, is credited with securing the funding for CTX and one of the new locomotives acquired for the project is named for her as a result. During commute hours, the Baby Bullet is up to 20% faster than driving south from San Francisco to San Jose.
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Just prior to the inauguration of Baby Bullet service, Caltrain served an average of 27,000 riders per weekday.<ref name=SFC-040601 /> One year later, Caltrain ridership had increased by 12%,<ref name=SFC-050630>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-S-PENINSULA-LINE-FALLS-SHORT-OF-HOPES-2658527.php |title=BART's Peninsula Line Falls Short of Hopes / Competition from cheapter baby Bullet trains could be hurting ridership on extension |author=Murphy, Dave |date=30 June 2005 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |accessdate=25 March 2017}}</ref> and by 2014, ten years later, Caltrain ridership had more than doubled to over 60,000 riders per weekday.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Business-Caltrain-group-vows-to-improve-commute-5849249.php |title=Business, Caltrain group looks to improve rail commute system |author=Cabanatuan, Michael |date=26 October 2014 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |accessdate=25 March 2017}}</ref> Notably, once [[San Mateo County]] commuters were given the choice between [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]] and Caltrain to San Francisco after the completion of the [[History of Bay Area Rapid Transit#San Francisco International Airport extension|BART extension]] to [[San Francisco International Airport]], many riders continued to prefer Caltrain and the Baby Bullet service, which was cheaper and quicker than switching to BART at Millbrae, in part because Caltrain, which follows the 1907 [[Bayshore Cutoff]] route constructed by [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]], does not take a long detour west around [[San Bruno Mountain]] to reach San Francisco.<ref name=SFC-050630 />
In addition to having one of the new locomotives named for her, Senator Speier received MTC's John F. Foran Legislative Award for her pivotal role in bringing Baby Bullet service online.<ref name=Cal-040922 /> CTX received
In 2017, the ''Rail and the California Economy'' report noted that Baby Bullet trains operated at 95% on-time performance (making stops within ten minutes of scheduled times) and, at around 60 minutes from San Francisco to San Jose, was faster than driving south on U.S. 101 during key commute hours. Driving times during peak afternoon commute hours could reach 75 minutes or more.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/research/planning/docs/Rail_CAEconomy_Book_Report.pdf |title=Rail and the California Economy |author=Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Berkeley |date=2017 |publisher=California Department of Transportation |accessdate=31 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831140440/http://www.dot.ca.gov/research/planning/docs/Rail_CAEconomy_Book_Report.pdf |archive-date=31 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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