Caltrain Modernization Program: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 04:28, 12 August 2024

Revision as of 06:47, 12 August 2024

Line 25:

}}

The '''Caltrain Modernization Program''' ('''CalMod'''), sometimes referred to as the '''Caltrain Electrification Project''', was a $2.44 billion project that added a [[positive train control]] (PTC) system and [[Railway electrification|electrifyelectrified the main line]] of the U.S. commuter railroad [[Caltrain]], which serves cities in the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] and [[Silicon Valley]], as well as transition from its current [[diesel-electric locomotive]] powered trains to [[Stadler KISS]] double-decker [[electric multiple unit]]s (EMU). According to Caltrain, electrification of the tracks will allow it to improve service times via faster acceleration and shorter [[headway]]s, reduce air pollution and noise, and facilitate [[The Portal (San Francisco)|a future railway tunnel]] into downtown San Francisco's [[Salesforce Transit Center]], as diesel trains cannot serve underground stations.

Proposals for electrifying the line began as early as 1992 when the [[California Department of Transportation]] conducted an early feasibility study. For two decades, the project lay dormant due to lack of funding until Caltrain agreed to share its tracks with the [[California High-Speed Rail|California High-Speed Rail Authority]] (CHSRA), which was looking for a route for the legally mandated San Jose–San Francisco segment. The Authority agreed to partially fund the electrification project in exchange for rights to share the track. Construction contracts for electrification were awarded in July 2016 and [[groundbreaking]] was expected to occur in March 2017, but was delayed when the new [[United States Secretary of Transportation]] [[Elaine Chao]] indefinitely deferred federal funding just before construction was about to begin. That same month, Caltrain removed the contractor responsible for implementing PTC for failure to perform on budget and schedule. In May 2017, the [[Federal Transit Administration]] (FTA) announced its intention to sign the grant and reversed Secretary Chao's deferment. Construction formally began two months later.