Caltrain Modernization Program: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:44, 29 March 2017

Revision as of 11:45, 29 March 2017

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According to Caltrain, the electrification project will bring multiple benefits to the corridor. Firstly, electric trains can accelerate and decelerate more quickly than the existing diesel locomotives, resulting in faster and more frequent service. Additionally, electric trainsets are quieter and produce less air pollution that diesel locomotives, and the use of electric trains will lower Caltrain's fuel costs while increasing passenger revenue, due to an expected increase in ridership. Once complete, Caltrain expects to annually reduce [[carbon dioxide]] emissions by 176,000 metric tons and increase daily ridership by 21% by 2040. Caltrain plans to complete the project by the end of 2020.<ref name="factsheet"/>

In 2016, Caltrain's Board of Directors awarded contracts to [[Balfour Beatty Construction]] and [[Stadler Rail]] to construct infrastructure for the electric trains and the electric trains themselves, respectively. Balfour Beatty is contracted to electrify the line at 25kV AC, replace signaling systems, construct two traction power substations, one switching substation, and seven paralleling substations. Stadler is contracted to deliver sixteen of their "[[Stadler KISS|KISS]]" [[bilevel rail car|bilevel]] [[electric multiple unit]] trains, with the option of expanding the order by an additional 96 cars in the future.<ref>{{cite news|title=For Caltrain, 16 KISSes from Stadler (but no FLIRTs)|url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/for-caltrain-16-kisses-from-stadler-but-no-flirts.html|publisher=''[[Railway Age]]''|date=August 16, 2016|accessdate=March 29, 2017|workauthor=Vantuono, William C.}}</ref> VantuonoAlthough Stadler's trains are built to European crash standards rather than U.S. [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) standards, Caltrain received a waiver from the FRA to operate its electric trains in mixed traffic with diesel and freight locomotives. The waiver, a first in the United States, was granted due to Caltrain maintaining temporal separation between its passenger service and freight traffic, as well as its development of a collision mitigation and avoidance plan.<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/news/caltrain-lands-fra-waiver-for-passenger-operations.html|title=Caltrain lands FRA waiver for passenger operations|publisher=''[[Railway Age]]''|date=June 1, 2010|accessdate=March 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.progressiverailroading.com/passenger_rail/article/At-Caltrain-running-electric-multiple-units-is-a-key-component-of-the-agencys-long-term-growth-plans--32040|title=At Caltrain, running electric multiple units is a key component of the agency's long-term growth plans |author=Cotey, Angela |date=July 2007 |magazine=Progressive Railroading |accessdate=March 29, 2017}}</ref>

===Funding===