Senators seek funding for Caltrain electrification

“As we make historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure, the project embodies the administration’s priorities to support clean transportation, mitigate climate change impacts and create good-paying jobs,” Feinstein and Padilla said in a statement.

The project will be California’s first electrified commuter rail system of 51 miles between San Francisco and San Jose. Caltrain is replacing around 75% of its diesel fleet with electric options and installing a new foundation for a future state high-speed rail system. The project would improve train performance, increase service and capacity, improve regional air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce engine noise. Federal representatives have said the project would create more than 30,000 jobs during the next few years, and Caltrain said it will help triple commuter capacity by 2040. Project construction started in 2017, with electrification service starting in fall 2024.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, said the project would reduce Caltrain carbon emissions by 97% and cut down the miles driven on highways by 619,000 miles each year while creating jobs throughout the country.

“[This is] exactly the kind of project the infrastructure law is designed to address,” Speier said.

In December, Caltrain announced that the project faces additional costs due to negotiations and settlements with contractor Balfour Beatty. Total project costs went from $1.98 billion to $2.44 billion. The pandemic and unforeseen site conditions have also increased costs and reduced service. Caltrain is working with its partners and federal and state legislative delegations to fill the funding gap, with nothing yet solidified. Caltrain has received an additional $52.4 million from the federal government to date. It also has access to $150 million in financing credit and $60 million in Measure RR capital reserve toward the funding gap. State and local resources have funded more than 58% of project costs.

Assemblymember Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, said the project had state and national significance and would help support innovation and creativity in the economy. He plans to work with state partners to find funding to complete the project.

“I was proud to author AB 1889 in 2016 to ensure state funds were available for electrification, and I am dedicated to closing the funding gap on this project by working with my legislative colleagues and Gov. Newsom to get it over the finish line,” Mullin said in a statement.

Caltrain announced Friday the completion of all 3,092 foundations for its new overhead catenary system, or OCS, that will support electrified Caltrain service. Caltrain officials touted the project milestone as a turning point that reduces future project costs and risks. Caltrain now expects a new electric locomotive to begin testing the new OCS system within a couple of months, with the project on track to serve riders in 2024. The first high-performance electric trains will arrive in spring from Pueblo, Colorado.

“Electrification will modernize this 150-year-old railroad, improving local air quality by 97 percent, offering faster service, and carrying the equivalent of 5.5 freeway lanes of traffic every hour,” U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said in a press release. “This is the world-class, modern, and climate-friendly electric transit system that our innovative region deserves.”