Training day

Compared with their current diesel service, Caltrain’s new electric service should be smoother, quieter, and even a tad faster. It’ll probably be more reliable as well, since, just as electric cars are mechanically simpler than petrol-powered cars, so, too should the electric trains be simpler and more reliable than the old diesel-powered equipment. From the outside, the new trains look like the future, with a sleek, modern paint job. But inside, compared with the somewhat newer two-level cars that Caltrain began running a number of years ago, these new cars aren’t radically different. They’ll be cleaner, of course, and perhaps a bit more space-efficient (each car appears to hold a few more riders), but otherwise they feel pretty familiar. Except, that is, when it comes to the very ends of the train. Since a diesel locomotive and its attendant fuel tanks are no longer needed — these new trains receive power from overhead electrical lines that run the length of the line from San Francisco to San Jose — each end of the train sports a car much like a regular passenger car but with a small portion carved out for the engineer’s cab. These dual-purpose cars not only add to the total number of seats on the train, they also simplify the process of reversing the train: to do so, the engineer need only make their way to the cab at the other end of the train.

Caltrain plans to begin phasing in its new electric service this fall, and it cannot come soon enough. Back when I was riding, trains seemed quite popular: I can remember many a trip when the trains were standing room only (most often, when the Giants were playing, and we commuters shared our evening train with folks heading to the ballpark). Once COVID hit, however, ridership plummeted. Then, the resulting shift to remote work kept ridership levels from returning to anything like they were pre-pandemic. However, many employees increasingly seem to be returning to the office, at least for a few days a week, so demand does seem to be slowly picking up. Hopefully, these new trains will entice commuters into giving Caltrain a try, thus further increase ridership levels.

Caltrain’s finances very much depend upon that increased ridership. Although I believe these new trains will be somewhat cheaper to run, and thus will help reduce operating costs, Caltrain relies heavily on fare box revenue, meaning that it derives most of its income from riders purchasing tickets. Thus, key to bringing Caltrain back to financial stability is to once again run trains that are full of paying passengers.

Electrification of the Caltrain route (at least, between San Francisco and San Jose) has been long in coming, and is badly needed. I sincerely hope that the new service spurs a solid increase in ridership, since not only is Caltrain a far more efficient way to get people to and from work, it’s key to keeping our freeways from complete gridlock. For some, Caltrain doesn’t make sense, but as I can personally attest, for a great many it does. The resulting benefits — including the decreases in stress that come from getting out of one’s car, and the reduced wear and tear on that vehicle — often far outweigh the extra time and effort a Caltrain commute may take.

I rarely ride Caltrain these days, but you can bet that I’ll be giving these new trains a try once they start running. And while I’m riding, I’ll be reminiscing about my commuting days, and thinking about how I can put more Caltrain back into my life.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.