One of Caltrain’s 23 electric train sets in San Jose. Credit: Caltrain

California rail service Caltrain has announced the testing of three of its 23 new electric trains, with each surpassing 1,000 miles during the tests.

Caltrain’s rail corridor spans 48 miles between the San Francisco 4th and King Station and San Jose Diridon Station.

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The Stadler electric trains are set to enter service in Q4 2024, and Caltrain emphasised how its new fleet “must meet all safety and quality standards before the launch”.

The rail service provider presently has six train sets on site, with the remainder slated to arrive over the next year from the Stadler US production facility in Utah.

The planned electrification service plan will expand daily peak hour rail service to 79 stations per hour, up from 66. In addition, 11 stations would get four train arrivals every hour, up from seven and trains at midday would travel to 44 stations per hour, up from 34.

Michelle Bouchard, executive director at Caltrain highlighted the safety elements of the testing project.

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Bouchard said: “Rigorous testing of equipment is how we make sure that our corridor remains safe for passengers and the communities we serve”.

“I thank our crews for all their hard work testing these vehicles through the night while we continue to carry passengers during the day. I look forward to the rest of the new fleet going through the same safety testing process and for the rollout of this impressive fleet for our passengers later this year.”

The new trains will include wi-fi, power outlets at every seat, onboard screens with travel information, and enhanced storage capacity.

This announcement follows Caltrain receiving $367m in state aid for its electrification project in February 2023.