US-based commuter rail service Caltrain has secured $367m in state financing for the completion of its Electrification Project in California.
Scheduled to be concluded in late 2024, the project has been designed to electrify the corridor from San Francisco Caltrain Station to the Tamien Caltrain Station.
This funding is provided under California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program’s (TIRCP) Cycle 6 Existing Project Reserve.
“Additionally, this new state funding will allow Caltrain to maintain operations funding identified as a possible means to finishing the project,” the firm noted.
As part of the omnibus spending bill, Caltrain recently also garnered $43m in federal financing for the project.
Both federal and state funds enabled Caltrain to plug the $410m financing gap, which was flagged in late 2021.
Caltrain executive director Michelle Bouchard said: “The Electrification of Caltrain will be a transformational experience for our riders, with more frequent service and enhanced amenities.
“Not only will it significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions, but it is also a major advancement for transit in the Bay Area connecting communities to a transportation network they deserve.”
The improvements under the Electrification Project include the conversion of diesel-hauled trains to electric trains and increasing service to six trains per peak hour per direction besides maintaining operating speeds up to 76mph.
The aim of the project is ‘to improve Caltrain system performance and curtail long-term environmental impacts by reducing noise, improving regional air quality, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions’.
Last year in September, Caltrain revealed its new electric train cars under the project.
