Caltrain service on Peninsula suspended for electrification work
SAN FRANCISCO -- As Caltrain continues work on its electrification project, the railway agency is not running trains between Millbrae and Menlo Park throughout the weekend.
"This is all so we can continue to work on our overhead contact system which is going to be providing power to the electric trains when they launch their service next fall," said Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman.
Caltrain broke ground on the project in 2017. Lieberman called the electrification project a "once in a generation" project that will drastically improve the system.
"The electrification of Caltrain is a transformative project that is going to change this railroad into truly a 21st Century railroad. We're talking cleaner, greener, faster, more efficient, more comfortable. Just better across the board," he said. "Locals will be able to make the trip from San Jose to San Francisco in 25 less minutes. It's going to be dramatically faster."
He says it's also an important step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"Pushing towards a cleaner form of transportation is vitally necessary if California is going to meet its climate goals," he said.
The plan is to launch electrified service in the fall of 2024. Once there, Lieberman says Caltrain will serve more stations during peak hours with more trains. The electric trains will also be quieter than the diesel-powered trains.
Before then, commuters will continue to have to deal with intermittent service suspensions as Caltrain continues to make progress with the project.
"For the time being, the best thing to do before you go anywhere on the weekend, go to caltrain.com/status. That way it'll let you know if there are any interruptions to service," Lieberman said.
Caltrain has a bus bridge in place this weekend connecting people to Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame and Millbrae.