91-465: California Avenue station is a Caltrain station located in Palo Alto, California . It stops at the historical town center of Mayfield, which was annexed by the town of Palo Alto in 1925. The current station structure was built in 1983 and the station was expanded from one platform to two in 2008. Rail service to Mayfield from San Francisco began in 1863; until January 1864 passengers had to transfer to
182-402: A stagecoach to continue to San Jose . The first station was approximately half a mile northwest of the current site; it was relocated two years later after residents complained the location was inconvenient and William Paul, a storekeeper and benefactor of the town, donated land on what was then Lincoln Street. The station built in 1869 was replaced in 1955, and again in 1983 in conjunction with
273-481: A 30-month environmental review and begin service in 2012. SamTrans , one of Caltrain's member agencies, already owns the right-of-way for the Dumbarton Rail Bridge . The bridge has not been used since 1982, when it was still owned by Southern Pacific , and about 33% of the bridge collapsed due to an arson fire in 1998. However, the project's estimated cost doubled between 2004 and 2006, to US$ 600 million, and
364-694: A ceremony attended by local and state officials at the Millbrae station. In December 2018, it was reported that Caltrain was again behind schedule in installing PTC for the rail corridor, and had requested a two-year extension. The Federal Railroad Administration certified Caltrain's PTC project in December 2020. The first electric trainset was shipped to the Transportation Technology Center for testing in February 2021. In June 2021, Caltrain announced
455-638: A contractor's crane in San Bruno, injuring 13 people. Caltrain began public operation of its electrified trainsets on August 11, 2024, with two trainsets, adding more each week until the full rollout of electric service between San Francisco and Tamien on September 21. As part of the transition, a new schedule was implemented. The new schedule provides for 104 trains on weekdays (52 in each direction) between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon, with local service running every 30 minutes, and alternating trains continuing to Tamien. During weekday rush hours, local service
546-590: A dedicated revenue source estimated at $ 100 million per year. For comparison, in fiscal year 2016 (ending June 30, 2016), the operating expenses for Caltrain were $ 118 million, and farebox revenues were $ 87 million, leaving approximately $ 31 million in expenses to be funded by the PCJPB through its member agencies and county government contributions. SB 797 passed the California State Senate in May, and
637-463: A passenger train and send scores and hundreds to instant death. There are many Southern Pacific locomotives still in revenue service with railroads such as the Union Pacific Railroad , and many older and special locomotives have been donated to parks and museums, or continue operating on scenic or tourist railroads. Most of the engines now in use with Union Pacific have been "patched", where
728-573: A rail connection between San Francisco and San Diego, California . The company was purchased in September 1868 by a group of businessmen known as the Big Four : Charles Crocker , Leland Stanford , Mark Hopkins, Jr. and C. P. Huntington . The Big Four had, in 1861, created the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) It later acquired the Central Pacific Railroad in 1885 through leasing. By 1900,
819-579: A similar hybrid grade separation project ( 25th, 28th, and 31st Avenues in San Mateo ) was completed near the Hillsdale station, which was relocated north during the grade separation. In 2018, gates were down for an average of approximately 11 minutes at each crossing during a typical peak weekday commute hour. The anticipated increase in rail traffic resulting from the completion of PCEP and implementation of CAHSR will result in additional road traffic delays for
910-486: A single weekend schedule with 32 trains per weekend day. All stations have a maximum headway of 60 minutes, including weekends, except for a 90-120 minute gap between the earliest weekend trains. In addition, fares were cut in half for September. Gilroy service was increased to four weekday round trips on September 25, 2023. The Caltrain Modernization Program electrified the main line between San Francisco and
1001-413: A staff recommendation to sign a five-year, $ 62.5 million contract with TransitAmerica Services , after taking proposals from three other firms, including Amtrak California, which had provided operating employees since 1992. The new operating contract was approved by the full Joint Powers Board at its scheduled September 1 meeting. TransitAmerica Services took over not only the conductor and engineer jobs on
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#17328514310761092-461: A telecommunications network with a state-of-the-art microwave and fiber optic backbone. This telecommunications network became part of Sprint , a company whose name came from the acronym for Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Networking Telephony. The original Southern Pacific Railroad was founded in San Francisco in 1865, by a group of businessmen led by Timothy Phelps with the aim of building
1183-624: A to-be-rebuilt Dumbarton Rail Corridor across the San Francisco Bay between the Peninsula and Alameda County in the East Bay . This project would add four stations to the Caltrain system: Union City , Fremont-Centerville , Newark , and Menlo Park / East Palo Alto . The two obsolete swing bridges along the corridor would be replaced. Dumbarton Rail was scheduled to start construction in 2009 after
1274-938: Is financially problematic. In January 2009, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission instead applied the funds to the BART Warm Springs Extension project in Fremont, delaying the Dumbarton rail project for at least a decade. Potential restoration of Del Monte -like service to Monterey had been identified as early as the Caltrans 1984-89 Rail passenger development plan. Amtrak declined to operate such service, but operations under Southern Pacific (by then running state-subsidized services) were studied with ridership forecast developed. Extensions to Hollister have been proposed since at least 2003. Caltrain
1365-655: Is in San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday rush hour service running as far as Gilroy . The northern terminus of the line is in San Francisco at 4th and King Street . Caltrain has express, limited, and local services. There are 28 regular stops, one limited-service weekday-only stop ( College Park ), one weekend and holiday-only stop ( Broadway ), and one stop that is only served on football game days ( Stanford ). While average weekday ridership in 2019 exceeded 63,000, impacts of
1456-597: Is managed by TAMC, who released the Final Environment Impact Report (EIR) for this project in 2006. This would complement another plan to re-establish rail service last provided by Southern Pacific 's Del Monte Express which operated between Monterey and San Francisco. In 2009, Caltrain requested that TAMC approach other train operators. TAMC subsequently opened discussions with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and
1547-620: Is supplemented by express (stopping only at 22nd Street, South San Francisco, Millbrae, San Mateo, Hillsdale, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale) and limited-stop trains (running express between San Francisco and Redwood City, then local between Redwood City and San Jose). Diesel trains continue to be used for South County Connector service between San Jose and Gilroy, with 4 trains in each direction, with these trains scheduled to provide timed cross-platform transfers to and from limited-stop or express electric trains at Diridon. Weekend service
1638-522: Is the first phase, the second phase being from Tamien station to Gilroy . Cost, excluding electric rolling stock, for the first phase was estimated at $ 471 million (2006 dollars). By 2016, costs had increased to $ 1.7 billion. Notably, in 2021, Caltrain stated that the overall cost of electrification had risen to $ 2.44 billion. As part of the Caltrain Modernization Program and mandated by the federal government, positive train control (PTC)
1729-607: The COVID-19 pandemic have been significant: in June 2024, Caltrain had an average weekday ridership of 24,580 passengers. Caltrain is governed by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board ( PCJPB ) which consists of agencies from the three counties served by Caltrain: Santa Clara , San Francisco , and San Mateo . Each member agency has three representatives on a nine-member Board of Directors. The member agencies are
1820-613: The COVID-19 pandemic , resulting in losses of $ 9 million per month. The joint powers board recast the sales tax proposal as a way to keep the system afloat. Due to the COVID-19 measures and subsequent loss of approximately 75% of its ridership, Caltrain discontinued Baby Bullet service starting March 17, 2020. Two weeks later, due to continued loss of ridership, Caltrain further cut service from 92 to 42 trains per weekday, starting March 30. Average weekday ridership plummeted from approximately 65,000 (pre-pandemic) to 1,300. By June 15, service
1911-587: The California High-Speed Rail system. An alternative proposal, by then-Mayor Ed Lee , would see the existing terminal and trains yards demolished, along with Interstate 280 in Mission Bay , and replaced with infill housing. Caltrain and high-speed rail would be extended to the Transbay Terminal in a new tunnel under Third Street . In April 2018, the alternative alignment through Mission Bay
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#17328514310762002-519: The Caltrans Division of Rail to extend Capitol Corridor service south from San Jose to Salinas using the same routing and stations. The switch to Capitol Corridor was cited as an advantage, since CCJPA had experience with commuter trains sharing service on Union Pacific-owned freight right-of-way. Two Capitol Corridor trains would originate from Salinas in the mornings and run through to San Jose and on to Sacramento, with two evening trains making
2093-789: The Constitution of the United States . The Southern Pacific Railroad was replaced by the Southern Pacific Company and assumed the railroad operations of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1929, Southern Pacific/Texas and New Orleans operated 13,848 route-miles not including Cotton Belt, whose purchase of the Golden State Route circa 1980 nearly doubled its size to 3,085 miles (4,965 km), bringing total SP/SSW mileage to around 13,508 miles (21,739 km). The T&NO
2184-604: The Hunters Point Shipyard , and concluded that with the completion of the Downtown Rail Extension (now known as The Portal ), daily ridership could increase to 2,400. However, without the Downtown Extension, ridership would be limited to less than 100. The 1988 study concluded the preferred site was at Evans Avenue. The Bayview Hunters Point Community Revitalization Concept Plan (March 2002) identified
2275-654: The Mountain View station . Starting in 1999, Caltrain reconstructed several stations and upgraded tracks and level crossings under the "Ponderosa Project". In June 2003, a passenger connection for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Caltrain systems opened at Millbrae station just south of the San Francisco International Airport . In 2008, Caltrain reached an all-time high of 98 trains each weekday. Caltrain announced on August 19, 2011,
2366-692: The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority , the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency , and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) . Historically served by diesel locomotives , Caltrain has electrified 51 miles (82 km) of its route between 4th and King and Tamien and has transitioned to electric service, with diesel trains remaining in service between San Jose and Gilroy. The original commuter railroad
2457-520: The St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt, reporting marks SSW), El Paso and Southwestern Railroad , the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at 328 miles (528 km), the 1,331-mile (2,142 km) Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico , and a variety of 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow-gauge routes. The SP was known for its mammoth back shops at Sacramento, California , which was one of
2548-586: The State Assembly in September, and Governor Brown signed the bill into law in October. Advocates for the increased tax cited its potential benefits to alleviate congestion along U.S. Route 101 , which Carl Guardino quipped "has become so congested that we've changed its name to the '101 Parking Lot'." Detractors pointed to Caltrain's bureaucracy and stated fares should be increased to improve services instead. A poll of 1,200 voters in early May indicated support
2639-645: The Trump administration when US Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao decided to indefinitely delay granting the federal funding for the Caltrain electrification project that had been approved by the Obama administration. One month later, in March 2017, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) sent a letter to Secretary Chao calling the Caltrain delay "concerning." In more than two decades,
2730-470: The United States Congress included $ 100 million for the Caltrain electrification project in the proposed 2017 federal spending bill, which was signed into law by President Trump on May 6. The $ 100 million represents the federal funding for fiscal year 2017 of the total $ 647 million grant, with the balance expected in future years. Secretary Chao claimed she could not sign the grant without
2821-500: The APTA wrote, "no project has failed to secure final signature after successfully meeting evaluation criteria." In February 2017, Caltrain fired Parsons Transportation Group and sued them for delays in designing the custom technologies necessary for the PTC system. They then went on to sign a contract with Wabtec , who would offer them the industry-standard PTC system. On April 30, legislators in
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2912-454: The Belmont and San Carlos stations (for Ralston, Harbor, Holly, Brittan, and Howard) were completed in 1995, and 2000; these were "hybrid" crossings, executed as a combination of road depression and rails elevated on berms. The San Bruno station reconstruction was completed in 2014, separating the crossings at San Bruno, San Mateo, and Angus by elevating the rails on a long, curved berm. In 2021,
3003-667: The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, allowing the combined Rio Grande Industries railroad system to use the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. A long time Southern Pacific subsidiary, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway
3094-509: The Dumbarton Extension and service south of Tamien. Caltrain awarded the electrification and EMU contracts at the July 7, 2016, PCJPB board meeting to Balfour Beatty and Stadler Rail , respectively, signaling the start of modernization efforts that will make Caltrain more akin to rapid-transit services such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) than traditional commuter services, and allow
3185-557: The MTC. On February 17, 2017, California State Senator Jerry Hill introduced SB 797, which would permit the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to submit a regional measure for sales tax increase of 1 ⁄ 8 th of one cent to the voters in the three counties served by Caltrain. The regional measure would require a two-thirds majority (aggregated among the three counties) to pass, and would provide Caltrain with
3276-627: The Oakdale-Palou area as the community's preferred location for the Caltrain station. With the completion of the Caltrain Express project, service to Paul Avenue was reduced and the station was closed in 2005. A feasibility study that year proposed a replacement station just north of Oakdale Avenue, next to the City College of San Francisco Southeast Campus in Bayview, 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north of
3367-412: The PCJPB bought the railroad right of way between San Francisco and San Jose from SP in 1991. As SamTrans advanced most of the local fund used to purchased the right-of-way, it was also agreed that SamTrans would serve as the managing agency until San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties could repay their portions. The following year, PCJPB took responsibility for CalTrain operations and selected Amtrak as
3458-576: The Peninsula Commute. Caltrans purchased new locomotives and rolling stock, replacing SP equipment in 1985. Caltrans also upgraded stations, added shuttle buses to nearby employers, and dubbed the operation CalTrain . The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board was formed in 1987 to manage the line. Subsequently, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties commissioned Earth Metrics, Inc., to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on right-of-way acquisition and expansion of operations. With state and local funding,
3549-501: The SP logo on the front is replaced by a Union Pacific shield, and new numbers are applied over the old numbers with a Union Pacific sticker, however some engines remain in Southern Pacific "bloody nose" paint. Over the past couple years, most of the patched units were repainted into the full Union Pacific scheme and as of January 2019, less than ten units remain in their old paint. Among the more notable equipment is: On August 19, 2006, UP unveiled
3640-565: The SP shops there, new shops and yards were built six miles south of the city at Bayshore. The Alhambra Shops in Los Angeles consisted of 10 buildings and employed 1,500 but declined in importance when the Taylor Yard was built in 1930. The SP was the defendant in the landmark 1886 United States Supreme Court case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad , which is often interpreted as having established certain corporate rights under
3731-949: The Salinas city limits to the Santa Clara County line as a result. The concept of a Caltrain extension to Monterey County has been considered since at least 1996, with the cities of Salinas and Watsonville considering rail station improvements and construction between 1996 and 1998, culminating in a TAMC-sponsored Extension of Caltrain Commuter Service to Monterey County Business Plan in 2000. The proposed extension would create new stations and stops in Pajaro (serving Watsonville in adjacent Santa Cruz County at an estimated cost of US$ 6,585,000 (equivalent to $ 9,953,000 in 2023)) and Castroville (at an estimated cost of US$ 11,150,000 (equivalent to $ 16,852,000 in 2023)) before terminating at
California Avenue station - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-516: The San Jose Tamien station , allowing transition from diesel-electric locomotive power to electric rolling stock. Proponents said electrification would improve service times via faster acceleration, allow better scheduling and reduce air pollution and noise. Electrification would also allow future expansion to downtown San Francisco. Electrified vehicles require less maintenance, but electrification will increase required track maintenance by about
3913-611: The Southern Pacific Transportation Company to be taken over by the Union Pacific Corporation ; the parent Southern Pacific Rail Corporation (formerly Rio Grande Industries), the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the SPCSL Corporation were also taken over by the Union Pacific Corporation. The Union Pacific Corporation merged the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad,
4004-584: The Southern Pacific system was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad . It extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso , across New Mexico and through Tucson , to Los Angeles , through most of California , including San Francisco and Sacramento . Central Pacific lines extended east across Nevada to Ogden, Utah , and reached north through Oregon to Portland . Other subsidiaries eventually included
4095-409: The Southern Pacific, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, was founded in 1969 and assumed control of the Southern Pacific system. The Southern Pacific Transportation Company was acquired in 1996 by the Union Pacific Corporation and merged with their Union Pacific Railroad . The Southern Pacific legacy founded hospitals in San Francisco , Tucson , and Houston . In the 1970s, it also founded
4186-480: The St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the SPCSL Corporation into their Union Pacific Railroad but did not merge the Southern Pacific Transportation Company into the Union Pacific Railroad. Instead, the Union Pacific Corporation merged the Union Pacific Railroad into the Southern Pacific Transportation Company on February 1, 1998; the Southern Pacific Transportation Company became the surviving railroad and at
4277-458: The Sunset Limited. Well known were the Southern Pacific's unique " cab-forward " steam locomotives. These were 4-8-8-2 , 2-8-8-2 , and 4-6-6-2 (rebuilt from 2-6-6-2 ) locomotives set up to run in reverse, with the tender attached to the smokebox end of the locomotive. Southern Pacific had a number of snow sheds in mountain terrain, and locomotive crews nearly asphyxiated from smoke in
4368-770: The UP-owned right-of-way between Tamien and Gilroy, including crossings at Skyway Drive, Branham Lane, Chynoweth Avenue in south San Jose. The first grade separation project under PCJPB was completed in 1994, building a flyover for Oyster Point Boulevard in South San Francisco. Additional grade separations were completed in 1995 (Fifth Ave in North Fair Oaks, depressed under rails), 1996 (Millbrae Ave in Millbrae, elevated above rails), and 1999 (Jefferson Ave in Redwood City, depressed under rails). Grade separation projects near
4459-483: The anticipated start of service until 2030 was estimated at US$ 64,900,000 (equivalent to $ 98,089,000 in 2023) for two daily round trips, including an expansion to four round trips daily within ten years. This project depends on state and federal funding availability, a possible local sales tax measure, and an agreement with Union Pacific, the owner of the Salinas-to-Gilroy tracks and right-of-way. This project
4550-426: The cab. After a number of engineers began running their engines in reverse (pushing the tender), Southern Pacific asked Baldwin Locomotive Works to produce cab-forward designs. No other North American railroad ordered cab-forward locomotives. Narrow Gauge Locomotives Until May 1, 1971 (when Amtrak took over long-distance passenger operations in the United States), the Southern Pacific at various times operated
4641-432: The completion of the Salinas layover facility and trackwork at Gilroy. Future phases are proposed to add stations at Pajaro/Watsonville and Castroville, with the potential for up to six daily round trips. A study from 1988 evaluated replacing the Paul Avenue station with a new station to the north, at either Williams, Palou, or Evans, as part of the effort to relocate the home port for USS Missouri (BB-63) to
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#17328514310764732-424: The contract operator. PCJPB extended the CalTrain service from San Jose to Gilroy , connecting to VTA light rail at Tamien station in San Jose. In July 1995, CalTrain became accessible to passengers with wheelchairs. Five months later, CalTrain increased the bicycle limit to 24 per train, making the service attractive to commuters in bicycle-friendly cities such as San Francisco and Palo Alto . In July 1997,
4823-412: The current logo was adopted, and the official name became Caltrain, dropping the capitalized “T”. In 1998, the San Francisco Municipal Railway extended the N Judah line from Market Street to the San Francisco Caltrain Station at 4th and King streets, providing a direct connection between Caltrain and the Muni Metro system. A year later, VTA extended its light rail service from north Santa Clara to
4914-401: The development of the nearby Palo Alto Central condominium complex. After Palo Alto annexed Mayfield in 1925, Lincoln Street was renamed to California Avenue because Palo Alto already had a Lincoln Street; the station took that name in 1941. Until 2008, the station had a central boarding platform and could only accommodate one train at a time, necessitating a hold-out rule. That year the station
5005-520: The end of the year. In August, San Mateo County officials agreed to make Caltrain more independent from SamTrans in exchange for placing the sales tax on the ballot. In November 2020, Measure RR passed which created dedicated funding of a one-eighth cent sales tax. The schedule was adjusted again starting December 14, with slightly fewer weekday trains (68) but more frequent off-peak and weekend service to support essential workers. The number of weekday trains returned to 70 starting March 22, 2021, and
5096-435: The existing Salinas Amtrak station with Coast Starlight service. The Salinas station would be rebuilt as an intermodal station to connect commuter rail with Monterey-Salinas Transit buses. A layover yard would be added to accommodate Caltrain crews and maintenance, and the total cost of the Salinas improvements was estimated at US$ 39,705,000 (equivalent to $ 60,010,000 in 2023). The cost of operating commuter rail from
5187-480: The express trains could overtake local trains at the two locations (near Bayshore and Lawrence stations) where passing loops were added. Travel time for about 46.75 miles between San Francisco and San Jose is 57 minutes (four stops), 59 minutes (five stops) or 61 minutes (six stops), compared to 1 hour 30 minutes for local trains. The Baby Bullets have the same top speed of 79 mph (127 km/h) as other trains, but fewer stops save time. The CTX project included
5278-435: The few in the country equipped to design and build locomotives on a large scale. Sacramento was among the top ten largest shops in the US, occupying 200 acres of land with dozens of buildings and an average employment of 3,000, peaking at 7,000 during World War II. Other major shop sites were located at Ogden, Utah ; Houston, Texas ; and Algiers, New Orleans . After the 1906 earthquake destroyed much of San Francisco, including
5369-429: The following named passenger trains . Trains with names in italicized bold text still operate under Amtrak: The man or men who committed this horrible deed near Glendale may not be anarchists, technically speaking. But if they are sane men, moved by motive, they are such stuff as anarchists are made of. If the typical anarchist conceived that a railroad corporation should be terrorized, he would not scruple to wreck
5460-423: The former Paul Avenue station, connecting with multiple bus lines. The station would be near the Quint Street Lead, which is used by freight trains moving east to the Intermodal Freight Rail Cargo Transfer Facility near Piers 90–96. A follow-up study in 2014 predicted daily ridership of around 2,350. Southern Pacific Transportation Company The Southern Pacific ( reporting mark SP ) (or Espee from
5551-419: The full grant being budgeted, which was disputed by Caltrain and both California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris . On May 22, the FTA announced its intent to sign the funding grant, restoring the final piece of funding for the electrification project. The official grant was finally signed on May 23, and Caltrain broke ground for the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project on July 21, 2017, in
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#17328514310765642-399: The future California High-Speed Rail trains to reach San Francisco utilizing Caltrain tracks. In August 2016, Caltrain ordered sixteen six-car double-decker Stadler KISS electric multiple unit sets from Stadler Rail. The price is $ 166m for the 16 units, or $ 551m including an option of 96 more EMU cars. However, the plans for an electrified Caltrain were put in jeopardy in February 2017 by
5733-456: The line to make bulk purchases of tickets for resale at a loss, subsidizing commuters reliant on the Peninsula Commute until 1980; more importantly, the bill also authorized the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to begin negotiating with SP to operate the passenger rail service and acquire the right-of-way between San Bruno and Daly City. To preserve the commuter service, in 1980 Caltrans contracted with SP and began to subsidize
5824-460: The line were facing financial problems themselves and $ 10 million a year in previous state funding had been cut. Revenues for both local and state agencies had been steadily declining, as well as ticket revenues at Caltrain itself, and had left all "beyond broke." On January 1, 2011, Caltrain cut four midday trains but upgraded four weekend trains to Baby Bullet service as a pilot program. This reduced its schedule from 90 to 86 trains each weekday. At
5915-408: The locomotive's smokebox silver (almost white in appearance), with graphite colored sides, for visibility. Some passenger steam locomotives bore the Daylight scheme, named after the trains they hauled, most of which had the word Daylight in the train name. The most famous "Daylight" locomotives were the GS-4 steam locomotives . The most famous Daylight-hauled trains were the Coast Daylight and
6006-464: The newly built Salesforce Transit Center , closer to the job center of San Francisco and BART , Muni , Transbay AC Transit buses, and long-distance buses. As of 2012 , only the structural "train box" below the Transbay Terminal had been funded and was being built. In April 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission decided to make the remainder of the $ 2.5 billion extension its top priority for federal funding. The extension would also serve
6097-422: The northern end of the platforms, next to the manual wheelchair lifts. The shelters have been modified to accommodate wheelchairs. [REDACTED] Media related to California Avenue station at Wikimedia Commons Caltrain Caltrain ( reporting mark JPBX ) is a commuter rail line in California , serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley ( Silicon Valley ). The southern terminus
6188-442: The proposed Downtown Rail Extension (now known as The Portal ) to the Salesforce Transit Center. A dedicated tax was proposed in 2011, contemporaneously with the prior budget crisis, but polls at the time indicated insufficient support. After SVLG's May 2017 poll indicated strong support, they petitioned Hill to act. By early 2020, the joint powers board was planning to propose a one-eighth-cent sales tax for voter approval later in
6279-477: The pruning of branch lines. On October 13, 1988, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company (including its subsidiary, St. Louis Southwestern Railway) was taken over by Rio Grande Industries , the parent company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (reporting marks D&RGW). Rio Grande Industries did not merge the Southern Pacific Transportation Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad together, but transferred direct ownership of
6370-418: The purchase of new Bombardier BiLevel Coaches along with MPI MP36PH-3C locomotives. The Baby Bullets proved popular, but many riders had longer commutes on non-bullet trains, some of which would wait for Baby Bullet trains to pass. In May 2005 Caltrain started a series of fare increases and schedule changes in response to a projected budget shortfall. The frequency of the popular Baby Bullet express trains
6461-412: The railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States . The system was operated by various companies under the names Southern Pacific Railroad , Southern Pacific Company and Southern Pacific Transportation Company . The original Southern Pacific began in 1865 as a land holding company. The last incarnation of
6552-923: The remaining at-grade crossings along the Peninsula Corridor. The Caltrain line from Gilroy to San Francisco is part of the planned route of the California High-Speed Rail line. With the adaptation of the preferred alternative in July 2019 on the San Jose to Gilroy HSR section, dedicated HSR tracks are planned south and east of Gilroy station, while CAHSR trains would use a "blended" service, sharing tracks with Caltrain between San Francisco and Gilroy. Blended service CAHSR trains would travel at speeds up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) between Gilroy and San Francisco, and higher HSR speeds up to 220 miles per hour (350 km/h) south and east of Gilroy. A 1.3 mi (2.1 km) tunnel has been proposed to extend Caltrain from its north end in San Francisco at 4th and King to
6643-478: The return trip south to Salinas. By 2016, plans had shifted in favor of Amtrak California 's Capitol Corridor to be the service extended to Salinas station. However, with the awarding of Road Repair and Accountability Act funds in 2018, it was revealed that Caltrain again would operate to Salinas as the first commuter rail service with Capitol Corridor service to follow later. As of March 2020 , two daily Caltrain round trips were planned to begin in 2022 after
6734-434: The same dollar amount, at least initially. The plan called to electrify the system between San Francisco 4th and King Street station and San Jose Tamien station . Originally scheduled for completion by 2020, the first electric multiple unit services started on August 11, 2024, with full electrification achieved and diesel trains retired on September 21, 2024. The electrification project between San Francisco and Tamien
6825-402: The same time the Union Pacific Corporation renamed the Southern Pacific Transportation Company to Union Pacific Railroad. Thus, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company became, and is still operating as, the current incarnation of the Union Pacific Railroad. Like most railroads, the SP painted most of its steam locomotives black during the 20th century, but after 1945 SP painted the front of
6916-408: The same time, it raised fares $ 0.25 and continued to contemplate cutting weekday service to 48 trains during commute hours only. By April 2011, Caltrain's board had approved a budget with fare increases to take effect on July 1, 2011, and no service cuts. The budget gap would be closed with another $ 0.25 fare increase, a $ 1 parking fee increase to $ 4, and additional money from other transit agencies and
7007-509: The schedule was adjusted to facilitate transfers to BART at Millbrae. Caltrain began operation with a new schedule that exceeds pre-pandemic service on August 30, 2021; there are 104 trains operated per weekday, including reinstated Baby Bullet service. Headways for popular stations are as low as 15 minutes during peak commute hours (6–9 a.m. and 4–7 p.m.) and 30 minutes throughout the day before 11 p.m. for most stations. The separate Saturday and Sunday schedules were consolidated into
7098-411: The start of revenue service with electric multiple units would be delayed to late 2024. In February 2022, the last foundation required for the new overhead catenary system was completed, with the entire line planned to be energized by summer 2022. Testing of the line would then begin using a AEM-7 electric locomotive, with revenue service planned for 2024. On March 10, 2022, a southbound train struck
7189-707: The trains, but also dispatching and maintenance of equipment, track, and right-of-way from Amtrak. On May 26, 2012, TransitAmerica took over full operations. In June 2004, Caltrain finished its two-year CTX ( Caltrain Express ) project for a new express service called the Baby Bullet . The project entailed new bypass tracks in Brisbane and Sunnyvale as well as a new centralized traffic control system. The Baby Bullet trains reduced travel time by stopping at only four or five stations between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon station ;
7280-454: The year, to provide an estimated $ 108 million of dedicated funding for the system, which currently relies on rider fares for 70% of its revenue. This funding would have enabled Caltrain to run 168 trains per weekday, with rush-hour headways of 10 minutes, with the completion of electrification in 2022. BART -like service levels were projected to increase ridership significantly. In March 2020, Caltrain's ridership dropped by 95% due to
7371-699: Was also marketed under the Southern Pacific name. Along with the addition of the SPCSL Corporation route from Chicago to St. Louis, the former mainline of the Chicago, Missouri and Western Railroad that once belonged to the Alton Railroad , the total length of the D&;RGW/SP/SSW system was 15,959 miles (25,684 km). Rio Grande Industries was later renamed Southern Pacific Rail Corporation . By 1996, years of financial problems had dropped Southern Pacific's mileage to 13,715 miles (22,072 km). The financial problems caused
7462-557: Was approached by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) to extend service south of Gilroy into Monterey County . A draft environmental impact report stated the lack of public transportation between Monterey County and the Bay Area has resulted in increased private commuter vehicle traffic. Traffic on U.S. Route 101 was projected to rise by up to 56% in 2020 compared to 1998 levels, resulting in unstable traffic flow from
7553-560: Was built in 1863 under the authority of the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad ; it was purchased by Southern Pacific (SP) in 1870. SP double-tracked the line in 1904 and rerouted it via the Bayshore Cutoff . After 1945, ridership declined with the rise in automobile use; in 1977 SP petitioned the state Public Utilities Commission to discontinue the commuter operation because of ongoing losses. California legislators wrote Assembly Bill 1853 in 1977 to allow local transit districts along
7644-460: Was doubled to 66 trains (33 in each direction), with local service running every 30 minutes between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon, and alternating trains continuing to Tamien. As of February 2021 , there were 41 vehicular at-grade crossings remaining along the PCJPB-owned right-of-way from San Francisco to Tamien: In addition, there are 28 more at-grade crossings in Santa Clara County along
7735-428: Was fully merged into the SP in 1961. In 1969, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company was established and took over the Southern Pacific Company; this Southern Pacific railroad is the last incarnation and was at times called "Southern Pacific Industries", though "Southern Pacific Industries" is not the official name of the company. By the 1980s, route mileage had dropped to 10,423 miles (16,774 km), mainly due to
7826-490: Was increased to 70 trains per weekday, and limited (skip-stop) service was reinstated; later that month, ridership had recovered to 3,200 per weekday. In July, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors initially declined to consider the ballot proposal, citing concerns about the system's governance structure, Caltrain officials warned that the agency would run out of operating funds and be forced to suspend service by
7917-498: Was increased; two express trains were added in May and another ten were added in August. New Baby Bullet stops, Pattern B stops, were introduced. Another increase of $ 0.25 in basic fare came in January 2006. On April 2, 2010, Caltrain announced the need to cut its services by around 50%, as it was required to cut $ 30 million from its $ 97 million budget because all three authorities that fund
8008-892: Was installed along the route between San Francisco and San Jose by late 2015. Caltrain planned to use lighter electric multiple units that do not comply with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) crashworthiness standards, but instead comply with the International Union of Railways (UIC) standards, on the electrified lines. The FRA granted Caltrain a waiver to operate these units, which were previously banned on mixed-use lines with other FRA-compliant rolling stock due to concerns over crashworthiness, after Caltrain submitted simulation data showing UIC-compliant rolling stock performed no worse or even better than FRA-compliant rolling stock in crashes. Caltrain plans to retain its newer diesel-electric rolling stock for use on
8099-453: Was reconfigured to have two outside platforms and a pedestrian underpass replaced the former at-grade crossing, eliminating the need for the hold-out rule. A fence between the tracks helps keep passengers off the tracks. A ticket vending machine is located at the entrance to the pedestrian underpass so that people can buy or validate their tickets before going to the northbound platform. New shelters for passengers needing assistance are located at
8190-404: Was rejected in favor of a revised alignment under Pennsylvania Avenue. The new alignment would ultimately join the original alignment near 4th and King Station while tunneling under Pennsylvania Avenue from near 25th Street. As of 2023, the revised extension is projected to cost $ 6.7 billion and could open for service as soon as 2032. Caltrain has been chosen to provide commuter rail service on
8281-610: Was strong enough to pass the sales tax increase, if the tax would result in expanding ridership capacity. The poll was sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), headed by Guardino, which predicted that daily ridership could rise to 250,000 with the improvements in service funded by the dedicated sales tax increase. Potential capital projects which could use the dedicated funding include additional electric multiple units (making electric trains 8-EMU consists, rather than 6-EMU), extended boarding platforms, and
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