Caltrain Passes Key Milestone in Modernization Effort

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May 28, 2010

Caltrain’s plan to electrify and modernize Peninsula commuter rail service received a critical and historic approval from the federal government yesterday – clearance to run the most modern equipment available in the world.

The Federal Railroad Administration issued a waiver of longstanding rules that prohibit what is known as “mixed traffic” – operating standard American trains and lighter rail equipment on the same tracks.

Sean Elsbernd, Caltrain board chair and San Francisco supervisor, said, “This landmark ruling clears the way for American railroads to enter the 21st century using modern railroad technology in common use throughout Europe and Asia.”

Caltrain’s success in achieving the waiver provides a blueprint for high-speed rail systems around the country.

The Caltrain waiver effort, led by 35-year veteran of the rail industry Robert Doty, director of the Peninsula Rail Program and former director of rail operations for Caltrain, focused on the enhanced safety features that are central to Caltrain’s electrification and modernization program.

To avoid collisions, Caltrain will use an enhanced signal system that includes federally mandated Positive Train Control. The signal system is designed to prevent trains from colliding with each other, with other vehicles or with fixed objects.

In addition, the program calls for equipment that uses the latest Crash Energy Management technology. Like the crumple zones on modern automobiles, lighter CEM equipment safely distributes or “manages” the energy from a collision, protecting the passengers onboard the train.

Of this new, enhanced approach to safety, the FRA said, “collision avoidance … is the first line of defense in assuring passenger rail safety, and that collision management, achieved through the operation of vehicles designed with CEM, is the second line of defense that effectively reduces the severity of an incident, should it occur.”

The waiver is critical to Caltrain’s transition from its current diesel equipment to a fully-electrified system:

    * Caltrain’s current signal system would be enhanced with federally-mandated Positive Train Control.
    * Caltrain could begin replacing its diesel-based rolling stock with electrified locomotives and passenger cars, a transition that will take years and require the simultaneous operation of both kinds of equipment.

An electrified Caltrain offers many advantages over diesel trains – they are cleaner and less expensive to operate. And, because electric trains can stop and start more quickly, Caltrain will be able to stop at more stations, making the trip between San Jose and San Francisco in about the same time as the current Baby Bullet express service. The service is expected to attract more riders, which will reduce traffic congestion in the entire region.

Train operations on the San Francisco Peninsula began in 1863. Today, 90 weekday trains operate on the 55-mile corridor, serving 37,000 trips. Six trains provide weekday commute service to Gilroy. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the agency’s governing body, is made up of the representatives from the city and county of San Francisco, the San Mateo County Transit District and the San Clara Valley Transportation Authority.