After years of record-setting ridership growth, demand for Caltrain’s service has outgrown the system’s existing infrastructure. Without an investment in system performance and capacity, Caltrain will not be able to meet the continuing demands of Bay Area commuters. The Caltrain Modernization Program (CalMod) is the rail agency’s solution to this issue.
The $1.7 billion electrification project has been a part of Caltrain’s long-term vision for several years and is reflected in Caltrain’s strategic plans. The CalMod Program will electrify and upgrade the performance, operating efficiency, capacity, safety and reliability of Caltrain's commuter rail service. An electrified Caltrain will also better address Peninsula commuters’ vision of an environmentally friendly service. The Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) is scheduled to be operational in 2020.
While Caltrain continues to work with its funding partners on the additional funding commitments, the agency received good news in February.
On February 9, United States Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that President Obama is recommending that $125 million be included in the fiscal year 2017 federal budget to advance the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP). The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) also announced that the project receive nearly $73 million in prior year funding.
PCEP is the first project in California to be included in the project development phase of FTA’s Core Capacity Program. The funding announcement signals significant progress toward a full-funding grant agreement between Caltrain and FTA. The administration’s request for $125 million in funding for fiscal year 2017 will require congressional approval.
“Caltrain is the backbone of a mass transit system serving one of the nation’s most economically productive corridors,” said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “Investing in the modernization and electrification of this vital transit system linking San Francisco, Silicon Valley and San Jose has been one our top priorities and a top priority for this region. The funding President Obama has proposed will help move this important project forward and create a cleaner, faster rail system to meet the needs of a growing region and a growing economy for many decades to come. Giving us even more bang for the buck, it will help lay the foundation for the arrival of high-speed rail and its contributions to our state and national transportation network.”
The FTA’s Core Capacity Grant Program is designed to provide targeted capital investments in transit systems that are at or will be over capacity within 5 years. The Core Capacity Program is an ideal match for the PCEP because the project will help Caltrain accommodate more riders. Today, most of Caltrain’s rush hour trains are running at more than 100 percent capacity.
View the rest of the article on the Caltrain Modernization www.MassTransitmag.com/12186524.
