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Rail News Home Passenger Rail

9/25/2025



Rail News: Passenger Rail

Caltrain marks a year of electrified transit-rail service


Caltrain's electric fleet is returning 23% of its power supply to other trains on the grid, due to its regenerative braking system.
Photo – Caltrain

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Caltrain this month is marking its first year of providing fully electrified service to commuters in the San Francisco Peninsula.

The commuter railroad also has logged record ridership. Since the launch of electrified service on Sept. 21, 2024, Caltrain carried 9.1 million passengers throughout the San Francisco Peninsula, up from 6.2 million in fiscal-year 2024. Weekend ridership more than doubled, with a 78% ridership increase in July alone compared to July 2024, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

Electrification has enabled Caltrain to expand service and reduce travel times, they said. Caltrain's electric fleet is returning 23% of its power supply to other trains on the grid, due to its regenerative braking system. The new fleet is also more efficient than projected, costing $3 million less than expected.

Caltrain is owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board and provides rail service from San Francisco to San Jose with commuter service to Gilroy, California.