The first two Stadler trains will be gradually put into operation until full electrification takes place on 21 September
Two Caltrain eras collide as southbound train No. 240, powered by one of two Stadler electric multiple units, meets northbound train No. 237, powered by F40PH-2 No. 915, in Millbrae, Calif., on Sunday, August 11. Elrond Lawrence
Following an event on August 10 attended by Governor Gavin Newsom and other elected officials and VIPs, public service using Caltrain’s electric multiple units began on a limited basis between San Jose, California, and San Francisco on Sunday, August 11 (see “Caltrain puts first electric trains into service”). Trains News Wire, August 9, 2024). Two of the trains built by Stadler USA at its Salt Lake City facility were in service, with additional electrical equipment gradually being added into service until the full conversion to electrification, currently scheduled for September 21, 2024.
Here is a little insight into the first day, courtesy of photographer Elrond Lawrence.
The first northbound trip of an electrified train was No. 221, a 7:12 a.m. departure from San Jose Tamien. That train then turned around and ran the first southbound trip as No. 228, a 9:59 a.m. departure from San Francisco, here south of Bayshore. Elrond LawrenceThe other train in service on Sunday is northbound train #229, which left Tamien at 10:05 a.m. and arrived in San Francisco at 11:53 a.m. Here it is south of Bayshore. Although the electric trains can cover the distance faster than the diesel trains, they still run on the same schedules as the diesel-powered trains during the current mixed-equipment period. Elrond LawrenceIn Santa Clara, California, train No. 240 departs southbound as a Caltrain employee and rail fans look on. The heavy car next to the station is Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co.’s No. 184, a 1912 Pullman cafe-saloon observation car that has been on display in the station since 2009. Elrond Lawrence
