By Railfan & Railroad Staff
Caltrain met another milestone in the electrification of its system, as it successfully tested electric trains and overhead wires between Redwood City and Mountain View for the first time.
Caltrain is currently spending more than $2 billion to electrify its main line between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The electrification is expected to be completed this fall. The system will use Stadler-built EMU trains and will lead to the retirement of its fleet of mostly F40 locomotives.
Live tests started at 20 miles per hour, to ensure the overhead wire and train were properly connected. Once the connection was successfully established, the train increased speed to the corridor’s 79-mile-per-hour maximum limit.
Each of the 23 electric trainsets must complete 1000 miles of testing before it is allowed to carry passengers. Initial tests were conducted between Santa Clara and College Park Stations on the Santa Clara Drill Track, but Caltrain has steadily been expanding the available testing area from San Jose to Mountain View. With this live run, testing can now take place from San Jose to Redwood City, further accelerating the process and keeping the launch of service on schedule for fall 2024.
