Caltrain eNews: Focus on More Weekend Construction, Storms, and Transit Driver Appreciation Day

When the Going Gets Tough...

We at Caltrain always knew there would be a great deal of construction work necessary at this stage of the Electrification Project, but having 16 trees fall on our tracks in one day due to one of the latest atmospheric rivers was an additional challenge. However, our crews have been proving why they’re the best in the business as they keep our tracks clear while still advancing the project so we can deliver electrified service next year.

We now have five partial weekend closures complete, with more to come throughout the year. The weekend shutdowns are being used to safely increase Electrification Project construction productivity and complete required testing. Thankfully, reports from our volunteers at stations have found that Caltrain riders understand, as they are as eager to experience our new electrified service next year as we are.

This month, we celebrated Women’s History Month as well as Transit Driver Appreciation Day on March 18, so it’s still a great time to get on board Caltrain!

Caltrain trainset at Millbrae Transit Center heading south

Service Suspensions Move South

The reductions in weekend service allowed for a great deal of electrification construction to take place, and now the work will continue between Millbrae and Hillsdale Stations for one more weekend April 1-2. The construction window moves south on April 8-9 and 15-16, when it will affect service between Belmont and Menlo Park Stations. Additionally, there will be a weekday service reduction during the weeks of April 17-21 and 24-28, with only 82 trains running per day as opposed to 104 and Baby Bullet service being suspended. Over the weekends worked so far this year, construction crews have installed 129,000 feet of wire and 39 poles. We thank our riders for their continued patience during this period of construction, and our staff for putting in the hard work to deliver this vital project on time.

Tree that fell across the Caltrain tracks

Challenging the Elements

2023 began rather dramatically, with major storms that dropped two trees across Caltrain tracks. However, that was just a first course compared to what happened on March 14, when major windstorms dropped a total of 16 trees onto our corridor. Crews worked throughout the storm in order to get the tracks cleared and resume our service. Thanks again to everyone at Caltrain that put in the hard work necessary to keep our trains moving safely and securely, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Caltrain engineer poses for photo in the cab of a locomotive

Happy Transit Driver Appreciation Day!

March 18 was Transit Driver Appreciation Day, a day in which we thank our engineers for the work they do for all of us. Moving a million pounds of steel at 79 miles per hour is not an easy job, but that doesn’t stop our engineers from making it look that way. And in case you missed it, please remember there’s no bad time to thank our staff for the hard work they do every day.

Womens history month graphic with the sillouettes of women as the background

Caltrain Recognizes Women’s History Month

The Caltrain Board of Directors voted to recognize March as Women's History Month. Caltrain is a system that is open to everyone. We in the Bay Area are fortunate to live in a diverse, vibrant community, and Caltrain is honored to provide transit for everyone who calls the Bay Area home.

caltrain.com/Meetings

In light of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in the Bay Area, Caltrain is monitoring the situation and following local public health agencies and CDC guidance regarding public meetings.

Caltrain is implementing a bold service vision for the future with a series of infrastructure and planning projects to modernize the system. Central among these projects is Electrification, which lays the foundation for a faster, greener, cleaner, and more reliable system for everyone.

1.800.600.4287 | Caltrain.com

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