Caltrain Modernization and Electrifi cation:
Bringing Relief to a Congested Region
The Caltrain electrifi cation project will remove 619,000 vehicle miles per day and
176 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year from the region.
ver the past 12 years, Caltrain
ridership has doubled as businesses
in the Bay Area have
grown exponentially. Riders are
packed on standing room-only
trains during peak hours. Th e
traffi c congestion on the freeways
in the region regularly
ranks among the worst in the nation.
Relief is coming thanks to Caltrain’s
electrifi cation and modernization
project. In July, community leaders and
transportation offi cials broke ground on
the $1.7 billion project in Millbrae, Calif.
“Gannett Fleming is proud to provide
electrifi cation and modernization
services for Caltrain,” said Bryan
Mulqueen, P.E., Gannett Fleming
senior vice president and Transit &
Rail Global Business Line director.
“We are seizing the opportunity to
boost ridership capacity, reduce the
transit system’s carbon footprint,
and help meet California’s emission
reduction goals.”
Th e project will remove 619,000
vehicle miles per day and 176 metric
tons of carbon dioxide emissions per
year from the region.
“Electrifi cation allows trains to
brake and accelerate more quickly
than their diesel counterparts,
so more trains can pass through at
a quicker rate,” said Caltrain Modernization
Project Delivery Director
Dave Couch. “In addition, we are removing
176,000 metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions and reducing
engine noise and congestion.”
Gannett Fleming provides local
expertise and support out of its San
Francisco area offi ce, while utilizing
nationwide expertise from 13 additional
offi ces. In late 2016, the Gannett
Fleming Transit & Rail team facilitated
the California Public Utilities Commission
approval on electrical requirements
related to the project’s railroad
electrifi cation initiative. Th is approval
set the stage for construction and mobilizing
the design-build contractor.
Gannett Fleming is also providing
electrifi cation program management
services for the new system on 51
miles of Caltrain right of way. Caltrain
will convert this route from a
diesel push/pull service to two 25
kilovolt 60 hertz electrifi cation systems.
Signifi cant modifi cations also
will be made to the signal systems,
SCADA systems, communications
systems, and the back offi ce and
dispatching systems.
16 | Expo Daily | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | OCTOBER 10, 2017
Gannett Fleming will perform
the overall electrification program
management services; creating
bridging documents for design
build delivery method; advise
on alternative delivery construction
capabilities; provide risk management
advice to the project owner;
perform systems integration; coordinate
with utilities and host railroads
(UPRR); and provide construction
management services. Our
tasks also include overhead catenary
system and traction power substation
design, tunnel modifications
and a right of way survey.
The project recently secured federal
grant funding of $647 million
from the FTA’s Core Capacity Improvement
Program, which provides
grants to alleviate over-capacity
transit corridors. In the long term,
electrification also readies the corridor
to accommodate California’s
planned high-speed rail system,
which will provide a one-seat ride
from downtown San Francisco to
Los Angeles.
By Charles Lynch O
UPGRADE
The Caltrain electrification
project spans from the 4th
and King Street Station in San
Francisco to the Tamien Station
in San Jose.
Photos by Gannett Fleming
The modernization
will support
an increase in
ridership from
60,000 daily riders
along the 51-mile
route to a projected
111,000 riders by
2040.
Charles Lynch is the
Caltrain electrification
project manager at
Gannett Fleming, San
Francisco, Calif.
» Visit Gannett Fleming Inc. at booth 2347.
