Caltrain is celebrating the completion of the foundation of its electrification project, which officials say will provide a cleaner and easier commute in the Bay Area.
Public officials from around the Bay Area came to mark the completion and the placement of the final gold bolt on the San Francisco foundation on Friday following four years of construction, two of which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project is slated for completion by 2024, and Caltrain Spokesperson Dan Lieberman said the new fleet of electric trains is already under construction.
"The first of them are going to come out in a few months," Lieberman told KCBS Radio. "So, we are going to have an electrified fleet but we are going to be able to run more service per day just with higher level frequency."
But some hurdles remain. State Assemblyman Phil Ting, who chairs the budget committee, said California has provided nearly $1 billion for this project but a funding gap still remains to get it finished. "The state has been extraordinarily supportive already and I imagine that we are going to continue to keep supporting this project all the way till 2024," Ting said.
Tings added that transportation infrastructure helps with job creation and economic growth. Rep. Jackie Speier said this is the type of shovel-ready project that can compete for funds from the infrastructure bill.
"It is environmentally sensitive, it is reducing the greenhouse gases by 97% in this region," she said.
Speier said this project modernizes the rail line and could prove key to the high-speed rail project to Southern California. Officials estimate that 30,000 cars will be taken off the road once the project is up and running.
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