San Francisco agency awards $20 million to Caltrain project

The San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s board voted yesterday to allocate $20 million to the electrification of Caltrain's lines.

The district, which is tasked with protecting air quality in the nine-county San Francisco region, will distribute the funds over four years, providing $5 million each year, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

"This is the one of the most significant air pollution reduction funding projects the Air District has undertaken in recent years," said Jack Broadbent, the district’s executive officer. “By replacing diesel-powered trains with electric, air quality will be substantially improved for everyone along the Peninsula train corridor."

The cost of electrifying 51 miles of rail between San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., is estimated at $1.53 billion, and will be covered by a combination of local, regional, state and federal sources.

Adopting electric-powered trains is expected to result in zero emissions locally and reduce fuel consumption by 3.4 million gallons, Caltrain officials said. The electrification project also is aimed at increasing the commuter railroad's service.

Agency officials expect the electric trains to be in service by winter 2020.