Rancho Ulistac was a 2,217-acre (8.97 km) Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Clara County, California , given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Marcello and Cristobal, Indians. The grant extended across lowlands reaching from the Alviso shoreline southward and encompassing the land between the Guadalupe River and Saratoga Creek , and the town of Agnew .
82-466: In 1846, Governor Pico granted one-half square league to Santa Clara Mission Indian Marcello and his nephews Pio and Cristobal. Jacob David Hoppe (1813–1853), was born in Maryland and came to California in 1846. He established a newspaper, which later became the "Alta California". He was elected a delegate to the 1849 California Constitutional Convention . After the discovery of gold, he went to
164-490: A 30-month environmental review and begin service in 2012. SamTrans , one of Caltrain's member agencies, already owns the right-of-way for the Dumbarton Rail Bridge . The bridge has not been used since 1982, when it was still owned by Southern Pacific , and about 33% of the bridge collapsed due to an arson fire in 1998. However, the project's estimated cost doubled between 2004 and 2006, to US$ 600 million, and
246-490: A Native American population of 1,271. In the same tabular report, its resident priest estimated that 10,000 cattle, 9,500 sheep, 730 horses, 35 mules, and 55 swine were on mission lands, while about 3,000 fanegas of grain (some 220 pounds (100 kg) each of wheat, barley or corn) had been harvested. After the Mexican secularization act of 1833 most of the mission's land and livestock was sold off by Mexico. The mission land
328-722: A ceremony attended by local and state officials at the Millbrae station. In December 2018, it was reported that Caltrain was again behind schedule in installing PTC for the rail corridor, and had requested a two-year extension. The Federal Railroad Administration certified Caltrain's PTC project in December 2020. The first electric trainset was shipped to the Transportation Technology Center for testing in February 2021. In June 2021, Caltrain announced
410-643: A contractor's crane in San Bruno, injuring 13 people. Caltrain began public operation of its electrified trainsets on August 11, 2024, with two trainsets, adding more each week until the full rollout of electric service between San Francisco and Tamien on September 21. As part of the transition, a new schedule was implemented. The new schedule provides for 104 trains on weekdays (52 in each direction) between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon, with local service running every 30 minutes, and alternating trains continuing to Tamien. During weekday rush hours, local service
492-607: A dedicated revenue source estimated at $ 100 million per year. For comparison, in fiscal year 2016 (ending June 30, 2016), the operating expenses for Caltrain were $ 118 million, and farebox revenues were $ 87 million, leaving approximately $ 31 million in expenses to be funded by the PCJPB through its member agencies and county government contributions. SB 797 passed the California State Senate in May, and
574-797: A nine-member Board of Directors. The member agencies are the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority , the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency , and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) . Historically served by diesel locomotives , Caltrain has electrified 51 miles (82 km) of its route between 4th and King and Tamien and has transitioned to electric service, with diesel trains remaining in service between San Jose and Gilroy. The original commuter railroad
656-414: A recording. The bell tower has three bells; one was donated by King Carlos IV but subsequently destroyed in a fire. King Alphonso XIII donated a replacement bell, which is on display in the de Saisset Museum (in the mission). In 1861, a new wooden façade with two bell towers was attached over the old adobe front of the building. The interior was widened in 1885 to increase the seating capacity by removing
738-698: A reference to the Tamien people) at the Native American village of So-co-is-u-ka (meaning " Laurelwood ", located on the Guadalupe River ) on January 12, 1777. There the Franciscan brothers erected a cross and shelter for worship to bring Christianity to the Ohlone people. Floods, fires, and earthquakes damaged many of the early structures and forced relocation to higher ground. The second site
820-589: A similar hybrid grade separation project ( 25th, 28th, and 31st Avenues in San Mateo ) was completed near the Hillsdale station, which was relocated north during the grade separation. In 2018, gates were down for an average of approximately 11 minutes at each crossing during a typical peak weekday commute hour. The anticipated increase in rail traffic resulting from the completion of PCEP and implementation of CAHSR will result in additional road traffic delays for
902-495: A single weekend schedule with 32 trains per weekend day. All stations have a maximum headway of 60 minutes, including weekends, except for a 90-120 minute gap between the earliest weekend trains. In addition, fares were cut in half for September. Gilroy service was increased to four weekday round trips on September 25, 2023. The Caltrain Modernization Program electrified the main line between San Francisco and
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#1732793442736984-413: A staff recommendation to sign a five-year, $ 62.5 million contract with TransitAmerica Services , after taking proposals from three other firms, including Amtrak California, which had provided operating employees since 1992. The new operating contract was approved by the full Joint Powers Board at its scheduled September 1 meeting. TransitAmerica Services took over not only the conductor and engineer jobs on
1066-647: A to-be-rebuilt Dumbarton Rail Corridor across the San Francisco Bay between the Peninsula and Alameda County in the East Bay . This project would add four stations to the Caltrain system: Union City , Fremont-Centerville , Newark , and Menlo Park / East Palo Alto . The two obsolete swing bridges along the corridor would be replaced. Dumbarton Rail was scheduled to start construction in 2009 after
1148-581: Is a Spanish mission in the city of Santa Clara, California . The mission, which was the eighth in California, was founded on January 12, 1777, by the Franciscans . Named for Saint Clare of Assisi , who founded the order of the Poor Clares and was an early companion of St. Francis of Assisi , this was the first California mission to be named in honor of a woman. It is the namesake of both
1230-557: Is a Tamyen suffix meaning "place of", the rest of the name is unidentifiable. The Ulistac Natural Area is a 40-acre volunteer-maintained natural area within the original rancho, between Lick Mill Blvd. and the Guadalupe River, showcasing seven distinctive natural habitats. 37°24′00″N 121°58′12″W / 37.40°N 121.970°W / 37.40; -121.970 Santa Clara Mission Mission Santa Clara de Asís (Spanish: Misión Santa Clara de Asís )
1312-979: Is financially problematic. In January 2009, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission instead applied the funds to the BART Warm Springs Extension project in Fremont, delaying the Dumbarton rail project for at least a decade. Potential restoration of Del Monte -like service to Monterey had been identified as early as the Caltrans 1984-89 Rail passenger development plan. Amtrak declined to operate such service, but operations under Southern Pacific (by then running state-subsidized services) were studied with ridership forecast developed. Extensions to Hollister have been proposed since at least 2003. Caltrain
1394-591: Is known as Mission Santa Clara de Asís. A subsequent site of the mission dating from 1784 to 1819 is located several hundred yards west of the De La Cruz overpass of the Caltrain track; moreover, several Native American burial sites have been discovered near this subsequent site. The current site, home to the first college in Alta California , dates back to 1828. Initially, there was tension between
1476-404: Is located in the university's De Saisset Museum . The original mission cemetery, still in use, is located on nearby Lincoln Street. Santa Clara Mission Cemetery , also known as Santa Clara Catholic Cemetery , was founded in 1777, alongside the mission by the same Franciscans. In 1851, when Santa Clara College was founded, the cemetery near the mission was running out of space, so they moved
1558-625: Is managed by TAMC, who released the Final Environment Impact Report (EIR) for this project in 2006. This would complement another plan to re-establish rail service last provided by Southern Pacific 's Del Monte Express which operated between Monterey and San Francisco. In 2009, Caltrain requested that TAMC approach other train operators. TAMC subsequently opened discussions with the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and
1640-694: Is only served on football game days ( Stanford ). While average weekday ridership in 2019 exceeded 63,000, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant: in June 2024, Caltrain had an average weekday ridership of 24,580 passengers. Caltrain is governed by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board ( PCJPB ) which consists of agencies from the three counties served by Caltrain: Santa Clara , San Francisco , and San Mateo . Each member agency has three representatives on
1722-624: Is supplemented by express (stopping only at 22nd Street, South San Francisco, Millbrae, San Mateo, Hillsdale, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale) and limited-stop trains (running express between San Francisco and Redwood City, then local between Redwood City and San Jose). Diesel trains continue to be used for South County Connector service between San Jose and Gilroy, with 4 trains in each direction, with these trains scheduled to provide timed cross-platform transfers to and from limited-stop or express electric trains at Diridon. Weekend service
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#17327934427361804-534: Is the first phase, the second phase being from Tamien station to Gilroy . Cost, excluding electric rolling stock, for the first phase was estimated at $ 471 million (2006 dollars). By 2016, costs had increased to $ 1.7 billion. Notably, in 2021, Caltrain stated that the overall cost of electrification had risen to $ 2.44 billion. As part of the Caltrain Modernization Program and mandated by the federal government, positive train control (PTC)
1886-430: Is the only mission to become part of a university, and it is also the oldest university in California. Throughout the history of the mission, the bells have rung faithfully every evening, a promise made to King Charles III of Spain when he sent the original bells to the mission in 1777. He asked that the bells be rung each evening at 8:30 in memory of those who had died, although the actual bells have since been replaced by
1968-618: The COVID-19 pandemic , resulting in losses of $ 9 million per month. The joint powers board recast the sales tax proposal as a way to keep the system afloat. Due to the COVID-19 measures and subsequent loss of approximately 75% of its ridership, Caltrain discontinued Baby Bullet service starting March 17, 2020. Two weeks later, due to continued loss of ridership, Caltrain further cut service from 92 to 42 trains per weekday, starting March 30. Average weekday ridership plummeted from approximately 65,000 (pre-pandemic) to 1,300. By June 15, service
2050-612: The California High-Speed Rail system. An alternative proposal, by then-Mayor Ed Lee , would see the existing terminal and trains yards demolished, along with Interstate 280 in Mission Bay , and replaced with infill housing. Caltrain and high-speed rail would be extended to the Transbay Terminal in a new tunnel under Third Street . In April 2018, the alternative alignment through Mission Bay
2132-527: The Caltrans Division of Rail to extend Capitol Corridor service south from San Jose to Salinas using the same routing and stations. The switch to Capitol Corridor was cited as an advantage, since CCJPA had experience with commuter trains sharing service on Union Pacific-owned freight right-of-way. Two Capitol Corridor trains would originate from Salinas in the mornings and run through to San Jose and on to Sacramento, with two evening trains making
2214-632: The Hunters Point Shipyard , and concluded that with the completion of the Downtown Rail Extension (now known as The Portal ), daily ridership could increase to 2,400. However, without the Downtown Extension, ridership would be limited to less than 100. The 1988 study concluded the preferred site was at Evans Avenue. The Bayview Hunters Point Community Revitalization Concept Plan (March 2002) identified
2296-685: The Mountain View station . Starting in 1999, Caltrain reconstructed several stations and upgraded tracks and level crossings under the "Ponderosa Project". In June 2003, a passenger connection for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Caltrain systems opened at Millbrae station just south of the San Francisco International Airport . In 2008, Caltrain reached an all-time high of 98 trains each weekday. Caltrain announced on August 19, 2011,
2378-670: The San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley ( Silicon Valley ). The southern terminus is in San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday rush hour service running as far as Gilroy . The northern terminus of the line is in San Francisco at 4th and King Street . Caltrain has express, limited, and local services. There are 28 regular stops, one limited-service weekday-only stop ( College Park ), one weekend and holiday-only stop ( Broadway ), and one stop that
2460-655: The State Assembly in September, and Governor Brown signed the bill into law in October. Advocates for the increased tax cited its potential benefits to alleviate congestion along U.S. Route 101 , which Carl Guardino quipped "has become so congested that we've changed its name to the '101 Parking Lot'." Detractors pointed to Caltrain's bureaucracy and stated fares should be increased to improve services instead. A poll of 1,200 voters in early May indicated support
2542-673: The Trump administration when US Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao decided to indefinitely delay granting the federal funding for the Caltrain electrification project that had been approved by the Obama administration. One month later, in March 2017, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) sent a letter to Secretary Chao calling the Caltrain delay "concerning." In more than two decades,
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2624-480: The United States Congress included $ 100 million for the Caltrain electrification project in the proposed 2017 federal spending bill, which was signed into law by President Trump on May 6. The $ 100 million represents the federal funding for fiscal year 2017 of the total $ 647 million grant, with the balance expected in future years. Secretary Chao claimed she could not sign the grant without
2706-651: The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Ulistac was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to heirs of Jacob D. Hoppe in 1868. The Hoppe heirs sold the land in 1860. In 1885, 1,650 acres (6.7 km) of Rancho Ulistac were developed as a site of the Agnews Developmental Center . The hospital
2788-525: The 60 years of mission operation under the Spanish and many of the native plants needed for Native American survival were gone, requiring a change from the former lifestyle for many Native Americans. Many Native Americans fled to the Central Valley of California, others stayed locally and worked for the new ranchos . There were a few small and short-lived Native American villages established around
2870-507: The APTA wrote, "no project has failed to secure final signature after successfully meeting evaluation criteria." In February 2017, Caltrain fired Parsons Transportation Group and sued them for delays in designing the custom technologies necessary for the PTC system. They then went on to sign a contract with Wabtec , who would offer them the industry-standard PTC system. On April 30, legislators in
2952-670: The Bay Area by 1839; many of these villages could not support themselves, so they began raiding the nearby ranchos. In 1850, California became a state. With that change, priests of the Jesuit order took over the Mission Santa Clara de Asís in 1851 from the Franciscans. Father John Nobili , S.J., was put in charge of the mission. He began a college on the mission site in 1851, which grew into Santa Clara University ; it
3034-459: The Belmont and San Carlos stations (for Ralston, Harbor, Holly, Brittan, and Howard) were completed in 1995, and 2000; these were "hybrid" crossings, executed as a combination of road depression and rails elevated on berms. The San Bruno station reconstruction was completed in 2014, separating the crossings at San Bruno, San Mateo, and Angus by elevating the rails on a long, curved berm. In 2021,
3116-522: The Dumbarton Extension and service south of Tamien. Caltrain awarded the electrification and EMU contracts at the July 7, 2016, PCJPB board meeting to Balfour Beatty and Stadler Rail , respectively, signaling the start of modernization efforts that will make Caltrain more akin to rapid-transit services such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) than traditional commuter services, and allow
3198-575: The MTC. On February 17, 2017, California State Senator Jerry Hill introduced SB 797, which would permit the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to submit a regional measure for sales tax increase of 1 ⁄ 8 th of one cent to the voters in the three counties served by Caltrain. The regional measure would require a two-thirds majority (aggregated among the three counties) to pass, and would provide Caltrain with
3280-653: The Oakdale-Palou area as the community's preferred location for the Caltrain station. With the completion of the Caltrain Express project, service to Paul Avenue was reduced and the station was closed in 2005. A feasibility study that year proposed a replacement station just north of Oakdale Avenue, next to the City College of San Francisco Southeast Campus in Bayview, 1.0 mile (1.6 km) north of
3362-412: The PCJPB bought the railroad right of way between San Francisco and San Jose from SP in 1991. As SamTrans advanced most of the local fund used to purchased the right-of-way, it was also agreed that SamTrans would serve as the managing agency until San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties could repay their portions. The following year, PCJPB took responsibility for CalTrain operations and selected Amtrak as
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3444-584: The Peninsula Commute. Caltrans purchased new locomotives and rolling stock, replacing SP equipment in 1985. Caltrans also upgraded stations, added shuttle buses to nearby employers, and dubbed the operation CalTrain . The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board was formed in 1987 to manage the line. Subsequently, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties commissioned Earth Metrics, Inc., to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on right-of-way acquisition and expansion of operations. With state and local funding,
3526-974: The Salinas city limits to the Santa Clara County line as a result. The concept of a Caltrain extension to Monterey County has been considered since at least 1996, with the cities of Salinas and Watsonville considering rail station improvements and construction between 1996 and 1998, culminating in a TAMC-sponsored Extension of Caltrain Commuter Service to Monterey County Business Plan in 2000. The proposed extension would create new stations and stops in Pajaro (serving Watsonville in adjacent Santa Cruz County at an estimated cost of US$ 6,585,000 (equivalent to $ 9,953,000 in 2023)) and Castroville (at an estimated cost of US$ 11,150,000 (equivalent to $ 16,852,000 in 2023)) before terminating at
3608-523: The San Jose Tamien station , allowing transition from diesel-electric locomotive power to electric rolling stock. Proponents said electrification would improve service times via faster acceleration, allow better scheduling and reduce air pollution and noise. Electrification would also allow future expansion to downtown San Francisco. Electrified vehicles require less maintenance, but electrification will increase required track maintenance by about
3690-797: The UP-owned right-of-way between Tamien and Gilroy, including crossings at Skyway Drive, Branham Lane, Chynoweth Avenue in south San Jose. The first grade separation project under PCJPB was completed in 1994, building a flyover for Oyster Point Boulevard in South San Francisco. Additional grade separations were completed in 1995 (Fifth Ave in North Fair Oaks, depressed under rails), 1996 (Millbrae Ave in Millbrae, elevated above rails), and 1999 (Jefferson Ave in Redwood City, depressed under rails). Grade separation projects near
3772-491: The anticipated start of service until 2030 was estimated at US$ 64,900,000 (equivalent to $ 98,089,000 in 2023) for two daily round trips, including an expansion to four round trips daily within ten years. This project depends on state and federal funding availability, a possible local sales tax measure, and an agreement with Union Pacific, the owner of the Salinas-to-Gilroy tracks and right-of-way. This project
3854-454: The city and county of Santa Clara, as well as of Santa Clara University , which was built around the mission. This is the only mission located on the grounds of a university campus. Although ruined and rebuilt six times, the settlement was never abandoned, and today it functions as the university chapel for Santa Clara University. The outpost was originally established as La Misión Santa Clara de Thamien (or Mission Santa Clara de Thamien ,
3936-491: The completion of the Salinas layover facility and trackwork at Gilroy. Future phases are proposed to add stations at Pajaro/Watsonville and Castroville, with the potential for up to six daily round trips. A study from 1988 evaluated replacing the Paul Avenue station with a new station to the north, at either Williams, Palou, or Evans, as part of the effort to relocate the home port for USS Missouri (BB-63) to
4018-536: The contract operator. PCJPB extended the CalTrain service from San Jose to Gilroy , connecting to VTA light rail at Tamien station in San Jose. In July 1995, CalTrain became accessible to passengers with wheelchairs. Five months later, CalTrain increased the bicycle limit to 24 per train, making the service attractive to commuters in bicycle-friendly cities such as San Francisco and Palo Alto . In July 1997,
4100-412: The current logo was adopted, and the official name became Caltrain, dropping the capitalized “T”. In 1998, the San Francisco Municipal Railway extended the N Judah line from Market Street to the San Francisco Caltrain Station at 4th and King streets, providing a direct connection between Caltrain and the Muni Metro system. A year later, VTA extended its light rail service from north Santa Clara to
4182-520: The end of the year. In August, San Mateo County officials agreed to make Caltrain more independent from SamTrans in exchange for placing the sales tax on the ballot. In November 2020, Measure RR passed which created dedicated funding of a one-eighth cent sales tax. The schedule was adjusted again starting December 14, with slightly fewer weekday trains (68) but more frequent off-peak and weekend service to support essential workers. The number of weekday trains returned to 70 starting March 22, 2021, and
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#17327934427364264-435: The existing Salinas Amtrak station with Coast Starlight service. The Salinas station would be rebuilt as an intermodal station to connect commuter rail with Monterey-Salinas Transit buses. A layover yard would be added to accommodate Caltrain crews and maintenance, and the total cost of the Salinas improvements was estimated at US$ 39,705,000 (equivalent to $ 60,010,000 in 2023). The cost of operating commuter rail from
4346-480: The express trains could overtake local trains at the two locations (near Bayshore and Lawrence stations) where passing loops were added. Travel time for about 46.75 miles between San Francisco and San Jose is 57 minutes (four stops), 59 minutes (five stops) or 61 minutes (six stops), compared to 1 hour 30 minutes for local trains. The Baby Bullets have the same top speed of 79 mph (127 km/h) as other trains, but fewer stops save time. The CTX project included
4428-419: The full grant being budgeted, which was disputed by Caltrain and both California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris . On May 22, the FTA announced its intent to sign the funding grant, restoring the final piece of funding for the electrification project. The official grant was finally signed on May 23, and Caltrain broke ground for the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project on July 21, 2017, in
4510-399: The future California High-Speed Rail trains to reach San Francisco utilizing Caltrain tracks. In August 2016, Caltrain ordered sixteen six-car double-decker Stadler KISS electric multiple unit sets from Stadler Rail. The price is $ 166m for the 16 units, or $ 551m including an option of 96 more EMU cars. However, the plans for an electrified Caltrain were put in jeopardy in February 2017 by
4592-456: The line to make bulk purchases of tickets for resale at a loss, subsidizing commuters reliant on the Peninsula Commute until 1980; more importantly, the bill also authorized the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to begin negotiating with SP to operate the passenger rail service and acquire the right-of-way between San Bruno and Daly City. To preserve the commuter service, in 1980 Caltrans contracted with SP and began to subsidize
4674-460: The line were facing financial problems themselves and $ 10 million a year in previous state funding had been cut. Revenues for both local and state agencies had been steadily declining, as well as ticket revenues at Caltrain itself, and had left all "beyond broke." On January 1, 2011, Caltrain cut four midday trains but upgraded four weekend trains to Baby Bullet service as a pilot program. This reduced its schedule from 90 to 86 trains each weekday. At
4756-444: The location a few minutes walk from the mission near the adobe home of Fernando Berryessa , son of Maria Zacharias Bernal y Berryessa. In the 1930s, this cemetery completed its first indoor mausoleum . In part due to the popularity of mausoleum burial, in 2015, they began building the St. Ignatius Outdoor Mausoleum Complex. Caltrain Caltrain ( reporting mark JPBX ) is a commuter rail line in California , serving
4838-410: The mines, where he remained a few months with some profit, and returned to San Jose, where he became the first American Postmaster. Hoppe acquired Rancho Ulistac from the original Indian grantees. Hoppe was killed in the explosion of the SS Jenny Lind en route from Alviso to San Francisco on April 11, 1853. With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican–American War ,
4920-464: The newly built Salesforce Transit Center , closer to the job center of San Francisco and BART , Muni , Transbay AC Transit buses, and long-distance buses. As of 2012 , only the structural "train box" below the Transbay Terminal had been funded and was being built. In April 2012, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission decided to make the remainder of the $ 2.5 billion extension its top priority for federal funding. The extension would also serve
5002-415: The original adobe nave walls. A fire in 1925 destroyed the structure, including the surrounding wall. The church's parochial functions were transferred to the Saint Clare Parish west of the campus. A rebuilt and restored Mission Santa Clara was consecrated in 1929, when it assumed its primary modern function as chapel and centerpiece of the university campus. It is open to visitors daily; the mission museum
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#17327934427365084-426: The people of the mission and those in the nearby Pueblo de San Josè over disputed ownership rights of land and water. The tension was relieved when a road, the Alameda , was built by two hundred Native Americans to link the communities together. On Sundays, people from San Jose would come to the mission for services, until the building of St. Joseph's Church in 1803. In that year, the mission of Santa Clara reported
5166-442: The proposed Downtown Rail Extension (now known as The Portal ) to the Salesforce Transit Center. A dedicated tax was proposed in 2011, contemporaneously with the prior budget crisis, but polls at the time indicated insufficient support. After SVLG's May 2017 poll indicated strong support, they petitioned Hill to act. By early 2020, the joint powers board was planning to propose a one-eighth-cent sales tax for voter approval later in
5248-418: The purchase of new Bombardier BiLevel Coaches along with MPI MP36PH-3C locomotives. The Baby Bullets proved popular, but many riders had longer commutes on non-bullet trains, some of which would wait for Baby Bullet trains to pass. In May 2005 Caltrain started a series of fare increases and schedule changes in response to a projected budget shortfall. The frequency of the popular Baby Bullet express trains
5330-811: The remaining at-grade crossings along the Peninsula Corridor. The Caltrain line from Gilroy to San Francisco is part of the planned route of the California High-Speed Rail line. With the adaptation of the preferred alternative in July 2019 on the San Jose to Gilroy HSR section, dedicated HSR tracks are planned south and east of Gilroy station, while CAHSR trains would use a "blended" service, sharing tracks with Caltrain between San Francisco and Gilroy. Blended service CAHSR trains would travel at speeds up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) between Gilroy and San Francisco, and higher HSR speeds up to 220 miles per hour (350 km/h) south and east of Gilroy. A 1.3 mi (2.1 km) tunnel has been proposed to extend Caltrain from its north end in San Francisco at 4th and King to
5412-478: The return trip south to Salinas. By 2016, plans had shifted in favor of Amtrak California 's Capitol Corridor to be the service extended to Salinas station. However, with the awarding of Road Repair and Accountability Act funds in 2018, it was revealed that Caltrain again would operate to Salinas as the first commuter rail service with Capitol Corridor service to follow later. As of March 2020 , two daily Caltrain round trips were planned to begin in 2022 after
5494-434: The same dollar amount, at least initially. The plan called to electrify the system between San Francisco 4th and King Street station and San Jose Tamien station . Originally scheduled for completion by 2020, the first electric multiple unit services started on August 11, 2024, with full electrification achieved and diesel trains retired on September 21, 2024. The electrification project between San Francisco and Tamien
5576-408: The same time, it raised fares $ 0.25 and continued to contemplate cutting weekday service to 48 trains during commute hours only. By April 2011, Caltrain's board had approved a budget with fare increases to take effect on July 1, 2011, and no service cuts. The budget gap would be closed with another $ 0.25 fare increase, a $ 1 parking fee increase to $ 4, and additional money from other transit agencies and
5658-509: The schedule was adjusted to facilitate transfers to BART at Millbrae. Caltrain began operation with a new schedule that exceeds pre-pandemic service on August 30, 2021; there are 104 trains operated per weekday, including reinstated Baby Bullet service. Headways for popular stations are as low as 15 minutes during peak commute hours (6–9 a.m. and 4–7 p.m.) and 30 minutes throughout the day before 11 p.m. for most stations. The separate Saturday and Sunday schedules were consolidated into
5740-411: The start of revenue service with electric multiple units would be delayed to late 2024. In February 2022, the last foundation required for the new overhead catenary system was completed, with the entire line planned to be energized by summer 2022. Testing of the line would then begin using a AEM-7 electric locomotive, with revenue service planned for 2024. On March 10, 2022, a southbound train struck
5822-554: The trains, but also dispatching and maintenance of equipment, track, and right-of-way from Amtrak. On May 26, 2012, TransitAmerica took over full operations. In June 2004, Caltrain finished its two-year CTX ( Caltrain Express ) project for a new express service called the Baby Bullet . The project entailed new bypass tracks in Brisbane and Sunnyvale as well as a new centralized traffic control system. The Baby Bullet trains reduced travel time by stopping at only four or five stations between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon station ;
5904-454: The year, to provide an estimated $ 108 million of dedicated funding for the system, which currently relies on rider fares for 70% of its revenue. This funding would have enabled Caltrain to run 168 trains per weekday, with rush-hour headways of 10 minutes, with the completion of electrification in 2022. BART -like service levels were projected to increase ridership significantly. In March 2020, Caltrain's ridership dropped by 95% due to
5986-515: Was approached by the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) to extend service south of Gilroy into Monterey County . A draft environmental impact report stated the lack of public transportation between Monterey County and the Bay Area has resulted in increased private commuter vehicle traffic. Traffic on U.S. Route 101 was projected to rise by up to 56% in 2020 compared to 1998 levels, resulting in unstable traffic flow from
6068-629: Was built in 1863 under the authority of the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad ; it was purchased by Southern Pacific (SP) in 1870. SP double-tracked the line in 1904 and rerouted it via the Bayshore Cutoff . After 1945, ridership declined with the rise in automobile use; in 1977 SP petitioned the state Public Utilities Commission to discontinue the commuter operation because of ongoing losses. California legislators wrote Assembly Bill 1853 in 1977 to allow local transit districts along
6150-440: Was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , leaving 125 dead, but was quickly rebuilt. The name "Ulistac" derives from the language of the Ohlone people who once inhabited the area. Uli is believed to be the name of an Ohlone chief, and the suffix -tac means "place", so that "Ulistac" likely meant "Uli's place". However, other sources define it to mean "at Ulis". In 1916, linguist A. L. Kroeber wrote that, while -tac
6232-466: Was doubled to 66 trains (33 in each direction), with local service running every 30 minutes between San Francisco and San Jose Diridon, and alternating trains continuing to Tamien. As of February 2021 , there were 41 vehicular at-grade crossings remaining along the PCJPB-owned right-of-way from San Francisco to Tamien: In addition, there are 28 more at-grade crossings in Santa Clara County along
6314-499: Was increased to 70 trains per weekday, and limited (skip-stop) service was reinstated; later that month, ridership had recovered to 3,200 per weekday. In July, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors initially declined to consider the ballot proposal, citing concerns about the system's governance structure, Caltrain officials warned that the agency would run out of operating funds and be forced to suspend service by
6396-507: Was increased; two express trains were added in May and another ten were added in August. New Baby Bullet stops, Pattern B stops, were introduced. Another increase of $ 0.25 in basic fare came in January 2006. On April 2, 2010, Caltrain announced the need to cut its services by around 50%, as it was required to cut $ 30 million from its $ 97 million budget because all three authorities that fund
6478-914: Was installed along the route between San Francisco and San Jose by late 2015. Caltrain planned to use lighter electric multiple units that do not comply with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) crashworthiness standards, but instead comply with the International Union of Railways (UIC) standards, on the electrified lines. The FRA granted Caltrain a waiver to operate these units, which were previously banned on mixed-use lines with other FRA-compliant rolling stock due to concerns over crashworthiness, after Caltrain submitted simulation data showing UIC-compliant rolling stock performed no worse or even better than FRA-compliant rolling stock in crashes. Caltrain plans to retain its newer diesel-electric rolling stock for use on
6560-404: Was rejected in favor of a revised alignment under Pennsylvania Avenue. The new alignment would ultimately join the original alignment near 4th and King Station while tunneling under Pennsylvania Avenue from near 25th Street. As of 2023, the revised extension is projected to cost $ 6.7 billion and could open for service as soon as 2032. Caltrain has been chosen to provide commuter rail service on
6642-623: Was strong enough to pass the sales tax increase, if the tax would result in expanding ridership capacity. The poll was sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), headed by Guardino, which predicted that daily ridership could rise to 250,000 with the improvements in service funded by the dedicated sales tax increase. Potential capital projects which could use the dedicated funding include additional electric multiple units (making electric trains 8-EMU consists, rather than 6-EMU), extended boarding platforms, and
6724-474: Was subdivided, and the land sold to whoever could afford it which often meant it was sold to government officials and with half of the mission land going to Native Americans. Most of the buildings continued to be used as a parish church, unlike the other missions in California. By 1836, the mission Native Americans were "freed" by the Mexican government. The local land near the mission had drastically changed in
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