Transit activists are lauding a Bay Area passenger rail service for switching from diesel to electric and urging Southern California’s Metrolink to follow its lead.
Last week, Caltrain, which serves the San Francisco Peninsula down to the Gilroy area, officially began running electric trains across its 77-mile system.
It’s part of a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar modernization project that will both remove emissions from the busy train corridor and prepare the region for the eventual arrival of the California High-Speed Rail, which will operate in the same space in a “blended system” when it arrives sometime in the 2030s.
Metrolink to make significant service increase this fall
In addition to the environmental benefits, the trains are smoother, quieter and capable of traveling at higher speeds than their diesel counterparts, state officials and early riders have said…