CA: Caltrain ridership soars to highest levels since COVID with new electric trains

In the first month of its electric train service, Caltrain saw over 753,000 passengers — a 54% increase from October 2023 and its best ridership numbers since the coronavirus pandemic, according to new figures released by the transit agency.

Total ridership on the commuter rail line between San Francisco and the South Bay increased 17% between August — the last month of primarily diesel service — and October, the first month of all-electric. Weekend ridership — with service every 30 minutes rather than every hour — grew by 38%.

That bucks the usual trends, which typically show ridership falling off in August. This year, though, it increased by more than 100,000 riders.

“When we broke ground on the electrification project back in 2017, we set out to deliver a state-of-the-art modern rail system for the people we serve,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard in a statement. “It is immensely gratifying to see our riders embrace our new service on this scale.”

Compared to last October, the numbers are even more stunning — average weekday ridership rose 38% to 27,000, and current weekend ridership soared past pre-COVID levels, with Saturdays seeing a 169% increase and Sundays a 142% increase from last October.

BART, which has a significantly higher total ridership than Caltrain, also saw an increase in ridership but not to the same degree as its newly electrified peer. The system, which has 50 stations across all five counties in the core Bay Area, has a total ridership of more than 4.8 million.

BART’s average October weekday ridership increased 8% to 180,834 from 167,484. Weekend ridership also rose by 3.1% on Saturdays, and 11% on Sundays.

Caltrain’s new trains are not only more environmentally friendly than their diesel forerunners, they’re also faster. Whereas a diesel train running express could get commuters between San Jose and San Francisco in an hour and five minutes with stops at seven stations, the new trains stop at 11 stations and make the journey in just 59 minutes.

Because they can accelerate and decelerate much faster, too, regular service is also moving much faster. Sixteen stations have trains stopping every 15-20 minutes at peak hours. All stations have service every 30 minutes on the weekend.

The new trains are also more modern — they offer Wi-Fi onboard, digital displays and power outlets along the forward facing seats.

“If you haven’t experienced the future of transportation for yourself yet, find out what everyone has been talking about,” Bouchard said.

Bay Area News Group reporter Jovi Dai contributed reporting. 

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