SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain will receive $43 million for its electrification project from the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and awaiting the signature of President Joe Biden, the commuter rail agency said.
The federal money will help fill a funding gap in the project expected to be completed in 2024.
“The electrification of Caltrain is one of the most important milestones in Caltrain’s nearly 160 year history,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said in a statement thanking members of the California congressional delegation for securing the funds. “We are one step closer thanks to our supporters who truly know what this means in terms of addressing climate change and providing the modernized transportation service that our communities deserve.”
The funds include $10 million secured by U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla as a community project and $33 million under the Federal Transit Adminstration’s Capital Investment Grant program.
The project seeking additional sources to address a remaining $367 million funding gap, including money from California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, which has up to $1.3 billion available. Those funds are expected to be awarded by the end of January.
What should be good news brings a raft of more whining and complaining about this and that.
Honestly ya’ll if I didn’t know better, I’d think you hate trains and anything new.
All you guys do is complain. I don’t even know why I read this thing anymore. It’s so full of negativity. Ya’ll are poster children for “DON’T READ THE COMMENTS.
And yes, you should pay for electrification of California trains, because California sends your state tax money for this and that. Honestly. I don’t know why I bother.
Believe it’s called “The Power of the Purse Strings”.
Okay…here in California, we already have an electrical grid which is sorely inadequate NOW – let ALONE when the “enlightened” officials declare all fossil-fuel use illegal and force us to purchase electric cars (by 2030, fyi). We ALREADY have conditions where the gullible fools who bought into the whole “electric car” hogwash are not even allowed to recharge their four-wheeled fallacies because it could collapse the grid. How bad or even worse will it make things when THIS farce is thrust upon us?
Electrification, whether cars, trucks or trains, simply changes the emissions from point source to non-point source. You will still have carbon emissions.
In 2021, fifty percent of California’s in-state energy production comes natural gas fired generation stations. Just under twenty-five percent come from wind and solar, with solar at seventeen percent. The remaining is a mix of sources.
https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/california-electricity-data/2021-total-system-electric-generation
The sun doesn’t always shine, nor the wing blow. And California doesn’t produce all of its electricity. About one-third of the “Total Thermal and Non-Renewables” comes from out of state. Just under thirty percent of the “Total Renewables” comes from out of state. Thirty percent of the California energy needs comes from out of state.
Interestingly, the 12,042 GWh pulled from the Columbia River system is considered non-renewable.
My Landey,
As soon as the Feds stop sending boocoos of money for roasd building to states, I support your proposition.
Oh, how’s your Southwest Airlines doing? Two thirds of the flights canceled (other airlines minimal), and then customers get a busy signal trying to communicate with Southwest. I’ll stick with Delta.
How’s my Southwest doing? As recently as the last time I flew them (last month) they were doing a consistent bang-up job. Since then, they have completely fallen apart.
There’s a whole lot of people this week who would like Southwest to disappear. Pardon me if I drop some of the least loved, most reviled, words in the American lexicon: “A corporation too big to fail.” Think of all the people at the Southwest concourses (plural) at BWI Baltimore – Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport. When we figure out how else to fly them, then we can get rid of Southwest. Until then, we can’t.
Maybe Southwest should have done what Amtrak did and just stopped flying during the storms.
Why am I paying for California commuter trains? Or NEC commuter trains and buses or anywhere else for that matter? There was a time all this was done by private companies. I live where I can walk or ride my bicycle to just about anything I need. Our community provides an on call van service to those who need a ride locally. It is financed through a local tax levy. No state or fed money whatsoever.
Just so you know I live in NW Ohio in a community of roughly 25,000.
As soon as the Feds stop paying for any interstate highways, or airports serving NW Ohio, then I can agree. It seems cruel to me to not care about your countrymen. We should want all of America to succeed.
What will they do during California’s forthcoming blackouts at rush hour when the sun goes down and people want to turn on their air conditioners and recharge their cars? Our politicians are notorious for their inability to think about the future.
I have no problem with public transportation being subsidized, as I am one of the beneficiaries. My question is, why federal funding for local transportation? Why not stick the bill to California taxpayers? Ditto each other state, city and county.
There’s a very simple answer. State and local budgets are required to be “balanced”, with (borrowed or printed) federal money counting as “revenue”. If private companies were run under that accounting system, the CFO would be in prison.
Wouldn’t work in Wisconsin, the GOP led Legislature for some reason just hates trains for transportation.
Yup 🙂
With that logic, federal disaster relief should not exist. Seems like a cruel way to run a country.
Really, Mark? With no visible opposition from the GOP, Wisconsin has supported the Hiawatha and has rebuilt the Milwaukee station, replaced the Sturtevant station, and newly built Milwaukee Airport station. Plans are advancing for a second train to MSP.
If COVID hadn’t hit, plans may have advanced by now for another Hiawatha frequency and adding a second platform at Milwaukee Airport Station.
What is basis for your post? Killing the Madison proposal? That was a half-baked idea that wasn’t going to work.
The Hiawatha is a great train.