SAN CARLOS, Calif. — The first full month of electrified service on Caltrain’s San Francisco-San Jose route spurred significant ridership growth, the commuter rail operator says.
All-electric operations began Sept. 21. In October, Caltrain carried more than 753,000 passengers, a 54% increase from October 2023. That included average weekday ridership of about 27,000, up 38%, and huge gains on weekends — Saturday ridership was up 169% from the previous October and Sundays were up 142%, pushing those days above pre-COVID figures.
“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,” Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain executive director, said in a press release. “It is immensely gratifying to see our riders embrace our new service on this scale.”
The electrified service schedule includes more trains during peak periods, expanded weekend service, and faster travel times [see “Caltrain finalizes electrification operating plan,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 12, 2023].
