The state of California is known for its reliance on the automobile and its less-than-comprehensive public transportation sector, but a massive jump in ridership of an improved rail line could be a sign that reputation may change. Ridership of the Caltrain service is way up, and it’s all thanks to a transition away from old-fashioned diesel trains that have been upgraded to new electric trains in August of this year.
Electric trains start and stop faster than diesel trains can, and they retain the same 79-mph top speed, which allowed Caltrain to introduce faster and more frequent service between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose. More than 753,000 passengers rode Caltrain trains during the month of October, its first month of fully electric service. That overall ridership number is up 54 percent year over year, and weekend ridership increased by over 140 percent.
Caltrain is not equating the jump in ridership to return-to-office mandates from the numerous giant tech companies located in the Bay Area, especially considering the significant jump in weekend numbers. Even compared to the month of August’s primarily diesel service, ridership in October was up 17 percent. According to the SF Gate,
“We’re generally observing growth throughout the system rather than clustered around certain stations,” [Randall White, Caltrain spokesperson] said. “So we expect the new service is the primary draw.”
Enthusiasm for the service is easy to find up and down the tracks. San Bruno City Councilmember Tom Hamilton said people love the new trains. “They love being able to use the [onboard] wi-fi and tables and all that stuff,” he said.
Ain’t it crazy how investing in nice trains with modern technology encourages more people to use the service? Yes, trains are expensive, but it’s a valuable investment that appears to be well-liked by Bay Area residents. Even though Jalopnik is a car blog, we’re huge proponents of public transportation and reliable, efficient rail lines, and would love to see more cities upgrade their services.