Caltrain
Electric
dreams When a long-awaited electrification
project was given the go ahead, it
prompted Caltrain to begin work on a
whole new generation of rolling stock
Words by Chris Pickering
R unning through the heart of Silicon
Valley, between San Francisco and
San Jose, California, the Caltrain line
supports one of the most culturally and
economically vibrant areas of the USA. In May
2017, Swiss railcar manufacturer Stadler was
brought in to design and produce a new fleet
of vehicles, as part of a long-held ambition to
electrify the line.
“The current rolling stock has served the
line and the surrounding areas well, but much
of it is getting on for 30 years old now and we
want the new trains to deliver a step change
in the customer experience,” explains Michelle
Bouchard, Caltrain’s chief operating officer.
One of the notable features of the current
fleet is its generous onboard bike storage. The
San Francisco Peninsula has an active cycling
scene and the network currently carries more
than 5,500 bikes a day, making them a big
factor in the design of the trains.
“We carry more bikes on board than any
other system in the USA,” says Casey Fromson,
director of government and community affairs
for Caltrain. “We knew we wanted to continue
carrying bikes, but we faced a decision on
how to manage the trade-off between bike
storage and passenger space. You also need
to balance that against things like how many
restrooms you’re going to provide.”
Railway Interiors International ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 54
The decision was taken to continue running
two bike cars on each of the seven-car trains.
As before, these will be built on three levels,
with the top tiers reserved for passengers
and the lowest level primarily devoted to cycle
storage. There are 36 bike spaces in each car.
The storage method is very straightforward,
with the bikes stacked against a metal rack
on the sides of the cars. Other options were
considered for the new bike cars, but it was
decided that this remained the most spaceefficient
solution.
Improving general storage space was also
a major consideration. Most of the sections
will feature overhead storage and coat hooks.