Caltrain approves electrification and EMU contracts

[Caesar La Rock]

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure has been selected for a design-build contract to electrify the line, while Stadler USA will supply a fleet of double-deck EMUs to replace the locomotive-hauled trains currently in operation. The request for proposals specifies eight-car trains, although some stations will only initially accommodate six-car sets. the order will be for 96 vehicles with an option for 20 additional cars. The 25kV 60Hz ac trains will initially operate at up to 127km/h, but will need to be capable of 177km/h running for blended operation with California High-Speed services, which will also use the San Francisco - San Jose line. Blended operation is expected to begin in 2026-29 with six Caltrain and four high-speed services per hour anticipated at peak times.

Read more: Source

 

[jis]

At least both Balfour-Beaty and Stadler have relatively good track records in the respective fields for which they have been chosen.

So far many of the DMUs for various new DMU service are provided by Stadler in the US. starting with the NJT River Line DEMUs.

Here is an interesting blog showing what the Caltrain Stadler EMU might look like based on what Stadler has sold to Moscow Airport Express, a design based on the modular KISS concept. Unfortunately none of the cross links to Stadler from that article work any more:

http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-virtues-of-width.html

You can check out the following Wiki article on Stadler KISS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadler_KISS

Given the Caltrain waiver from FRA, it might be possible to get pretty much off the shelf versions of one of the various KISS based double decker EMUs for Caltrain.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Thanks jis for the links. I've also heard of those two as well.

 

[jis]

Your are welcome. Both the KISS and FLIRT from Stadler have for very good reviews so far.