Caltrain Electrification

[electricron]

Other Stadler EMUs (single level cars) don't weigh as much as the KISS (double level cars). There is always a weight limit per axle with railroad cars - golly there's a weight limit per axle in the trucking industry as well. At some point they have to start adding axles.

[lpetrich]

San Francisco Tunnel Work – CalMod, Weekend SF Caltrain Closure Oct. 6, 2018 – Late Spring 2019 -- Caltrain has a bus bridge instead.

From the first link,

From October 2018 to Spring 2019, Caltrain will perform work on the four train tunnels in San Francisco to pave the way for Caltrain Electrification and to bring the tracks to a state of good repair. In order to accommodate the new electric trains, crews will create additional clearance and install anchor bolts in the tunnel ceilings to facilitate the installation of the overhead contact system that will power the new electric trains.

From Construction Overview – CalMod:

• San Francisco - Brisbane: preconstruction
• South SF: foundations, poles, wires, power substation
• San Bruno: - Burlingame: foundations, poles, wires
• San Mateo: foundations, poles
• Belmont - Menlo Park: foundations
• Palo Alto - San Jose: preconstruction

[Jeff Smith]

Potential two-year delay: SFExaminer.com

Caltrain’s soon-to-come electrified trains may one day whisk commuters from the South Bay to San Francisco with BART-like frequency, easing congestion on freeways and bolstering the local economy.

But, a federal monitor has warned, that day may be slipping further and further away.

The Caltrain Electrification Project, part of Caltrain’s overall modernization effort, is facing potential construction delays of two years, according to a contractor’s assessment.
...
San Francisco’s now train-less $2.2 billion Salesforce Transit Center is counting on that electrification project, too. One day, the transit center’s empty basement tunnels will be brimming with modern electric Caltrain cars.
...
Caltrain, for its part, said it is firm that construction is on schedule for 2021, with trains expected to be running by 2022. That date is also a change — Caltrain’s program plan initially showed the electrification project’s “substantial completion” marked for August 2020, but Caltrain acknowledged in its own project report that this date has slipped to September 2021.
...

[SRich]

Will the catenary be high enough for double stack trains?

[electricron]

Will the catenary be high enough for double stack trains?

It does not matter either way. Caltrain tracks being electrified between San Francisco and San Jose are owned by Caltrain. The freight railroad companies have access rights to service local freight customers will be sharing the same tracks, none of the freight customers will be a container business. Almost all, if not all, container businesses in the Bay Area are located in the East Bay Area where the freight railroad companies own the tracks. Therefore, it really does not matter if the Caltrain new catenaries allow double stack container trains or not.
Additionally, when the CHSR tracks are laid parallel to the UP tracks south of San Jose towards Gilroy, it will also not matter. CHSR trains will be running on CHSR owned electrified tracks and all the double stack container trains in the same corridor will be running on UP owned non-electrified tracks. The HSR passenger trains will be physically isolated from freight trains, and vice versa - the double stack container trains will be physically isolated from CHSR trains.

[ExCon90]

Overhead clearance will matter between Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon, used by UP double-stacks; I'm sure Caltrain ownership ends at the junction at Santa Clara (CP COAST?). I know the signaling changes there from Caltrain's (similar to NORAC) to UP's (GCOR)--there's a wayside sign to that effect. However, there are examples of double-stacks running under wire without clearance problems. Now if Caltrain electrification is going to be at 25 or 50 Kv more air clearance may be necessary than with existing installations.

[lensovet]

the posts i've seen have been comically low to my eyes. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrifi ... figuration) says:

Nominal clearance under the contact wire will be 23 feet (7.0 m) to accommodate freight and non-electrified passenger rail service

from https://calmod.org/wp-content/uploads/C ... 1.2018.pdf

Caltrain does not own the southbound right-of-way beginning two miles south of Tamien Station. Union Pacific Railroad owns this section of the corridor

and

Pole height varies between 30 and 45 feet.

[electricron]

Overhead clearance will matter between Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon, used by UP double-stacks; I'm sure Caltrain ownership ends at the junction at Santa Clara (CP COAST?). I know the signaling changes there from Caltrain's (similar to NORAC) to UP's (GCOR)--there's a wayside sign to that effect. However, there are examples of double-stacks running under wire without clearance problems. Now if Caltrain electrification is going to be at 25 or 50 Kv more air clearance may be necessary than with existing installations.

North of Diridon Station, CalTrain will be running double level Stadler KISS EMU trains. They are approximately 17 feet high, with pantograph an additional several feet tall. Double stack container trains are a maximum of approximately 20 feet high. The pantograph needs to be more than 3 feet higher than KISS to reach the catenary wires above double stack containers height.

I do not visualize a problem hanging wires that high, short of clearances under existing viaducts or bridges. The question that needs to be answered is are there any low viaducts or bridges along the corridor in those 2-3 miles north of Diridon? If there are, how much would it cost to raise the viaducts or bridges?

[njtmnrrbuff]

When those Stadler MUs are ready for revenue service on Caltrain, they will be a game changer. I only rode Caltrain once and that was in 2006. I saw that several stops are very close to each other and having those MUs will hopefully help reduce some travel time.

[lensovet]

According to Wikipedia, the highest double stack clearance as provided by CSX is 20 ft and 2 & 1/8 inches.

Per the Wikipedia page, nominal clearance will be 23 ft, which is more than sufficient.

As far as restrictions on existing infrastructure are concerned, the Wikipedia article outlines this as well — there are 4 tunnels close to SF that pose clearance challenges. It's light on details, but the modernization website has info about it: https://calmod.org/construction/sftunnels.

[ExCon90]

Thanks for that post. I've registered with the website to receive updates (unless my East Coast "city of residence" disqualifies me).

[nomis]

Caltrain to test first electrified trainset in April
https://www.progressiverailroading.com ... ril--60083

Caltrain in April will begin testing its first seven-car electrified trainset at the Stadler Rail manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City.

The action will mark the start of two months of testing [...].

Construction on a half-mile test track at the plant is almost completed. The track, power poles and electrical transformers have been installed, and, now, Stadler crews are connecting overhead wires to the transformers in order to test the new trainset.

And in regard to the preceding comments about tunnel construction:

As of February 22, crews installed the drop tubes, termination structure and three of the four required wires.

[GojiMet86]

From the Desert Empire Project page on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Desert-Empire- ... 072717536/

CalTrain Stadler KISS (Desert Empire Project).jpg (182.14 KiB) Viewed 5500 times

[Jeff Smith]

SM Daily Journal: Fears grow over delay of Caltrain electrification

Concerns that Caltrain’s landmark electrification project will be delayed intensified last week after it was announced construction has hit yet another roadblock.

“I have extreme concerns about this project,” said Caltrain Board Member Dev Davis, also a San Jose councilwoman, at a meeting April 7. “I don’t see any way [the electrification project] is going to be complete according to its current schedule.”

If the $1.9 billion project is delayed, then additional funds may be required.

During the meeting, Caltrain board members learned Balfour Beatty, the contractor responsible for electrifying the rail corridor, will be pausing construction of the foundations for the overhead power lines for the rest of May.
...
According to John Funghi, chief officer of Caltrain’s Modernization Program, the foundation work is being paused this time because Balfour Beatty is running out of rebar cages needed for the job. That’s because Balfour Beatty failed to order more of them on time, Funghi added.
...

[rohr turbo]

Catenary poles are popping up along the peninsula. Note the wildfire-tinged sky today.