The event featured appearances from a bevy of politicians and other dignitaries who touted the project as a sign of renewed hope for modern trains and a forerunner to other such undertakings elsewhere.
The event started with a long lineup of short speeches -- including by House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed -- followed by a train ride to Millbrae and back, exclusive to the government, business and labor officials in attendance, along with the media.
Caltrain, which broke ground on the two-and-half billion dollar project in 2017, will phase in the electric trains among the existing diesel ones between now and Sept. 21, after which its fleet is expected to be entirely electric. Sunday was the first day the new trains were used for public ridership.
Local officials described the project as a long-developing dream that finally materialized through staggering levels of interagency cooperation, the pooling of various funding sources and the circuitous navigation of a thorny political landscape.
According to Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman, the new trains will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 250,000 metric tons annually -- the equivalent of removing 55,000 cars from the road.
He said other benefits include faster service — the electric trains accelerate and decelerate much more quickly — less noisiness, smoother rides and a host of new onboard amenities.
The Caltrain electrification project combines funding from numerous sources at all levels of government -- including more than $2 billion combined from the federal and state governments, and about quarter-billion dollars from local ballot measures, bridge toll funds, and contributions from the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara.
