Caltrain promising upgrades to trains, service on anniversary

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Caltrain's Baby Bullet service celebrated its 10 year anniversary on Monday.

The express train cut travel times between San Francisco and San Jose from 90 minutes to less than 60 minutes.

The faster service helped nearly triple ridership in the last decade.

The next big change for Caltrain is swapping old diesel trains for quieter and cleaner electric ones. "We have the funding, most of the funding for the electrification process. That will make a huge difference in all kinds of ways. Certainly in terms of the speed of the train and the air quality," explained Tom Nolan with the Caltrain Joint Powers Board.

Electrifying the system lets Caltrain run longer trains and more frequently. Caltrain has secured all but $140 million of the $1.5 billion dollar project.

Expect electric trains to start rolling within five years.