Caltrain launches all-electric train service from SF to Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- From San Francisco to Silicon Valley, Bay Area residents can now travel on all electric trains.

Bay Area commuters are saying goodbye to diesel trains.

Starting this weekend, the entire Caltrain fleet will be electric.

On Friday evening, we saw train enthusiasts capturing the last diesel locomotive takeoff from San Jose's Diridon station.

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Noah Williams traveled from Seattle for this moment.

"So this is an end to an era. This is the most reliable diesel locomotive in passenger service in American history," Williams said.

Going electric modernizes Caltrain's 160-year-old rail corridor.

Dan Lieberman started working for Caltrain the year this project broke ground in 2017.

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"We had people building the overhead contact wires system -- the wires above us on a live rail line. Like, that is an incredible achievement of engineering and effort and being able to see all of it has been a privilege. And it's so wonderful to see the end result right here," Lieberman said.

Caltrain is now launching an entirely new schedule with their all-electric train capabilities.

"These trains are faster to accelerate so we're going to be able to provide more frequency. Our weekend service is going to bump up to a half-hour over hourly, which is a big improvement. The new express shaves off about five minutes from the whole run. The locals get there about 25 minutes faster," Lieberman said.

Riders can now make a trip from San Francisco to San Jose in under an hour.

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"If we want to combat climate change, this is how we do it. We don't have to get into completely zero emissions tomorrow, but we do need to give people a viable alternative to driving, and these new trains are awesome," Williams said.

Next year, if Bay Area residents decide to utilize Caltrain's all electric service, that would be the equivalent of taking 55,000 gas powered cars off the road.

We spoke with one woman who plans to attend all the community celebrations Caltrain has planned on Saturday and Sunday with her 15-year-old grandson.

A community festival was held on Saturday in Palo Alto, and another on Sunday at the San Mateo Station from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"Free rides all weekend. So that's a big one if you want to check this out - now is the perfect time to come on out," Lieberman said.