Major Rail Project Sabotaged.
Caltrain is a commuter rail system in California operating between South Bay and San Francisco. Railroad officials have wanted to electrify the system for some time because it would allow them to run their trains at somewhat higher speeds than the diesel locomotives can manage and, even more important, it would save money and be non-polluting. What’s not to like?
Caltrain applied for and was awarded a federal grant of $647 million from the Obama Administration’s Transportation Department for their electrification project.
It so happens that there was another future benefit to the electrification project—it would have reduced the cost to taxpayers for California’s Los Angeles to San Francisco high-speed rail project because those trainsets are powered by the electricity they would draw from those very same overhead wires.
Well, that was more than enough of an excuse for all 14 Republicans in California’s Congressional delegation, who wrote to Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, asking her to put the Caltrain grant on hold until a full audit could be done on the high-speed rail project.
Of course, Secretary Chao—who happens to be the wife of the Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell—immediately complied, having been on the job for two weeks and no doubt thoroughly familiar with all the relevant issues of both projects.
So Caltrain, having already picked contractors for the project, is screwed; many thousands of high-paying jobs have gone in a puff of smoke; and every day for the foreseeable future, 60,000 Bay Area commuters will continue to travel on an outdated system.
Representative Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from Palo Alto, summed up the sudden evaporation of an important, shovel-ready project quite succinctly: “I never imagined that the electrification of a train would be subjected to such brutal, partisan politics.”
Better get used to it, Anna.
This denial may be a blessing in disguise.
Battery technology is going to vastly improve in the next few years. It will be possible to power a train without wires. There are already wireless electric trains being used internationally for short distance tracks. And Caltrain’s main route between SF and SJ is not that long, just under 50 miles.
Tesla innovated the batteries such that it made electric cars mainstream. I have no doubt they will do the same for trains as they continue to improve battery technology.
If Caltrain uses a wireless system, they will cut the price tag to go electric by more than two thirds. There will be no catenary system to install. There will be no phased construction costs to keep Caltrain running while the catenary system is built. There will be no years of waiting for the entire system to be built and tested.
All Caltrain has to do is buy new electric train engines. And they are done
It’s not always wise to be the first to try a new technology. Look at how Bordeaux is doing with it’s wireless tramway. It’s going a bit better, nowadays, but in the beginning, it was so unreliable half of the time, they had to run buses, instead of trams. Elon Musk has made a lot of promises of how he is going to revolutionise the world, but it’s hardly ever on time, and with a lot of faults. I give him credit for trying, but I’m not convinced the technology will be ready in the next 10-20 years. by then, those catenary wires will have paid or themselves.
Guess Republicans dont ride on Cal. Train. Only Democrats.. So sad. Two years of preparation for nothing. And some 9500 jobs lost.
Guess Republicans dont ride Cal. Train.
Ten thumbs down! This should have never been a political thing. And if the grant was approved, wouldn’t that mean the money was already appropriated and therefore still be dispersed?
Regrettably, as I understand it, the money was authorized, but not appropriated. It is now “on hold” until a complete audit is done and that could literally take years. It is, yes, an outrage!