Caltrain to Roll Out Baby Bullet, Weekend Service in June

Caltrain will introduce its much-anticipated Baby Bullet express service in June and celebrate the end of weekend track construction with free rides on two weekends.

Caltrain's new schedule (PDF, 91 KB), which is effective June 5, will offer the highest level of service in the railroad's 141-year history. Passengers can chose from 86 weekday trains, including 10 Baby Bullets, and hourly frequency both Saturdays and Sundays.

Weekend train service will return Saturday, June 5, for the first time since it was suspended in July 2002 to allow a $110 million construction project to go forward.

To thank passengers for their patience and to attract new riders, Caltrain service will be free the first two weekends - June 5 and 6, and June 12 and 13. Regular fares will be in effect on the following weekend, as well as for all weekday trains, including the Baby Bullets.

That premier commute-hour service will make its debut Monday, June 7, with five morning trains and five in the evening commute hour, serving six Baby Bullet stations: San Francisco, Millbrae, Hillsdale, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose Diridon.

Two southbound morning trains and two northbound evening trains will stop at the 22nd Street station in San Francisco, part of Caltrain's accommodation for the growing "reverse commute" market.

The entire Caltrain schedule has been revamped to provide streamlined limited-stop and local weekday service, with half-hourly midday service available at most stations.

While time waits for no one, the new Caltrain schedule gives commuters a chance to make some back. For example, from the San Francisco to the San Jose terminals, travel time will be cut from an hour and 36 minutes on a local train to just 57 minutes on a Baby Bullet train.

The trip from San Francisco to Palo Alto will take just 37 minutes instead of 62 on a local train.

Although the Baby Bullet stops at just seven of Caltrain's 34 stations, Caltrain revamped its entire schedule to provide a more efficient and timely mix of local, limited-stop and express train services during the week.

Baby Bullet trains will operate no faster than the current top speed of 79 miles per hour on Caltrain, and will save time by making fewer stops.

Upgrades during the two-year CTX construction project have raised the maximum operating speed on more areas of the Caltrain line to 79 miles an hour, and new passing tracks in Brisbane and Sunnyvale will allow the Bullets to overtake local trains.

Track upgrades, together with a modernized signaling and switching system, will enable higher reliability for Caltrain passengers, as trains can cross from one track to another and travel in either direction on either track.

Caltrain is working hard to impress on passengers and the general public that trains will be faster, quieter and more frequent and that it's imperative that people use caution around railroad tracks and trains. Passengers should stand well back from the edge of the platform, and people should only cross tracks when it is safe and legal to do so.

Weekend passengers will also benefit from hourly service to nearly all Caltrain stations between San Francisco's Fourth and King streets station and the San Jose Diridon station during most of the day on Saturdays and Sundays. A weekend shuttle bus will make the link between the Tamien station in San Jose and Caltrain's Diridon station.

Caltrain will welcome riders back with a festival at the San Francisco station from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the first day of service, June 5.

Before the weekend construction shutdown in 2002, Caltrain had operated hourly service on Saturdays and service every two hours on Sundays. The new schedule offers 50 percent more service to Sunday riders.

Baby Bullet Equipment

To operate the new Baby Bullet express service Caltrain purchased 17 bi-level passenger cars and six sleek locomotives at a cost of $53 million, which have been in use for well over a year.

Time savings were a consideration in selecting even the style of trains purchased. Low floors and lots of doors will expedite passenger boarding and help speed the trains along the Peninsula, further reducing travel time.

The cars can comfortably accommodate 130 to 142 passengers, and Caltrain permits 16 bicycles per Baby Bullet train. There is also one fully accessible restroom per car.

Physical Upgrades The improved service and stations for Caltrain passengers and quieter trains for residents along the corridor would not have been possible without two years of construction to upgrade the rail system. While it was inconvenient for passengers, residents and neighboring businesses, the CTX construction project provided bypass tracks, station upgrades and the signal system infrastructure that is making Caltrain service even safer and more reliable.

In 2000, State Senator Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), who had been looking for a project that could provide early congestion relief, secured funding through the state's Traffic Congestion Relief Program for the construction and rolling stock.

To complete preparation for the Baby Bullet express service, the Bayshore and Lawrence stations in Brisbane and Sunnyvale, respectively, were also upgraded and made fully accessible, with enhanced lighting, visual messaging systems and other amenities.

At the Bayshore station, a new 100-ton steel-and-glass overpass equipped with stairs, as well as elevators, allows patrons to cross safely over four sets of tracks.

The Lawrence station now has a wide, lighted tunnel to traverse the station.

Access for shuttle buses and "kiss-and-ride" drop-offs is also more convenient at the Lawrence station.

For more information please call 1.800.660.4287.

5/11/04