Transit Briefs: Caltrain, SFMTA, MassDOT, Brightline, Metro-North, GCRTA

Caltrain

Caltrain on Sept. 22 marked the first anniversary of its fully electrified service, “celebrating a transformative year that has delivered record ridership growth, cleaner air for communities, and faster, more frequent service for riders throughout the Peninsula.”

Since the launch of electrified service in September 2024, Caltrain says it has recorded a “dramatic surge” in ridership. Over fiscal year 2025, Caltrain carried 9.1 million passengers, up from 6.2 million in FY 2024. Weekend ridership has more than doubled, and July 2025 alone saw ridership increase 78% compared to the same month the year prior, making it the second consecutive month with more than one million riders. Special event travel has also surged, with monthly San Francisco Giants ridership up by as much as 82% over last year, and Caltrain running popular themed trains for special events since last December. Youth ridership has also quadrupled since the introduction of the $1 Youth Fare, which launched the same month as electrification. 

“Electrification has completely transformed Caltrain,” said Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain Executive Director. “We’re delivering cleaner, faster, and more frequent service, and riders are responding in record numbers. This first year has shown what’s possible when we invest in sustainable rail, and we’re only just getting started.”

Electrification, Caltrain says, has allowed the agency to expand service while cutting travel times:

• Express trains now travel between San Francisco and San Jose in just one hour.
• Local trains cover the same distance in 75 minutes, 33% faster than diesel service.
• Weekend service has doubled, with trains every 30 minutes.
• Every station on the line is now served by at least one train in each direction every thirty minutes, with 16 stations seeing trains every 20 minutes and 11 stations seeing one every 15 minutes.

These upgrades have expanded system capacity by 30%, providing more options for riders across the Peninsula and beyond, according to Caltrain.

The new fleet also enhanced the onboard experience for Caltrain riders, offering free Wi-Fi and charging outlets at nearly all seats, all while being cleaner and quieter than ever before.

The transition to electrified service has also produced immediate environmental benefits, the agency noted. Caltrain’s electric fleet is returning 23% of its power supply to other trains or the grid, thanks to its new regenerative braking technology. Additionally, the new fleet is even more efficient than projected, costing $3 million less than expected.

SFMTA

This month, SFMTA is celebrating 30 years of the F Market & Wharves historic streetcar line.

The F Line, which shuttles people back in time along its six-mile route, is served by a diverse fleet of streetcars ranging from 73 to 129 years old. With a rainbow of vehicles from around the world, the F is an “icon on par with the cable cars,” SFMTA noted.

A skilled maintenance team and dedicated operators keep the wheels turning daily. This one-of-a-kind transit experience wouldn’t be possible without their work. It would also not be possible without long-time support from Market Street Railway, SFMTA said.

Looking to the future, there are proposals to extend the F through the Wharf to Fort Mason. In 2013, the National Park Service, which owns Fort Mason, completed an impact study. Three years later, the proposal was recommended to the SFMTA Board by the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. While not an active project, this extension would add almost one mile to the line, traveling along Aquatic Park and through an old railroad tunnel, and connecting people to the Powell-Hyde cable car and Fort Mason Center.

More information on the history of the F Line is available here.

MassDOT

MassDOT is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the state’s purchase and rehabilitation of the “Knowledge Corridor” tracks within Massachusetts, which helped sustain the Amtrak Vermonter passenger rail service that first launched in December 2014.

The 49-mile stretch of tracks between the northern and southern borders of Massachusetts, which the state formally purchased in 2015, enable passenger rail trips on Amtrak’s Vermonter line, from St. Albans, Vermont to Greenfield, Northampton, Holyoke, and Springfield. Since the 2015 purchase, three new stations were built along the corridor, including in Northampton, Holyoke, and Greenfield.

The Restore Vermonter project, funded largely through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, rehabilitated the tracks between Springfield and Northfield now known as the Knowledge Corridor. This, MassDOT says, enabled the Vermonter to travel this new alignment in December 2014, saving 25 minutes of travel time over the previous alignment that detoured through Palmer. As part of the project, MassDOT constructed stations in Greenfield and Northampton, rehabilitated the Stone Arch Bridge in Bernardston, and completed a pedestrian and bike underpass in Northampton. 

Owning the line, the agency says, has enabled MassDOT to invest in rail and infrastructure projects, increasing corridor capacity for both passenger service and freight trains. As a result of the improvements and funding, the Amtrak Valley Flyer, a MassDOT-funded service, began operating on the Knowledge Corridor in 2019. Massachusetts, MassDOT adds, continues to work towards improving rail infrastructure to support increased service levels through current projects, such as the Springfield Area Track Reconfiguration Project and the Inland Route, both part of Compass Rail, the long-term vision for intercity passenger rail in the Commonwealth.

Brightline

Brightline on Sept. 22 announced a series of operational changes “designed to optimize the guest experience and respond to evolving ridership patterns.” The updates follow two years of full-service operations across the state and are based on extensive guest feedback and data analysis.

“These changes reflect our commitment to delivering a predictable, reliable, and comfortable travel experience,” said Patrick Goddard, Chief Executive Officer, Brightline Florida. “We’ve listened to our guests and studied ridership trends to ensure our network evolves with their needs.”

South Florida commuters will benefit from more frequent departures during peak hours, with trains running approximately every 30 minutes.

• Five southbound trains arrive in MiamiCentral between 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
• Five northbound trains depart MiamiCentral between 3:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
• Four northbound trains depart MiamiCentral between 7:45 a.m.- 10:00 a.m.
• Four southbound trains arrive MiamiCentral between 4:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Boca Raton now offers more daily departures, significantly increasing the number of stops in the past six months from 19 to the new 28 daily departures. With these new adjustments, 80% of South Florida trains and 90% of Orlando-bound trains include a Boca Raton stop.

For travelers going between South and Central Florida, Brightline will deploy longer eight-coach trains during peak travel periods. Those trains will grow to 10-coach trains before the year’s end—adding nearly 100% more capacity when compared to same time last year—to accommodate the growth in demand from travelers heading to and from Central Florida.

Brightline will also now offer guests traveling within South Florida predictable pricing based on peak and off-peak travel windows, primarily aligned with commute times and rush-hour demand. South Florida peak is comprised of departures between 6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Special event trains—such as the HOME RUNNER for Marlins baseball games, END ZONE EXPRESS for Dolphins football games, and CONCERT CONNECT for special events—will be designated as peak, regardless of time or day of week, and marked with a special icon on the Brightline website and app.

Brightline’s PREMIUM service will retain its core benefits, including lounge access, complimentary food and drinks, and flexible cancellation policies. The Uber credit previously included with PREMIUM tickets has been removed due to low utilization. New additions to PREMIUM tickets include:

• Pre-boarding service in Miami and Orlando.
• Dedicated Guest Services line and turnstile access.
• Priority baggage claim.
• Complimentary checked bag (Standard or Large size), in addition to two carry-on size bags.
• Onboard welcome refreshments.

Additional modifications include some updates to the on-board food & drink menu available to guests in SMART, enhanced food options available in stations, and a new website feature that allows guests toggle on or off taxes/fees when viewing ticket prices. Guests will still be able to purchase Brightline Passes, offering fixed rate fares for 10-, 20-, or 40-Ride options for SMART travel.

“As guests have integrated Brightline into their lives, we continue to learn valuable lessons about their preferences,” added Goddard. “Brightline has shown people will get out of their cars and integrate hospitality-driven train travel into their lives. We believe these changes will enhance that experience even further.”

Metro-North Railroad

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sept. 22 announced that new 4,200-horsepower Siemens Charger locomotives received last year for testing have begun passenger service on Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line, “providing riders with even more reliable service while reducing airborne pollutants by 85%, all while producing 1,000 more horsepower than the current fleet.”

The new locomotives, MTA says, will be able to travel farther under electric power than the current fleet of locomotives, the GE P32s, which operate under electric power only in the tunnels in and out of Grand Central Terminal, a distance of four miles. The new locomotives can operate in electric mode the entire 102 miles of Metro-North’s third rail territory, which extends to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line, Southeast on the Harlem Line, and Pelham on the New Haven Line. The new locomotives are compliant with Tier IV of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s vehicle emission standards, significantly improving emissions and noise pollution in densely populated areas across the State of New York.

Enhanced reliability is made possible by “ultramodern monitoring and diagnostic systems that allow crews to spot and fix issues quickly,” the agency noted.

In 2021, the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad placed an order with Siemens Mobility for 27 Dual Mode Charger locomotives, known by the model number SC42-DM. These locomotives operate on both diesel-electric and third-rail electric power, enabling them to run on all of Metro-North’s non-electrified lines and switch to electric power for electrified routes, including in Grand Central Terminal. These locomotives are being manufactured at the Siemens Mobility rolling stock facility in Sacramento, Calif., and delivered to Metro-North through 2027.

The purchase of these new Siemens Charger locomotives was funded by the MTA’s 2015-19 and 2020-24 Capital Plans, along with funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

“Transit is already the antidote to climate change, and it’s only getting cleaner and greener as we replace Metro-North’s aging diesel fleet with top-of-the-line diesel-electric locomotives,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “These are just the first of many new trains to come as part of the MTA Capital Plan’s $11 billion investment in new rolling stock.”

GCRTA

GCRTA Board Members on Sept. 23 unanimously voted to approve the Rail Car Replacement Team’s request to exercise a negotiated competitive contract option for the purchase and delivery of up to six new railcars from Siemens Mobility Inc.

The approval, the agency says, is another step towards fulfilling the contract agreement with Siemens Mobility for the total purchase of 60 Siemens Model S200 railcars, which will then replace GCRTA’s existing fleet of Heavy and Light rail trains.

“I am extremely pleased for our customers and proud of my team on this amazing achievement,” said GCRTA General Manager, Chief Executive Officer India L. Birdsong Terry. “Today’s approval by the GCRTA Board Trustees emphasizes the importance of public transportation to our region and subsequent investment in our communities. Together, we move forward in strengthening our transportation network and associated infrastructure.”

New railcar features include:

• High floor light rail vehicles with two-door heights for high-and low-level platform accessibility that provides the ability for the trains to operate on all rail lines.
• Advance infotainment system for enhanced digital and travel experience.
• Modern operator cab area with dedicated HVAC unit, heated windshield, and enhanced visibility.
• Ice cutter pantographs installed on every car.
• 52 passenger seats, four wheelchair areas, and two bicycle rack locations per railcar.

The railcar replacement project total budget currently stands at $450 million, inclusive of new railcars, infrastructure modifications, railroad connections, engineering, testing, training, field support, spare parts, and special tooling. Support for this project comes from the FTA, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) and GCRTA.

GCRTA will be featured at Light Rail 2025, presented by Railway Age and RT&S. Railcar Replacement Program Manager Bryan K. Moore and Rail Equipment Manager Casey Blaze will present on Oct. 1 and discuss Cleveland’s new rolling stock.