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October 2004

Grand Award:

Caltrain Baby Bullet

One of six new Caltrain locomotives prepares to launch a Baby Bullet train on its southward journey from San Francisco to Silicon Valley. (Photo: Scott Buschman)

Weighing in at more than 400 tons, standing nearly 16 feet tall and immediately capable of racing between the Bay Area’s two largest cities in just 57 minutes, the infant delivered by 141-year-old Caltrain in June 2004 is no ordinary baby. It’s the Baby Bullet, recipient of this year’s Grand Award and the high-speed herald of a new era for weekday commuters from South of Market to the Silicon Valley.

With the new addition to the Caltrain family, passengers now can choose from 86 weekday trains — including 10 Baby Bullet trains which match their siblings’ top speed of 79 miles per hour but slash commute times by making only four stops between San Francisco and San Jose: at the Millbrae, Hillsdale, Palo Alto and Mountain View stations (with two morning and two evening runs also stopping at the 22nd Street station in San Francisco).

“The Baby Bullet is a cost-effective way to meet the needs of 21st century commuters by adding value to 19th and 20th century infrastructure,” observed former Caltrain executive Howard Goode, who is preparing to retire later this year as deputy executive director of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Conceived on a San Carlos tabletop in January 2000 by Goode, state Senator Jackie Speier (winner of this year’s MTC Legislative Award — see story), and senatorial aide Brian Perkins, the Baby Bullet’s gestation was made possible by $127 million secured by Speier through the state Traffic Congestion Relief Program.

The lion’s share of the money was used to help pay for a two-year construction project which included laying bypass tracks in Brisbane and Sunnyvale that allow Baby Bullets to overtake local trains; installing a centralized switching and signaling system; and making extensive station and track upgrades throughout the corridor. The remaining funding was used to purchase six spanking new gray-and-red locomotives and 17 double-deck passenger coaches. “It’s the most expensive baby I ever delivered,” joked Speier at the Baby Bullet inauguration gala held on June 7 in San Francisco.

To make the birth of the Baby Bullet as painless as possible, Caltrain opted to work weekends, suspending Saturday and Sunday service from July 2002 to June 2004 to take care of the necessary rail, switching and station work. The result is a Caltrain that’s safer, quieter and more reliable than ever. During the 23-month construction period, special bus service was established to transport weekend riders along the Caltrain corridor.

The Baby Bullet immediately endeared itself to commuters along the Peninsula corridor. Average weekday Caltrain ridership topped 30,000 in August 2004, a 12 percent increase over the August 2003 figure. The upward trend is helping to lift the system out of its post-9/11 ridership doldrums. Weekend trains returned better than ever after the delivery of the Baby Bullet as well, with new hourly service on both Saturdays and Sundays. Trains previously ran only every two hours on Sundays. To celebrate the return of weekend trains, Caltrain waived fares the first two Saturdays and Sundays in June. Each weekend, more than 20,000 riders took advantage of the free travel opportunity.

In a railroad version of a well-baby checkup, Caltrain in late 2004 will evaluate the new service levels to determine whether the current mix of Baby Bullet, limited-stop and local trains is meeting passengers’ expectations. Caltrain aims to add more Baby Bullet service as demand increases and both capital and operating funds become available. The new low-floor Baby Bullet cars carry 130 to 142 passengers, and each Baby Bullet train can accommodate up to 16 bicycles.

Contents

2004 Transportation Awards