Caltrain Switches to 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Article Source: CalTrain

November 5, 2018

Caltrain Switches to 100 Percent Renewable Energy from Community Choice Energy Programs

The Caltrain Board of Directors voted to enroll with San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE), a Community Clean Energy (CCE) program, to provide energy to Caltrain facilities in the city of San Jose. This decision means that 100 percent of Caltrain’s power comes from renewable sources starting in 2019.

Last March, Caltrain enrolled with five other CCE programs throughout its corridor that have provided approximately half of the electricity used by the system. At the time, San Jose did not have a CCE program, but the city of San Jose voted to create SJCE in May 2017 and the agency is scheduled to begin service in March of next year.

Enrolling with SJCE will eliminate approximately 660 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of the annual carbon footprint of over 1.6 million passenger vehicle miles at a cost only 4.8 percent higher than it would have been with PG&E. This estimate does not account for Caltrain’s electricity consumption post-electrification, but staff is currently evaluating the agency’s options.

This past September, California enacted Senate Bill 100 which requires that the state’s electricity come from 100 percent greenhouse gas-free sources by 2045.

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About Caltrain:

Owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain provides commuter rail service from San Francisco to San Jose, with limited commute service to Gilroy. Caltrain enjoyed five years of consecutive monthly ridership increases, surpassing more than 65,000 average weekday riders. While the Joint Powers Board assumed operating responsibilities for the service in 1992, the railroad celebrated 150 years of continuous passenger service in 2014. Planning for the next 150 years of Peninsula rail service, Caltrain is on pace to electrify the system, reduce diesel emissions by 97 percent by 2040 and add more service to more stations.

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Robert Riechel

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