The Peninsula Commute, also known as the Southern Pacific Peninsula or just Peninsula, was the common name for commuter rail service between San Jose and San Francisco on the San Francisco Peninsula. This service ran as a private, for-profit enterprise beginning in 1863. Due to operating losses, the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) petitioned to discontinue the service in 1977. Subsidies were provided through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in 1980 to continue service, and it was renamed Caltrain in 1985.
Although a line had been proposed in the past, construction on the railroad between San Francisco and San Jose was started in 1860 "by a group of local capitalists of more than ordinary energy and resources" under the auspices of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad (SF&SJ),[1] and completed in 1863. The Central Pacific Railroad transferred its rights for the construction of the right-of-way between San Jose and Sacramento to the Western Pacific Railroad (WPRR, which was founded by the same members that had founded the SF&SJ) in late 1862.
Under Southern Pacific the line was double tracked in 1904, and multiple cutoffs were built over a period ending in 1910.[3] The first of these, the Bayshore Cutoff, opened in 1907 and rerouted the line through a series of five tunnels built along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay Area. This saved approximately three miles and seventeen minutes compared to the prior route,[4] which veered to the west around San Bruno Mountain. The Bayshore Cutoff also eliminated the use of helper engines to bring trains over the mountain. The second, the Mayfield Cutoff, opened in 1908 to provide service to western Santa Clara Valley cities such as Los Altos and Los Gatos.[5] The third, the Dumbarton Cutoff, opened in 1910 and included the first bridge across the San Francisco Bay Area, between Newark and Menlo Park, saving many miles to Oakland and Sacramento compared to the prior route through San Jose and Santa Clara.
The Peninsula Electric Railroad was incorporated around the same time the Dumbarton Cutoff project was launched, and it was suspected that it was controlled by Southern Pacific in preparation for a quad-track expansion, as it was laying a route parallel with the Southern Pacific.[6] As envisioned in 1909 from plans for the Peninsula Electric,[7] SP announced that it would investigate the electrification of its Peninsula Commute line in September 1921, promising better and more frequent service.[8] Just a few days later, SP cited excessive post-war inflation, taxation, and competition from publicly funded highways as factors making electrification neither "practicable or desirable".[9] Similarly, plans to eliminate all at-grade crossings were announced in 1909,[10] but not carried to completion. As Southern Pacific's franchise to operate on 4th Street in San Jose was ending, it elected to build a diversion track to the west. This line forced a move for the city's passenger traffic to a new station at Cahill, placing it one mile from downtown (whereas it had previously been a four-block distance).[11] Passenger service along the Ocean View Branch ended after November 1928.[12][13][14]
SP's Peninsula Commute experienced record ridership during World War II. During the war, 26 trains ran between San Jose and San Francisco per day, with headways as low as 5 minutes (traveling north) in the mornings and 3 minutes (traveling south) in the evenings.[15] After the war, a May 1946 railroad strike displaced approximately 10,000 train passengers onto highways,[16] causing "historic" traffic jams along the Bayshore Highway, with commute times for some automobile drivers to balloon from 30 minutes to 75 minutes going from Burlingame to San Francisco, a distance of approximately 19 miles (31km).[17] In 1954, surveys comparing traffic on Bayshore Highway with train traffic concluded that just over half of all commuters to San Francisco passing through Brisbane were taking the train, and that eight more lanes would need to be added to the freeway to accommodate traffic if rail service were to stop suddenly.[18]
However, in the period after the war, Peninsula roads were improved; the four-lane undivided Bayshore Highway (completed in 1925) was rebuilt into a six-lane divided freeway between 1949 and 1962, and Interstate 280 was completed in the 1970s.[19] Train ridership declined with the rise of automobile use, falling from a peak of 9.2million annual boardings in 1954 (approximately 16,000 weekday riders) to 4.4million in 1977 (approximately 7,000 weekday riders).[20][21][22] Service to Los Gatos ended in 1959; the railroad noted the ease of reaching Vasona, the new end of the line, via automobile.[23] The Mayfield Branch saw its last service in 1964, with its right of way reused in construction of the Foothill Expressway.[24][25]
During peak hours in 1975, Peninsula Commute trains operated with headways as low as three or four minutes; however, with skip-stop and express train service patterns, the minimum wait for riders at a given station would be ten minutes.[26] During off-peak hours that same year, service frequencies dropped to longer than two hours between trains.[26]
On several occasions during the 1960s and 1970s, SP attempted to discontinue the commute service due to increasing deficits and stagnant ridership. Ridership was 11,500 daily passengers on 22 trains in 1970,[27] compared to 12,000 daily passengers in 1967[28] and 10,000 daily passengers in 1946.[16] The sole daily commute train which utilized the Mayfield Cutoff between Palo Alto and Vasona was discontinued in 1964 with the construction of the Foothill Expressway.[29] In 1971, when Amtrak took over long distance passenger operations, Southern Pacific's extended commute train to Monterey, the "Del Monte", was discontinued. Some SP passenger locomotives were sold to Amtrak and the remainder were transferred to Peninsula Commute service, which continued to operate. In 1975, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) published the Feasibility of Upgrading Peninsula Passenger Rail Service (PERSUS) report.[26]PERSUS concluded the Peninsula Commute was underutilized and proposed a minor upgrade to improve service (and ridership), or major upgrades to extend service to downtown San Francisco, either by connecting with BART in Daly City, or by extending the SP terminus to the Transbay Terminal; the ultimate goal was to remodel the service to be closer to transit than commuter rail, which entailed a reduction in headways so that passengers would have to wait less than fifteen minutes between trains during weekday daylight hours.[26]
In 1978/79, SP leased several GE P30CHs from Amtrak to operate the Peninsula Commute. 4th and King (October, 1978)
However, by that time the Peninsula Commute was no longer profitable: operating deficits were rising, from US$670,000(equivalent to $6,582,000 in 2023) in 1964 to over US$1,000,000(equivalent to $8,760,000 in 2023) by 1968, US$5,300,000(equivalent to $30,010,000 in 2023) by 1975, and US$9,000,000(equivalent to $48,190,000 in 2023) just one year later in 1976 according to an independent review,[30] which prompted SP to petition the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for a fare increase of 111 percent in August 1974, as fares had increased minimally[31][32] and ridership, approximately 12,000 passengers per day in 1967[28] remained flat, despite the fuel crisis.[33] The CPUC authorized a 25% increase in fares in a 3–2 vote on July12, 1977, effective August 1977.[20] Because the CPUC decision process was so slow, SP President Benjamin Biaggini offered to purchase 1,000 eight-passenger vans and donate them for vanpools in exchange for permanently discontinuing the Peninsula Commute service.[29][34][35][36]
The strange result in the decision of the majority is a travesty of justice. Ironically, it is so bad it is likely to even jeopardize the interest of the one group who seems to benefit, that is the present SP commuters who are being so heavily subsidized by others. Danger to commute interest comes from the real possibility that the ICC may require abandonment of train commute service because it finds the present intolerable situation constitutes an undue burden on interstate commerce. From our involvement in the case we have seen nothing that could be used to prove that the ICC is wrong in taking this unfortunate action.
—Dissenting commissioners, July 12, 1977 CPUC 25% fare increase ruling[37]
On May 6, 1977, SP formally filed a petition with the CPUC (Application No. 57289) to discontinue the commuter operation due to ongoing losses.[3][38] At that time, SP was running 44 trains a day.[39] The petition was opposed by regional transit agencies, including the MTC, who passed Resolution No. 479 to request the CPUC deny the SP petition.[40] On October 17, 1977, the administrative law judge issued an order asking "Who will pay the cost of this regional insurance against the uncertainties of tomorrow? In the interim period, CALTRANS, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the three counties involved are directed to meet, consult, and plan toward whether they will be willing to obtain funds under the provisions of the Urban Mass Transportation Act and their own resources to meet the operating deficit of Southern Pacific's commute and transit operations."[41]
Since the CPUC had not taken action on the petition 120 days after the filing, SP filed another petition to discontinue service with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) on November 17, 1977.[3][38] Although the CPUC denied the SP application on April 19, 1978, jurisdiction had already passed to ICC.[3]
Last days of SP equipment, including these "Suburban" single-level coaches at 22nd Street (April 1985)
In response to the CPUC petition, Assemblymember Lou Papan wrote Assembly Bill 1853, which allowed local transit districts served by the Peninsula Commute to purchase tickets from SP at face value and sell them to riders at a discount, subsidizing passengers.[42] AB 1853 also allowed the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to negotiate with SP for operation of the commuter rail service and the purchase of the right-of-way between Daly City and San Bruno, which had only seen occasional freight traffic since the completion of the Bayshore Cutoff in 1907.[42] Preservation of rail service was seen as critical to ensuring traffic would continue to flow, as both the Bayshore Freeway and I-280 were nearing capacity; and to preserve air quality in the region.[38] The right-of-way between Daly City and San Bruno was seen as key to a planned extension of BART to San Francisco International Airport,[38] an extension that eventually opened in 2003.
The recommendations of the 1977 Peninsula Transit Alternatives Project (PENTAP) Report (mandated by the Legislature in 1975 by SB 283)[43] were used to draft AB 1853.[40]PENTAP recommended that train and bus service be improved, fixed rail transit facilities be better utilized in the near future, and facilities and options should be preserved for long-range expansion and modernization.[40] MTC passed Resolution No. 411 in 1977, proposing a three-phased approach:[40]
Maintain existing service levels, by subsidizing passenger fares and improving the SP interface with MUNI
Improve service levels and standards, by entering into a "purchase of service" contract with a rail operator (SP) and defining service based on regional transit requirements, not operator needs or profits
Expand rail service
In a December 1977 public hearing before the Assembly Committee on Transportation held in San Jose, SP executive Alan DeMoss testified that "rail commute service should no longer be cross-subsidized by other railroad activities"[20] and offered $8million to help purchase buses to replace the service.[44] However, both samTrans and the Santa Clara County Transit District stated they would not be able to operate that bus service; it was estimated that a fleet of 122 buses would be required, arriving and departing from San Francisco every 35 to 50 seconds.[3] Testifying later at that same hearing, SamTrans chair John Mauro pointed out that since the inception of the San Mateo County bus service in 1975, service to San Francisco was purposely crippled in speed to avoid competing with the rail service.[45] Mauro had previously tried to negotiate with SP to enter a "purchase of service" contract in March 1976, but SP refused to accept a direct subsidy, which led to the passenger fare subsidy instead.[45] During that hearing, the committee chair, Walter Ingalls, stated bluntly the state was not "going to authorize either SamTrans or Santa Clara County or San Francisco County or any of the three to buy and operate a railroad. [...] No one's going to offer to buy your railroad."[44] SP had previously offered to sell MTC a single track along the right-of-way between San Bruno and San Jose in December 1975, which could have been used to extend BART, but the offer was not taken.[46]
Ridership increased during 1979 and 1980, aided by the gasoline crisis and fare subsidies;[22] the Peninsula Commute was so sensitive to gasoline prices that ridership jumped by 40% in May and June 1979.[47] SP's ICC petition received a preliminary affirmative ruling from the administrative law judge in July 1979.[47] To preserve the commuter service, Caltrans took over financial responsibility on July1,1980(1980-07-01), and contracted with SP to operate the service.[48] In the first fiscal year, covering 1980–81, operating costs were $19.33million and fare revenue was $7.81million, resulting in a farebox recovery ratio of 43%. The deficit was covered by a mix of Urban Mass Transportation Act funds ($2million), contributions from SP ($400,000), and the state and three counties served ($4.56million each).[22] During state administration, Caltrans purchased new locomotives and cars that replaced the SP equipment in 1985 and provided push-pull service (removing the need to turn locomotives around at terminals), upgraded stations, introduced shuttle buses to nearby employers, and renamed the operation Caltrain. Southern Pacific continued to operate the service under contract to Caltrans. However, ridership continued to decline and the farebox recovery ratio fell to 34.3% in the 1983–84 fiscal year,[49] which violated the minimum of 40% set by AB 1010 in 1982.[50]
Changing of the guard: SP No. 3199 leads Caltrain No. 903 out of San Francisco (August 1985)
By 1988, the service was the only operating commuter rail in California.[51] The state felt that regional control of the Peninsula Commute was more appropriate, as it was primarily a benefit to the region, not the state.[49] Thus, the Peninsula Corridor right-of-way was purchased for US$202,000,000(equivalent to $451,900,000 in 2023) from SP in 1991 by the newly formed Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB),[52] who subsequently assumed responsibility for the operation of Caltrain in 1992. The PCJB then contracted operations to Amtrak, ending 122 years of operation by Southern Pacific. TransitAmerica Services took over operations in 2012.
Rolling stock
SP took over the Peninsula Corridor route from the SF&SJ in 1870 and assumed control of the existing set of locomotives and passenger cars, which were mainly 4-4-0 steam engines and 36-passenger wooden railcars. As SP began introducing diesel locomotives on its long-distance (main-line) routes, steam engines were moved into Peninsula Commute service, culminating in the use of the large "General Service"4-8-4 locomotives which served the Peninsula Corridor through 1957. Diesel-electric Fairbanks-Morse Train Masters had been running in Peninsula Commute service since 1954. Fairbanks-Morse and, later, EMD diesels served the Peninsula Commute past 1980, when the state-run CalTrain began assuming financial responsibility for the service, and were not retired until 1985, when the state purchased new EMD F40PH locomotives. One of the factors driving the purchase of new locomotives was the dramatic increase in annual lease costs in 1985.[53]
With population (and ridership) growth on the Peninsula, the initial mix of 4-4-0, 2-6-0, and 4-4-2 locomotives were replaced by 4-6-0s.[54] Older locomotives were redesignated to Commute service after they were displaced by newer locomotives assuming main-line (long-distance, inter-city) passenger service. Pacific-type 4-6-2s were used on peak-hour commutes by the 1930s and 1940s, displacing 4-6-0s, and more 4-6-2s were made available for the Commute by the introduction of 4-8-2s in main-line service; by 1945, the 4-8-2s were displacing 4-6-2s on peak-hour trains, 4-6-2s were moved to off-peak service, and 4-6-0s were used on weekend trains.[54] By the early 1950s, peak-hour trains were pulling up to seventeen cars in a single consist, requiring the use of the "General Service" class 4-8-4s.[54]
After gaining experience with diesel engines in main-line service, SP began testing various diesel locomotives for the Peninsula Commute, finally selecting the Fairbanks-Morse H-24-66 "Train Master" because the relatively short distance between stations meant acceleration (and power) was the paramount priority.[54] The final steam-led Peninsula Commute train departed San Francisco for San Jose on January 22, 1957, led by 4-8-4 No. 4430.[54] However, 4-6-2 No. 2472 was moved from San Francisco to San Jose at the head of Caltrain #74 on December 16, 1994; #2472 was to lead a special charity excursion train back to San Francisco the next day. While coupled to Caltrain #74, though, #2472 was used to help accelerate the train out of each station, so it was not just a cosmetic appearance.[55] #2472 has since been used occasionally along the Peninsula Corridor for special service, but not while providing revenue passenger service.
Diesel
Diesel locomotives of the Peninsula Commute[54][56]
Initially built as 5600–5603, 5622–5625, 5893–5895; renumbered to 3000–3010 in 1965-66; renumbered to 3186–3196 in 1975. Reverted to SP control in 1985 after lease expired.[53] At least two survived: 5623 and 3194.
Delivered as 4800–4815; 4800 and 4801 were the F-M "western" demonstrators TM-3 and TM-4. Renumbered to 3020–3035 in 1966. All retired and scrapped once major rebuilds were required.
Moved from long-distance (inter-city) service after Amtrak takeover in 1971. Replaced F-M H-24-66 as they were retired. Pulled from duty in 1978–79. Reverted to SP control in 1985.[53]
Supplemented SDP45s. Reverted to SP control in 1985.[53] Rebuilt as GP40-2 to remove steam generators for passenger car heating once leases reverted to SP. Currently in service: Union Pacific 1373, 1375; Indiana Harbor Belt 4010.
Leased to SP for 1978–79 after SP SDP45s were pulled from passenger service under an ICC order to return offline freight cars.[57]
The first diesel on the Peninsula Commute ran on September 28, 1953, using SP Locomotive No. 5325, an EMD SD7 equipped with a steam boiler; it left the shortly thereafter, as the SD7 was unable to match the performance of the 4-6-2 steam locomotives then being used for off-peak and weekend service.[54]
SP began testing Fairbanks-Morse (F-M) "Train Master" H-24-66 locomotives in late 1953, and purchased two of the four demonstrator models for use on the Peninsula Commute service.[54] Because the existing "Suburban" and "Harriman" passenger cars then prevalent in the fleet took steam heat from the locomotive boiler, SP passenger diesel engines were equipped with steam generators. The diesel era of the Peninsula Commute began on August 25, 1954, when two Train Masters went into test service. The Train Masters, which used the unique opposed-piston two-stroke 38 8-1/8 prime mover developed by F-M for American diesel-electric submarines in World War II, were the most powerful diesel-electric locomotives available at a nominal 2,400hp (1,800kW), and had performance comparable to the 4-8-4s for peak service: while the starting tractive effort of the "General Service" class 4-8-4 ranged from 63,230 to 66,330lbf (281.3 to 295.1kN),[58] the Train Master was rated at 79,500lbf (354kN).[59]
SP No. 3195 (GP9) running in tandem with Caltrain No. 911 (F40PH) in August 1985
The Train Masters were complemented by a fleet of EMD GP9s fitted with steam generators; while peak-hour trains required one Train Master or two GP9s, off-peak and weekend trains could more economically use a single GP9.[54] Switching duties were handled by an ALCO RS-32,[56] or an ALCO S-4. When Amtrak took over inter-city (main-line) service in 1971, the SP EMD SDP45s then in main-line use were reassigned to Commute service, and three unique passenger-equipped EMD GP40P-2 engines were delivered in 1974, allowing SP to retire all of the Train Masters by 1975.[56][60] The fleet of EMD GP9s, SDP45s, and GP40P-2s were used by SP to run the Peninsula Commute.
In 1978, SP pulled the SDP45s from Peninsula Commute service[57] to comply with an ICC order to return freight cars. Amtrak leased fifteen GE P30CH locomotives to SP to keep the commuter rail service running, but none of the GE engines were equipped with steam generators. After 1980, the SP fleet continued in leased service to the nascent state-run CalTrain service until the state of California ordered new EMD F40PH locomotives, which were delivered in 1985. Shortly after the introduction of the F40PHs in 1985, a brake issue was discovered, forcing the F40PHs to briefly run in tandem with an SP locomotive.[61]
Passenger cars
Passenger cars of the Peninsula Commute[56][62][63]
Builder
Model
Numbers
Quantity
Seats
Years of Service
Notes
Photograph
Pullman?
Harriman
19xx–20xx
approx. 90
72
c.1900–1968
Ordered in 10 groups (60-C-1 to 60-C-10), passenger compartment nominally 60 feet (18m) long, for main-line service. Introduced to the Peninsula Commute in the 1930s to replace earlier wooden cars still in service. Out of service by 1968. At least two (#1949 and #1975) survive in service for the Niles Canyon Railway.[64][65]
Classified as "unserviceable" in 1980 and used as parts cars.[53]
Pullman?
Streamline
2202
1
122
1965–71?
ex-Daylight #2400 or 2401, built in 1937. Rebuilt in 1965 with five-across seating. Sold to Stockton Terminal & Eastern in 1971. Currently owned by the Northwest Rail Museum and stored near Tillamook, Oregon.[72]
Used incandescent lights and on-board diesel generator for air conditioning. Built in two groups:
85-MLC-1 (1955; qty 10; #3700–3709; P-S)
85-MLC-2 (1957; qty 21; #3710–3730; ACF)
Six were sold to Transcisco Tours and have subsequently been purchased by BNSF Railway for use as business cars and track geometry cars (ex-3700–3703, 3707, 3708).[73]
3731–3745
15
164
1968–1985
Distinguished by fluorescent lights, tinted windows, and stainless steel vestibule doors compared with prior series. Group 85-MLC-3 (1968; qty 15; #3731–3745; built by P-S). The entire fleet of 46 gallery cars was purchased by Tillamook Repair Car for service on Tour Alaska (later Princess Tours) in 1986[74] and four were rebuilt as Ultra Domes (ex-3734, 3740, 3744, 3745) with 90 seats.[75][76]
SP #3194 (EMD GP9) pulling six "Suburban" coaches past Oyster Point (November 1978)
The earlier wooden and steel-framed coaches were replaced with the all-steel 72-seat "Harriman" coaches starting in approximately 1900.[56] SP introduced slightly longer all-steel 96-seat "Suburban" coaches in 1924, and continued to run them until the introduction of new state-owned equipment in 1985. The 1980 lease agreement between SP and the State of California showed a total of 83 passenger cars in revenue service: 27 operable "Suburbans", 10 "Suburbans" suitable for parts (nearly all "Suburbans" dating back to 1924), and 46 "Gallery" cars.[53]As of 2017[update], several "Harriman" and "Suburban" coaches survive (including all 27 operable "Suburbans"); thirteen "Suburbans" are still in revenue service for the Grand Canyon Railway, while others are in use on the Niles Canyon Railway, Sacramento Southern Railroad, Western Railway Museum, among others.
SP rolled out Pullman-built "Gallery" cars with two passenger decks in 1955;[77] passengers on the upper deck sat on two balconies along the sides of the car, and the center aisle was open to allow conductors to check tickets on both levels without having to ascend stairs.
A Streamline coach from the Daylight service was converted for Commute use in 1965 by adding five-abreast seating (one seat for two, and another seat for three across the aisle) for a total of 122 seats.[63] It was not popular and was sold to the Stockton Terminal & Eastern in 1971. Instead, to increase passenger capacity, SP purchased a third flight of "Gallery" cars, delivered in 1968, which may be distinguished from the 1955/57 Gallery cars by a different window configuration.[56][78]
"Gallery" and "Subs" could be mixed to make up multi-car consists. In 1978, a Commute train had from one to nine cars, and were always led by a locomotive, meaning the locomotive needed to be turned at each terminal.[26] With the introduction of new state-owned locomotives and rolling stock in 1985 capable of push-pull service, locomotives no longer needed to be turned.
↑ Prices are One-way/Round Trip [Monthly]. Starting in 1973, no discount was applied to round trip tickets, which were priced at 2× the one-way fare, so round-trip prices are not shown for 1973 and later.
↑ Revised mileage based on the 1907 Bayshore cutoff route. Stations are coincident from San Bruno south to San Jose.
↑ Zones instituted some time prior to 1958 to simplify fare structure
↑ Time tables prior to 1964 include the Vasona Branch line, listing prices (but not schedules) for destinations along branch line starting at Mayfield (California Ave) including Los Altos, Loyola, Simla, Monta Vista, Congress Jct. and terminating at Los Gatos.
↑ Round trip and single-rider monthly commutation not sold for Beresford. Family commutation sold for US$14.00(equivalent to $512.74 in 2023), good for thirty one-way trips within six months.
↑ Round trip and single-rider monthly commutation not sold for Castros. Family commutation sold for US$22.00(equivalent to $805.73 in 2023), good for thirty one-way trips within six months.
↑ Round trip and single-rider monthly commutation not sold for Murphys. Family commutation sold for US$25.00(equivalent to $915.6 in 2023), good for thirty one-way trips within six months.
↑ Round trip and single-rider monthly commutation not sold for College Park. Family commutation sold for US$25.00(equivalent to $915.6 in 2023), good for thirty one-way trips within six months.
Peninsula residents clamored for lower fares as early as 1908; SP officials replied by pointing out rates were already cheaper than similar services in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore.[88] A discount 10-ride ticket was introduced in 1909 to partially defray rates for frequent commuters.[89] In 1910, SP added that rates across the Bay were comparable, and maintenance of the line between San Francisco and San Jose, partially paid by fares, was expensive.[90] Although SP purchased the electric railway connecting Palo Alto and San Jose, bringing hope that it would be extended further north, it turned out the purchase was merely a strategy to eliminate competition.[91]
When fares began to be regulated in 1912, associations in Peninsula cities and Santa Clara County filed complaints against SP, citing rates that were significantly higher than fares to Alameda County destinations of similar distance.[92][93][94] The higher rates to Peninsula destinations was believed to cause slow growth of properties on the Peninsula.[95] The suit was heard on August 26, 1912,[96] and after it became clear that many cities felt the rates were excessive and that a rate cut would happen, SP asked for a continuance to put together a compromise.[97]
Also in 1912, SP proposed that private club cars be provided on several morning trains to allow commuters to "enjoy a shave or shampoo and indulge in convival highball while making their daily trips to San Francisco."[98]
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The Southern Pacific was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Company and Southern Pacific Transportation Company.
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The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad (SF&SJ) was a railroad which linked the communities of San Francisco and San Jose, California, running the length of the San Francisco Peninsula. The company incorporated in 1860 and was one of the first railroads to employ Chinese laborers in its construction. It opened the first portion of its route in 1863, completing the entire 49.5-mile (80 km) route in 1864. The company was consolidated with the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1870. Today, Caltrain and the Union Pacific Railroad continue to operate trains over part of the company's original route.
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The Lark was an overnight passenger train of the Southern Pacific Company on the 470-mile (760 km) run between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It became a streamliner in 1941 and was discontinued on April 8, 1968. The Lark ran along the same route as the Coast Daylight and was often pulled by a locomotive wearing the famous Daylight paint scheme of orange, red, and black.
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Butler Road station was a train station in South San Francisco, California, in operation until July 1983 on the Peninsula Commute, a commuter rail service run by Southern Pacific between San Francisco and communities on the San Francisco Peninsula. The Butler Road train shelter was built in 1926.
The Dumbarton Rail Bridge lies just to the south of the Dumbarton road bridge. Built in 1910, the rail bridge was the first structure to span San Francisco Bay, shortening the rail route between Oakland and San Francisco by 26 miles (42 km). The last freight train traveled over the bridge in 1982, and it has been proposed since 1991 to reactivate passenger train service to relieve traffic on the road bridges, though this would entail a complete replacement of the existing bridge. Part of the western timber trestle approach collapsed in a suspected arson fire in 1998.
The Caltrain Express Program (CTX) was implemented from 2002 to 2004 to establish the Baby Bullet express service, which shortened the transit time on the Caltrain commuter rail line between San Francisco and San Jose, and certain stations in between. New locomotives and rolling stock were purchased for dedicated express service, bypassing most stations; quad-track overtake sections were added in two locations along the Peninsula Corridor right-of-way to allow express trains to pass slower local trains that were making all stops; tracks were also upgraded with continuous-welded rail; a centralized traffic control system was added; and crossovers were added every few miles to allow single-tracking trains around disabled trains. Congresswoman Jackie Speier, then serving as a California State Senator, is credited with securing the funding for CTX and one of the new locomotives acquired for the project is named for her as a result. During commute hours, the Baby Bullet went up to 20 percent faster than driving south from San Francisco to San Jose. On September 21, 2024, with the completion of the Caltrain modernization project and the transition to electrified trains, the Baby Bullet was renamed as simply the Express service.
The Caltrain Modernization Program (CalMod), sometimes referred to as the Caltrain Electrification Project, was a $2.44 billion project which added a positive train control (PTC) system and electrified the main line of the U.S. commuter railroad Caltrain, which serves cities in the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley. The electrification included installation of a 25 kV catenary system over the double-tracked line from San Francisco to San Jose, and acquisition of new rolling stock, consisting of Stadler KISS double-decker electric multiple units (EMU). Caltrain is transitioning from its legacy push-pull trains hauled by diesel-electric locomotives, most of which have been in service since 1985.
The Portal, also known as the Downtown Rail Extension (DTX), is a planned second phase of the Salesforce Transit Center. When complete, it will extend the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor commuter rail line from its current northern terminus at 4th and King via a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) tunnel. The new terminus will be near the Financial District and will provide intermodal connections to BART, Muni, Transbay AC Transit buses, and long-distance buses. In addition, the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) plans to use DTX and the Caltrain-owned Peninsula Corridor for service on the CHSRA San Francisco–San Jose segment. The Caltrain Modernization Program (CalMod), which included electrification of the line and acquisition of electrified rolling stock, was a prerequisite, since the former diesel locomotives were not suitable for use in a tunnel.
The Monterey County Rail Extension is a planned commuter rail extension that would bring Caltrain passenger service south of its existing Gilroy, California terminus to Salinas in Monterey County, using the existing Coast Line owned by Union Pacific (UPRR). Implementation of the rail extension will occur over three phases, starting from Salinas and moving north. When construction is complete, there will be four trains operated over the extended line per weekday: two northbound trains that depart from Salinas and travel to San Francisco in the morning, and two southbound trains that return to Salinas in the afternoon.
↑ Gibson, James K.; Peters, W. R.; Getchel, M. E. (January 20, 1955). Southern Pacific Transportation Company: Investigation of Passenger Service, Peninsula Commute operations between San Francisco and San Jose (Report). California Public Utilities Commission; Transportation Division; Engineering Section; Construction, Maintenance and Service. pp.4–5. Retrieved July 20, 2017. From an inspection of these figures it will be noted that an estimated 11,116 persons commute northward in private automobiles during the morning peak. Some 1,354 use the bus while some 12,825 persons take the train; or expressed in percentage, 44% commute by private automobile, 5.3% by bus and 50.7% by train. Returning southward during the p.m. peak 10,661 persons are estimated to use private automobiles, some 1,476 persons travel by bus, and 12,101 persons travel by train, the percentage distribution for the southward move being by private automobile 44%, bus 6.1% and train 49.9%.
↑ Hayler, R.A. (September–October 1964). "Interstate 280: Design of New Freeway Stresses Aesthetics"(PDF). California Highways and Public Works. 43 (9–10). Division of Highways, Department of Public Works, State of California: 33–41. Retrieved July 7, 2016. Construction of this route has already begun. In fact, the first completed portion in San Jose was opened to traffic on March 16, 1964. Other contracts are underway with more coming soon–so soon that the entire 50 miles of freeway are scheduled to be either in operation or under construction in the next five years.
↑ Hofsommer 1986, p.287: "round trip fare from San Francisco to San Jose was US$1.75(equivalent to $22.19 in 2023) in 1948, only US$3.10(equivalent to $28.33 in 2023) in 1967"
↑ "Americans Turn to Rails in Fuel Crisis". The Milwaukee Journal. UPI. November 29, 1973. Retrieved July 7, 2016. Among lines reporting insignificant differences in passenger volume were the Penn Central Lines radiating from New York City, the Long Island Railroad, the Erie-Lackawanna Railway and the Southern Pacific, which operates commuter trains on the San Francisco peninsula.
1 2 California State Assembly. "Senate Joint Resolution No. 25—Relative to Southern Pacific Transportation Company's San Francisco Peninsula commuter service". 1979–1980 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California (Resolution). State of California. Ch. 101 p. 4916. WHEREAS, On July 6, 1979, an administrative law judge of the commission issued a preliminary affirmative ruling on this petition, and this ruling will become effective unless overturned by the commission or unless local public transit agencies within six months can negotiate a contract for service with Southern Pacific providing for reimbursement of its fully allocated operating deficit of $11.6million; and [...] WHEREAS, The present gasoline shortage has resulted in a 40 percent increase in ridership on this commuter rail service during May and June 1979, and discontinuance of this vital transportation service would be inconsistent with federal energy conservation policies; and [...]
↑ Grand Jury (2005). San Mateo County Transit District Contribution to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board(PDF) (Report). Superior Court of San Mateo County. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2016. In December 1991, San Mateo County Transit District, the City and County of San Francisco, and the Santa Clara County Transit District (the member agencies) established the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Joint Powers Board) to operate commuter trains using the Southern Pacific Right of Way in the three counties. The purchase price of the Right of Way was $202 million. Through a bond issue, the State of California contributed $120 million. Payment of the balance was allocated by the Joint Powers Board among the three member agencies based on a mileage formula. San Mateo's share was $39.1 million (47.7%), Santa Clara's share was $34.6 million (42.2%), and San Francisco's share was $8.3 million (10.1%). Due to the lack of funds from San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties at the time the agreement was signed, San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) agreed to contribute Santa Clara's and San Francisco's shares in order to insure [sic] acquisition of the Right of Way. All parties to the agreement understood that neither San Francisco nor Santa Clara had any legally enforceable obligation to repay the contribution. Santa Clara and San Francisco Counties may at their election undertake good faith efforts to repay the contribution in a lump sum or through a repayment schedule.
Hofsommer, Don L. (1986). "New Directions". The Southern Pacific, 1901–1985. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN978-1-60344-127-8.
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