Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project
Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) consists of electrifying a 51-mile stretch of existing track from San Francisco to San Jose by installing an overhead contact system (OCS) and associated power supply infrastructure. The goal is to improve Caltrain system performance and curtail long-term environmental impacts by reducing noise, improving air quality and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Project Facts
- Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc.
- San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties
- 51-mile corridor from San Francisco to San Jose
- Converted Caltrain from diesel-hauled to EMU trains

The Challenge
To improve system performance and curtail long-term environmental impacts by reducing noise, improving air quality and lowering greenhouse gas emissions, Caltrain sought to electrify a 51-mile rail corridor running from San Francisco to San Jose. The corridor runs through seventeen cities within three counties in the Bay Area. Each city has its own local regulations the project must comply with and a wide range of natural resources are found throughout the project site. Additionally, because Caltrain is an active railroad system, construction had to be coordinated and monitored at night when fewer trains are operating.

The Solution
A multidisciplinary team of Dudek experts helped the client address the variety of requirements for this large and complicated project within an active rail corridor. The team included permitting staff, biologists, archaeologists, hazardous materials specialists, and environmental compliance specialists who helped the client comply with federal, state, and local regulations while not causing any interruptions to Caltrain’s daily operations. Dudek’s compliance managers and monitors established novel communication protocols and methods to successfully accomplish nighttime construction monitoring.
What We Did
Curious how our passionate experts can help you Du More? Get in touch!