At its monthly Board of Directors meeting, Caltrain reported that its new electric trains are exceeding performance expectations, with regenerative braking systems returning approximately 23% of consumed energy back to the electric grid.

Caltrain had initially projected its annual electricity costs for the new fleet to be around 19.5 million USD. However, with average energy use now measuring 207 MWh on weekdays and 175 MWh on weekends, annual cost estimates have been revised to 16.5 million USD.

Furthermore, the agency expects to receive approximately 6 million USD annually in energy credits through California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program, bringing the total fuel costs for electric service below those of the previous diesel-powered trains.

An electric Caltrain vehicle
An electric Caltrain vehicle
Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain Executive Director said:

Caltrain is running its service on 100% renewable energy and is returning nearly a quarter of that energy to the grid. The new electric fleet is delivering on its promise of state-of-the-art service, living up to our mission of providing sustainable transportation that enhances quality of life for everyone.

Regenerative braking, a technology introduced in 1886, functions by reversing an electric motor during braking, converting kinetic energy into electricity rather than dissipating it as heat. Caltrain’s electric fleet is equipped to transfer this recovered energy to the Overhead Contact System (OCS), which supplies power either to other trains or back to the grid via the system’s traction power facilities.

Currently, the energy returned to the grid is provided free of charge, as no legislation mandates reimbursement for the regenerated electricity.

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