USA: Two seven-car trainsets have commenced passenger service on an 82 km line between San Francisco and San Jose.
The remaining 17 trains will be put into operation by 21 September. The trains have been delivered as part of a large-scale Caltrain project aimed to electrify the line, which has a total budget of almost $2.5 bln.
The car of the Stadler KISS with the bicycle space. Source: Caltrain
In 2016, Caltrain placed an order with the Swiss manufacturer for 16 six-car KISS trains, valued at $551 mln, in 2016. The option exercised in 2018 comprised 37 cars, allowing for an increase in the number of cars in a train to seven and the marshalling of three more trains. The final assembly was completed at the plant in Salt Lake City.
Passenger seats in the new Stadler KISS EMU for Caltrain. Source: Jacob Morgan/X
The launch of the trains has been delayed by two years due to unforeseen difficulties encountered during the installation of the signalling systems and the global pandemic. The new trains will replace the double-deck coaches, which were built by Nippon Sharyo and Bombardier and hauled by EMD diesel locomotives.
