Drivers should expect delays on Alma Street next week as Caltrain prepares to fix potholes around two south Palo Alto rail crossings.
The work on the East Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings will kick off on Sept. 5 and conclude on Sept. 8, the agency announced. During this period, Alma Street will be reduced to one lane and vehicles will be directed by signs toward the one open lane.
Only one lane will be closed at a time, according to Caltrain.
"The temporary closures are required due to construction equipment and crews entering and exiting the Caltrain right-of-way," Caltrain said in a statement.
Caltrain will be repaving the road and fixing potholes to get the corridor ready for its long-planned electrification project, which involves replacing diesel-fueled trains with electric trains and which will require installation of electrical infrastructure along the corridor.
The agency plans to start testing the electric trains on its property later this year with the goal of launching its revamped service in late 2024 or early 2025.
Comments
Registered user
Meadow Park
on Aug 31, 2023 at 7:11 pm
Registered user
on Aug 31, 2023 at 7:11 pm
Can they go fix the potholes on El Camino when they are finished?
Registered user
Green Acres
on Aug 31, 2023 at 8:39 pm
Registered user
on Aug 31, 2023 at 8:39 pm
Earlier this year, electric train service was supposed to start in early 2024 iirc (after having been postponed from 2022 and 2023). If they're now saying 2025, their project management skills seem not to have improved. More evidence that Palo Alto grade separation projects should just be put on hold for another decade or more until we know if Caltrain runs will ever return to even the numbers of 2019.
Registered user
another community
on Sep 1, 2023 at 11:41 am
Registered user
on Sep 1, 2023 at 11:41 am
@Mondoman: the anticipated electrification revenue service date has long held steady at late 2024 and has not (yet!) slipped again. While average weekday ridership is still down by about 70%, Caltrain is still running 104 trains per weekday — comparable to pre-pandemic. Also note that federal funding Caltrain received for electrification was predicated on increased train service.
Registered user
Green Acres
on Sep 1, 2023 at 10:37 pm
Registered user
on Sep 1, 2023 at 10:37 pm
@Reality Check
I thought the revenue service date was modified last December in the "re-benchmarking". In any case, you are right that the most recent online documents (from a few months ago) still show late 2024 revenue service, with a slightly reduced contingency cushion.
Based on the documents from June, it looks like the biggest risks to the schedule are the re-do of the short-circuit(?) test in late October, and the ability of the trainset manufacturer to actual deliver the trainsets in time early next year. Sounds like we should have pretty good ideas on both in November.
You're right that Caltrain will have to apply for federal approval to keep the funding while reducing the number of trains in the near future.