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Caltrain just moved closer to electrification. After being denied federal funding for its electrification in February, officials said Monday Caltrain will receive the previously requested $647M, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The funding will be provided through a grant over the next five years and cover about one-third of the $1.98B project with the rest coming from state and local funding.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao previously refused to sign the project until the Trump administration had a budget plan. Central Valley Republicans also have expressed strong opposition to the electrification project because of its ties to the state’s controversial high-speed rail project.
The initial denial of funds brought Bay Area politicians, tech leaders and Caltrain commuters together to try to get funding reinstated. Caltrain’s electrification will be key to bringing the trains into a yet-to-be-built underground station at Transbay Transit Center. The current diesel engines will not make it possible for trains to go underground.
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