SAN FRANCISCO – It’s a big week for high-speed rail in California. 

On Thursday, the California High-Speed Rail Authority named its new CEO, Ian Choudri – and today, Choudri joined Governor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco to help celebrate the debut of Caltrain’s new electrified train fleet that will transform rail service in the Bay Area and play a key role in California’s high-speed rail system. 

The electrification project and electric trains were supported by more than $1.3 billion in state funding, including more than $700 million from high-speed rail, and will serve as the Bay Area’s connection to California high-speed rail. Caltrain’s electrification and high-speed rail are key projects as part of Governor Newsom’s build more, faster infrastructure agenda.   

In the last year, high-speed rail has marked significant progress – with historic funding from the Biden-Harris Administration, all environmental reviews from Los Angeles to the Bay Area complete, trainset selection underway, station and track construction on deck, and nearly 14,000 good paying jobs created.

“High-speed rail linked to an electrified Caltrain will not just get Californians where they’re going faster, it’s connecting communities and driving economic growth. The completed Caltrain project is an integral part of high-speed rail and the story California is telling about clean transportation. And Californians are already seeing the results for themselves as we electrify Caltrain, finish structures, lay track, design and build stations, and buy trains. We’re making rail real in California,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

Construction began in July 2017. Limited passenger service begins tomorrow with full passenger service slated to begin next month.