Tomorrow, the Caltrain board will review an agreement to supplement the previous plan to fund Caltrain electrification. Â The plan would allow construction to begin early next year, with electric service in 2021. Â The supplementary funds are needed to cover increased costs, including new increases from project bids that came in higher than expected.
The regional partners wrestled with sticker shock and bid negotiations; and concerns about the troubled CBOSS train control project (which is now undergoing peer review) The supplementary funding deal includes an additional $200 Million from regional sources (the three County partners and MTC) and High Speed Rail, plus a $225 application for state Cap and Trade funds along with a $647Million application for Federal funds, which would be confirmed later this year.
The latest cost estimate is $1.98B, an increase over the $1.5B estimate from 2012. Â The latest increase results from equipment and construction bids that came in higher than planned; and the addition of 20% contingency. Â The $1.5B price tag in 2012 reflected an increase over a $1.2B estimate from 2008.
The new price tag still doesn’t include any change to the CBOSS project cost estimates, although the project is expected to run a year late; Caltrain is seeking legal recourse against underperforming suppliers.
The Cap and Trade request includes funding to replace more of the diesel trains with electric trains when service starts – without this funding, Caltrain’s previous plan has been to replace 75% of the diesel trains, leaving 25% diesel trains in service, with ongoing pollution and fuel costs.
Does anyone know the breakdown of the costs of electrification? Especially, how much is for support poles and crossbars?
Also, it seems it would work to power the trains with solar canopies over all the tracks. The support structures for the canopies (and for the electric supply lines) could be Bosch Captive Columns (www.captivecolumn.com), and we could manufacture them in the SF Bay area.
I think that the time has come to revisit who should be in charge of Caltrain administration precisely for the same reasons as last year: http://www.greencaltrain.com/2014/11/should-samtrans-run-caltrain-key-contract-requirement-has-expired/
There are three fundamental, intertwined ways to cut the cost of electrification:
1. Use an advanced composite structural system to make the support structures for the power lines
2. Make the support structures for the power lines also carry solar photovoltaic panels, and new, lighter batteries expected within 2 years
3. Gradually switch to new designs of rolling stock that weigh a fraction of what incumbent technology does, and require much less energy and power to accelerate and maintain speed.
The switch to solar power could be amortized within 4 years of the date when the system is fully converted, and fuel use would be eliminated or at least greatly reduced when the conversion is complete. So, after amortization is complete, energy is almost free (operations and maintenance costs can be low, and the reserve fund for replacing the equipment can be built up over 25 to 30 years).
Mark Roest