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California's Caltrain Hits 1M-Plus Riders for 3rd Month in a Row

As Caltrain approaches the first anniversary of the launch of electric service, the agency continues to show strong ridership growth.

September 11, 2025
California's Caltrain Hits 1M-Plus Riders for 3rd Month in a Row

Caltrain’s historic Electrification Project was the first undertaking in North America in a generation in which diesel trains and their infrastructure components are transitioned to an electrified system. 

Photo: Caltrain

2 min to read


San Carlos, California’s Caltrain announced ridership in August 2025 hit more than a million passengers, a 67% increase over August 2024. 

As Caltrain approaches the first anniversary of the launch of electric service, the agency continues to show strong ridership growth.

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Caltrain’s August Ridership and More

Caltrain had more than 1.07 million passengers last month, a substantial increase from approximately 643,000 in August of last year. Average weekday ridership stood at just under 40,000, a 61.5% increase from last August. 

Weekend ridership has been up since the launch of electrification, thanks to Caltrain’s half-hourly weekend service, but reached a record in August, with Saturdays seeing nearly 26,000 daily riders, while Sundays saw nearly 21,000 daily riders, both having more than doubled since last August.

“Caltrain is running the best service this corridor has ever seen, and our riders are taking advantage of it,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. “Eleven months of ridership growth is proof of the many benefits of fast, frequent, and reliable service. Every day, our service is reducing traffic, improving air quality, and helping people get where they need to go.”

Electric Train Service Serving as Catalyst

Caltrain’s historic Electrification Project was the first undertaking in North America in a generation in which diesel trains and their infrastructure components are transitioned to an electrified system. 

The result has delivered more service that’s faster to arrive at destinations, as well as a modern fleet that’s quieter and more comfortable while also offering new amenities such as customer-facing free Wi-Fi and accessible outlets.

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