2025 West Best Projects
Award of Merit, Specialty Construction: Caltrain Electrification Project
Caltrain Electrification Project
San Francisco Bay Area
Award of Merit
Submitted by Balfour Beatty
Owner Caltrain
Lead Design Firm PGH Wong
General Contractor Balfour Beatty
Civil/Structural/MEP Engineer PGH Wong
Signals KB Signaling Inc.
Signals Design Firm Modern Railway Systems
The $2.4-trillion Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project is a transformative design-build rail infrastructure program that will electrify the 160-year-old, 52-mile corridor between San Francisco and San Jose.
Scope included the design and construction of a 25-kV AC overhead catenary system, two traction power substations, one switching substation, seven paralleling substations and 28 wayside power cabinets. It’s also the first major rail electrification project in the U.S.
To maintain full commuter rail service during construction in a narrow, active corridor shared with freight operations, the team sequenced work zones, using nighttime and weekend windows, and implemented strict safety protocols to protect crews and the public.
The team segmented the work into 15 cutover segments and embedded operations staff with railroad operations.
Rather than use traditional bucket trucks, crews turned to rubber-tired mechanical elevated work platforms adapted for rail use to maintain productivity across 104 miles of track. Nicknamed Big Birds, these platforms enabled safer operations and boosted productivity by 40-50%.
