A Change of Heart by Secretary Chao on California's Oldest Commuter Rail Line

But on May 22, Chao saw the light, and "[l]ocal leaders applauded the decision," report Tolan and Katy Murphy for The Mercury.

“This is all the major holidays wrapped into one with a beautiful Caltrain bow around it," remarked Silicon Valley leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino.

Both the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the Bay Area Council, another business group, were among the state's leaders, including Gov. Jerry Brown, the state's Democratic congressional delegation, and Bay Area elected officials that Jim Hartnett, General Manager and CEO of Caltrain, thanked in a statement.

“This is a win for everyone involved,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said in a statement. “Caltrain’s fleet of diesel trains are at the end of their useful life. Now is the time to replace these outdated, dirty diesel trains with a cleaner, modern electric fleet.”

On May 15, Senator Feinstein had warned that she would "oppose the confirmation of every Transportation Department nominee until the Trump administration funds California's electric train," reported the Los Angeles Times. But the next day, Jeffrey A. Rosen was confirmed as deputy secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation.

With Chao's signature, the aforementioned $100 million will be sent to Caltrain, and the remaining $547 million will be included in future Congressional appropriations.

As to why the change of heart, one can only speculate, but the reasons for approving it were evident from the get-go: It's a "shovel-ready" project producing almost 10,000 jobs throughout the United States, just the type of project that would fit into Trump's infrastructure plan.

Work in the corridor is set to begin this summer. Caltrain was forced to spend $20 million to extend contracts with engineering firms to June 30 after Chao deferred signing the FFGA in February, notes Samantha Weigel for the San Mateo Daily Journal.

Modernizing the rail line will nearly double ridership capacity to 110,000 and save an estimated 619,000 vehicle miles every day by removing cars off the increasingly congested Highway 101 and Interstate 280, according to Caltrain. It will also reduce commute times from San Jose to San Francisco by nearly 15 percent. 

"The first electric trains are anticipated to be in service end of 2020 / early 2021," according to Caltrain. It's about time for the line that traces back to 1863.