Caltrain Electrification: Lessons from a Pioneering Commuter Rail Upgrade
Timeline:
5:30pm - pre-panel networking
6-7pm - panel
7-8pm - networking
Speakers:
John Passmann, Manager of Energy @ Caltrain, former Energy Services Manager @ SJCE
John Passmann is the Energy Manager at Caltrain, where he leads long-term energy procurement strategy, clean power supply planning, and administration of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program in support of Caltrain's electrified operations. He previously served as Energy Services Manager at San José Clean Energy, overseeing billing operations for 350,000 customer accounts and championing a discounted LCFS-certified product for public transit and a super off-peak EV charging pilot.
Duncan Watry, Senior Advisor @ WSP, former Link21 Manager for Planning @ BART
Duncan Watry is currently a Senior Advisor at WSP, working in the Economics, Finance and Grants section of WSP Advisory Services. Duncan has been at WSP for 3 years, primarily working to help move large rail and bus transit projects into and through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) process to qualify for federal capital funding. Duncan has 49 years of experience in the transit industry, starting in operations management at Greyhound. He then moved to the San Francisco Municipal Railway (now SFMTA), where he was in Service Planning and Long Range Planning for 17 years. Following that, Duncan moved to BART, where he was the Core Capacity Project Manager, moving that project into the FTA CIG Program, and then Manager for Planning for the Link21 program. He currently specializes in analyzing Core Capacity and New Starts projects for eligibility for the FTA’s CIG program.
Dahlia Chazan, Chief of Rail Planning @Caltrain
Dahlia Chazan is the Chief of Planning for Caltrain, which provides electrified regional rail service on the San Francisco Peninsula. She has over two decades of experience in transportation and land use planning in the Bay Area. Through her time as a consultant, Dahlia served cities and transportation agencies around the State and region on projects at the intersection of land use planning, policy, transportation, sustainability, and infrastructure. Under Dahlia’s leadership, the Caltrain Planning team has sharpened its focus on supporting ridership growth, deepening customer satisfaction, and generating revenue over the short-, medium, and long-term by supporting the railroad’s provision of excellent (safe, frequent, and equitable) service. The Planning team supported initiation of the electrified service in 2024 through construction support, service planning, and property acquisition. Her team optimizes the use of Caltrain’s real property assets in support of the agency’s policy goals, plans for capital projects and capital renewal, and identifies and implements environmentally sustainable solutions to complement Caltrain’s recent, major investment in sustainable transportation.
Moderator:
Amanpreet Kaur, Head of Product @ GridBeyond
Aman is Head of Product for the Battery and EV segment at GridBeyond, where she leads product strategy and development for energy management platforms that manage distributed energy resources and enable value stacking across multiple revenue streams. She previously led fleet charging platform development at NextEra Energy and held product and data science positions at Enel, Tesla, and SolarCity. Aman holds a Ph.D. from UC San Diego focused on solar grid integration and managing increasing renewable penetration. She is actively engaged in San Francisco's community-driven transportation initiatives, serving on the Bayview Shuttle electrification committee and the Southeast San Francisco AB617 Community Emission Reduction Plan Community Steering Committee.
The event is hosted by:
University of San Francisco - Energy Systems Management
Event Partners:
Description:
Join the YPE Bay Area event during SF Climate week to explore the many dimensions of the Caltrain Electrification Project—one of the most significant rail transformations in the U.S!
This conversation will go beyond a single narrative, diving into the project from multiple angles including policy and advocacy, operations, billing and crediting, and engineering and technical execution. By convening voices across these areas, the panel will offer a unique, behind-the-scenes look at how electrification comes to life—from early vision to real-world implementation.
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage deeply with the complexities of train electrification, unpack key challenges, and explore what it takes to scale and replicate these efforts across the United States. The discussion will also open the door to broader questions about the future of rail, sustainability, and infrastructure innovation nationwide.
Whether you're interested in policy hurdles, organizational momentum, technical breakthroughs, or market and regulatory challenges, this session is designed to give you a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of electrification and where it could go next.
Join us for a conversation that connects ideas, expertise, and possibilities for the future of rail in the U.S.
“By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.”