SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

That was never going to be BART anyway. Rail, probably Caltrain, may still eventually happen.

Dumbarton? I thought that hinged upon Meta (Facebook) spearheading that plan which fell apart when they went to a largely hybrid and reduced their workforce post Covid.

[llamaorama]

I would think a Dumbarton rail crossing would have value as regional rail.

Altamont Commuter Express From Stockton and Tracy to Redwood City and Palo Alto. It wouldn't go all the way to SF since Stockton has a more direct route for Amtrak to Oakland and Pleasanton has the BART blue line through the transbay tunnel. But there is no direct transit route from the more affordable inland fringe suburbs (Tracy) to the most absurdly expensive and NIMBY penninsula areas like Palo Alto.

The downside is that a lot of effort would be required to increase speeds on the inland Altamont Pass sections to make it more useful for longer trips. Obviously a completely straight bridge could have trains going 79 mph no sweat and the trains can also go fast once they get over the hills and are in the Tracy area.

[homebucket]

Some nice footage of the soft launch of the EMUs. The acceleration is quite impressive.

• Video Link

Acceleration run at 14:40

• Video Link

[JManc]

^ I regret not taking Caltrain at least up to SoMa and back to try it out. Remind me of the trains in Europe.

Originally Posted by llamaorama

I would think a Dumbarton rail crossing would have value as regional rail.

Altamont Commuter Express From Stockton and Tracy to Redwood City and Palo Alto. It wouldn't go all the way to SF since Stockton has a more direct route for Amtrak to Oakland and Pleasanton has the BART blue line through the transbay tunnel. But there is no direct transit route from the more affordable inland fringe suburbs (Tracy) to the most absurdly expensive and NIMBY penninsula areas like Palo Alto.

The downside is that a lot of effort would be required to increase speeds on the inland Altamont Pass sections to make it more useful for longer trips. Obviously a completely straight bridge could have trains going 79 mph no sweat and the trains can also go fast once they get over the hills and are in the Tracy area.

Even if there was an ACE spur somewhere in Newark that connected across the Dumbarton rail bridge to East Palo Alto or even Menlo Park, that would be a game changer. Fortunately for now, at least in tech, there are shuttles that take people across the bridges; I would take ours from FRE to MPK pretty regularly to avoid the tolls.

[homebucket]

Caltrain Downtown Rail Extension contract awarded
By Railway Gazette International 22 August 2024



USA: The Transbay Joint Powers Authority has selected the AECOM-led Portal Connectors team to provide programme management and construction management services for the long-planned extension of Caltrain commuter rail services into central San Francisco.

...

The Portal Connectors team will be responsible for delivering a range of programme management and project supervision services, supporting the authority in obtaining FTA funding, finalising the procurement strategy and activating collaborative delivery models, as well as designing and building the underground stations and integrating The Portal with existing rail operations.

‘AECOM has been proud to support the TJPA since the inception of the Transbay Program, and we’re thrilled to help deliver the next phase of this transformative investment’, commented Mark Southwell, Chief Executive of AECOM’s global Transportation business. ‘Our world class tunnelling capabilities and fully integrated service offerings address all aspects of large-scale tunnel projects, making us well positioned to deliver this crucial work that will serve as a lynchpin for the region’s long-term transit needs.’

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infra.../67186.article

[TWAK]

When will CAHSR trains be ready? They could run one or two on this line for press instead of possibly waiting till IOS testing. That's if Caltrain electrification doesn't need anymore upgrades before HSR since it's "blended".
Could paint one of these DMU's in the CAHSR scheme, but i'm sure it would be a fake scandal.

[Busy Bee]

HSR trainsets haven't even been awarded yet and the RFP having only gone out in April. No direct evidence but I think the feeling in the air is Siemens will likely be the favored vendor.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

HSR trainsets haven't even been awarded yet and the RFP having only gone out in April. No direct evidence but I think the feeling in the air is Siemens will likely be the favored vendor.

That would be a good choice considering they manufacture their trains in the Sacramento area. Their website says that the facility has already made 3,300 rail cars for the US and Canadian markets. Keep it local!

[electricron]

Originally Posted by craigs

That would be a good choice considering they manufacture their trains in the Sacramento area. Their website says that the facility has already made 3,300 rail cars for the US and Canadian markets. Keep it local!

Keeping it local is usually favored by "local" politicans and taxpayers. But with significant Federal funds being used to purchase these HSR trainsets, The Feds will require a competitive bidding process, and I believe several train manufactures will submit bids: Siemens and Alstrom being the most likely. The Feds will have a requirement for being mostly USA built, not specifically California built. Amtrak chose Alstrom for the NEC, and Brightline chose Siemens for their Las Vegas line. Both vendors meeting built in the USA standard. It will be interesting to find out which vendor will win.

[Busy Bee]

Brightline West chose Siemens likely because they had inside knowledge that CHSRA favored the Siemens Pioneer 220 trainsets even before the formal RFP.