SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[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.

[k1052]

I think there is about a zero percent chance they pick Alstom since 1) in NY and 2) Avelia debacle.

[38 Geary]

Speaking of Siemens, Muni Metro uses the Siemens S200, manufactured in Florin, CA.



And speaking of Alstom, they manufacture BART's rolling stock, now that they've bought Bombardier. They get transported all the way from Plattsburgh, NY.





PC: homebucket

[38 Geary]

Caltrain to Celebrate Full Electrification This Weekend with Launch Party and Free Rides
09/16/2024
The rail agency will hold launch parties as service goes 100% electric from San Francisco to San Jose

In honor of Caltrain launching its new electrified service schedule this weekend, the agency is holding celebratory events in every city along the corridor all weekend long. Caltrain service is free of charge both days, allowing the public to easily attend the main events in Palo Alto on Saturday, Sept 21, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and in San Mateo on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., as well as the many other events hosted by local cities and other transportation agencies.

The weekend’s events will feature a wide range of things to see, including food trucks, DJs, live music, dance troupes, speeches from Caltrain supporters, railroad museum exhibits, Caltrain giveaways and a flash mob doing the electric slide. Half hourly free service this weekend will make it easy to visit all of these events without the hassle of driving and parking.

This weekend’s launch will see fully electrified passenger service running between San Francisco and San Jose for the first time in this rail corridor’s 160-year history. Caltrain riders will enjoy faster and more frequent service, with 16 stations receiving trains every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours, weekend trains arriving twice hourly and express service from San Francisco to San Jose in under an hour.

https://www.caltrain.com/news/caltrain-c...tion-weekend-launch-party-and-free-rides

[38 Geary]

BART completes $1.5B earthquake retrofitting project of Transbay Tube, system
By Gloria Rodriguez
Monday, September 16, 2024 2:25PM

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- BART announced Monday morning that the Transbay Tube is now retrofitted for an earthquake.

...

"The Transbay Tube now has a stronger steel lining," said BART General Manager Bob Powers. "It has a more powerful and robust pumping system that will protect itself against even stronger earthquakes, the type of earthquake that is projected to occur only once in 1,000 years."

...

This closes out BART's Earthquake Safety Program, which retrofitted more than 74 miles of the original track, 34 original stations and other infrastructure. It cost nearly $1.5 billion and part of it was paid by a $980 million bond measure passed in 2004.

https://abc7news.com/post/barts-earthqua...sbay-tube-complete-agency-says/15310987/

[38 Geary]

The beginning of a new era! The Caltrain KISS EMUs have entered full service as of today.

Some photos from today's Caltrain electric service launch party held at the Palo Alto station. I gotta say I was really impressed by the new trains. They are super smooth and quiet (aside from the annoying beeping) and the interiors are super nice. The free onboard wifi worked nicely and I was able to finalize my plans for my next trip.

The Bay Area rail fan community really came out in droves today. Props to Caltrain for putting on a great event. Hopefully ridership continues to creep back up as service improves, and the community sees that these investments in transit infrastructure are worthwhile.

























PC: homebucket

[38 Geary]

Some short clips from today:

• Video Link

• Video Link

• Video Link

[Busy Bee]

It's a beautiful thing.

[TWAK]

"Trains are up and running on California's high-speed rail route"
I mentioned earlier that I'd like to see the Authority lean a bit on this for advertising, or just in general use this as press for the HSR system. The blended parts are part of it, so why not?

[twinpeaks]

Originally Posted by TWAK

"Trains are up and running on California's high-speed rail route"
I mentioned earlier that I'd like to see the Authority lean a bit on this for advertising, or just in general use this as press for the HSR system. The blended parts are part of it, so why not?

If it were to run, I wonder how fast will it take to go from SF to San Jose with a stop at Milbrae on existing tracks?

[Busy Bee]

My first order or business as FRA commisioner would be to get rid of those ridiculous f***ing bells.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

My first order or business as FRA commisioner would be to get rid of those ridiculous f***ing bells.

Bells? Are you willing to pay to build all the pedestrian over and under passes of the tracks for passenger safety? The bells allow at grade pedestrian crossings.

[Busy Bee]

The bells are theatre. Stupid anachronistic theatre. A reminder you're still in the USA.

It reminds me of the way USDOT used to ruin the look of so many imported European cars by requiring ugly headlights and bulky bumpers.

[llamaorama]

I wonder if alternative electronic bell tones would perform as well and could be allowed someday? That would cause less noise pollution but still be effective at alerting people and allowing for safe pedestrian crossings.

[Nouvellecosse]

Wouldn't electronic tones be more annoying than an actual bell?

Personally I've never heard of the bells being an issue. I've only really heard complaints about mandatory horn sounding at grade crossings but obviously the bell is much quieter than those.

[Busy Bee]

Most new light rail vehicles that are required to ring a bell like ye olde railroading do so using a simulated electronic bell tone. I'm not sure if these 21st century EMUs are using a real bell or a fake one. Either way it's ridiculous and embarrassing.

[JManc]

I actually like the bells, they're a connection back to the old days of rail. My grandfather worked maintaining RR signals for NY Central.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by twinpeaks

If it were to run, I wonder how fast will it take to go from SF to San Jose with a stop at Milbrae on existing tracks?

According to the updated schedule, SF to SJ, a track distance of ~49 miles, takes 59 minutes if you're on an express train (10 stops). So if it gets reduced to only 2 stops, Millbrae and SJ, I'm guessing that would save at least 16 minutes just from not having to slow down, stop, deboard and board, and accelerate again an additional 8 times.

According to this CAHSR EIR/EIS, a nonstop trip from SF to SJ would take 30 minutes.

So I'm guessing a SF to SJ trip with a stop in Millbrae, would probably be around 35 minutes. Maybe 40 minutes tops.

[llamaorama]

I've only really heard complaints about mandatory horn sounding at grade crossings but obviously the bell is much quieter than those.

It's funny, the horns are the one annoying train noise I like. Especially a distant one on a quiet night carrying through the cool.

[38 Geary]

Pretty cool feature on the Peninsula with some commentary on the Caltrain electrification project.

• Video Link