Clik here to view.
New Year, New Risks
It's 2024, the year that Caltrain is supposed to go electric. All the wires are up and six trains are already on the property (see delivery spreadsheet), with more on the way shortly. After years of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Cost of EMU Maintenance
Caltrain recently published a strategic financial plan update, where we learn that maintaining each EMU in the new electric fleet in good working order is expected to cost $1.2 - 1.5 million per year,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Level Boarding is Legal in California
Arrow level boarding platformsat San Bernardino, CAComments to old posts on this blog are stored in a moderation queue that your author doesn't visit often enough. Over a year ago, commenter jpk122s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Diridon Delusions
San Jose is striving to redesign and expand its Cahill Street station, named for the (still living) former mayor Rod Diridon, to meet the needs of future rail service including BART and high-speed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
August 2024 Open Thread
Open thread time! Feel free to jump into the comments below.Driving like a grandma: electric service started on August 11th. Initially and until September 21st, EMUs operate on the current diesel...
View ArticleSeptember 2024 Open Thread
Electric service starts this weekend. The blog comment system stopped working on the August open thread, so let's try this instead?
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cars on the Tracks
Cars turning off from a grade crossing onto the tracks are a perennial problem for Caltrain, often resulting in multi-hour cascading delays or worse, dangerous collisions. The statistics are shocking:...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another Path to Level Boarding
A complication in Caltrain's coming transition to level boarding is found in the train's bathroom, an amenity that requires equal access for passengers with reduced mobility under ADA regulations....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Caltrain's Plan for Level Boarding
Some good news: Caltrain is working on a level boarding plan, as documents requested under the Public Records Act attest. Their "Level Boarding Roadmap: Technical Task Force Platform Report" dated...
View ArticleMarch 2025 Open Thread
The comment section from the last post is about to overflow, so here is an open thread to keep the discussions going. Some noteworthy developments fished out of the previous comments:Caltrain's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fixing Santa Clara County
Today, Caltrain is hardly recognizable with regular and punctual half-hour service all day, every day, using swift and comfortable trains that are the envy of any North American regional rail system....
View Article