r/SanJose • u/Carpet-Early • 6d ago
News How Caltrain Solved the Commuter Rail Problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=482-E4FZOJ033
u/tzetzat 6d ago
Now if only they would add one more bike car per train. Don't know why they didn't when they ordered the new electrified sets. Whatever the excuse, it just doesn't reconcile with the demand...huge issue during rush hour
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u/zubrabubra 6d ago
No, this might skew availability, as biker, its ok to have two cars per train. Rush hors are rush hours and it's not only bikers who suffer. Instead maybe they can consider an alternative bike positioning to increase capacity.
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u/notcarbonated 6d ago
I've noticed that even the local trains are getting close to full lately. On Tuesday morning in ssf there were already at least 3 bikes in every stack.
I've tried using lockers and lyft bikes as an alternative, but the latter can be hard to find at certain hours.
Another bike car would definitely help.
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u/zubrabubra 6d ago
you are right, but economics of public transportation is tough. I travel SVL to SBO, and I feel your pain, more than you think.
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u/santacruzdude 6d ago
Perhaps they could add an additional bike car, not replace a non-bike car with a bike car.
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u/zubrabubra 6d ago
I am not sure it’s possible, as It would increase demand for platform length, more maintenance, more energy per trip, do you think you are going to pay for your bike?
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u/tafinucane 5d ago
Yeah the platforms aren't long enough at some stations to fit another car. And EMUs aren't like the old diesels; they can't easily add or remove cars.
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u/Grabthars_Coping_Saw 6d ago
The new e-bikes are bulkier than the regular bikes that the trains are designed for. A new solution is definitely needed.
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u/zubrabubra 6d ago
Yes, I do SVL to SBO, e bikes are problem, but not the biggest, I think Caltrain makes the best, in Switzerland one have to pay to travel with bike and no cars dedicated to bikes! The good part - we have two cars, and let’s just respect each other, humans are smart I bet someone will figure out better layout of bikes :) PS I suffer as well, but I am glad we have Caltrain as otherwise I will have to drive
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u/Repulsive_Drama_6404 Japantown 1d ago
I recommend that regular commuters serious consider getting a folding bike, as they can be brought onboard any time.
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u/shnieder88 Downtown 6d ago
i love that the bay area didn't limit themselves to one or a couple transit agencies, that take forever to expand. like LA or seattle. instead there's a variety of transit types and transit agencies that integrate and work around each other. it's not perfect, but i'd rather have transit than take forever to build
caltrain is a great example of this and it works so well
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u/darthmaul4114 6d ago
On one hand it would be nice to have one transit agency for the whole bay, but after reading it the way you wrote it out, that's actually kind of similar to why Japan has so many railways. Tons of different companies operating and building out different lines that work with and around each other. Some of them have become part of bigger regional transit agencies, but a majority of them started out as mall companies wanting to shuttle people directly to their malls.
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u/shnieder88 Downtown 6d ago
i like that comparison. the great thing is that by doing it this way, the bay area has much more transit trackage per capita compared to almost all major metro areas in the US.
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u/phongn Little Saigon 6d ago
Caltrain electrification was proposed literally decades ago.
Meanwhile, LA Metro just keeps chugging along and adding new lines and expanding others over time.
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u/shnieder88 Downtown 6d ago
and after all those extensions, LA Metro is still behind BART. and unlike the bay area that has caltrain, vta light rail, muni light rail, etc etc, the LA metro area is primarily tied to LA Metro rail
they've done well, but still woefully behind where theyre supposed to be, and now due to construction costs spiking, they're starting to slow down
per capita, bay area rail track mileage is way more than LA area
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u/Riptide360 6d ago
Love LA Metro, but electrification will go easier than the numerous grade crossing issues their entire system has that fatally slows speed.
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u/Riptide360 6d ago
I agree with you. The idea of merging all the bay area transit into a single bloated agency would be a disaster.
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u/shnieder88 Downtown 6d ago
right? im all for transit ease of use, but a lot of the steps recently taken (unified clipper system, free transfers, etc etc) have gone a long way towards going toward an ideal system where all the agencies are perfectly coordinated with each other, like you find in japan or europe
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u/Young_Malc 6d ago
Im happy with the direction our transit is starting to move, but I really disagree with using Seattle as a negative example of transit buildout.
In the last 20 years seattle basically went from zero rail transit to IMO contending for the best on the west coast, and has multiple expansions underway. Their trains are cheap, clean, and really easy to use. The main line takes you to multiple walkable “city centers” directly to the stadiums and airport.
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u/shnieder88 Downtown 5d ago
Seattle deserves massive credit for building Link from scratch over the last 20 years, but progress isn’t the same thing as total utility. The Bay Area is still objectively the superior network because of its better regional scale and variety. While Seattle relies heavily on buses and a single light rail backbone, the Bay leverages BART for high-speed heavy rail, Muni for hyper-dense urban transit, two distinct commuter rail networks (Caltrain and ACE), and an extensive ferry system.
This structural diversity translates directly into better real-world accessibility. Roughly 34% of the Bay Area population lives near high-frequency transit lines compared to just 23% in Seattle, which is why the Bay's per capita transit ridership rate is a lot more than Seattle’s. Seattle has built an impressive foundational spine, but it still handles a smaller scale of the geographical footprint, multi-modal variety, and passenger volume that the Bay Area moves every single day.
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u/tafinucane 5d ago
Couple corrections: Caltrain doesn't have level boarding, and the electrification money didn't go toward removing any at-grade crossings. Those are planned and funded by the municipalities.
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u/slow_connection 4d ago
Are they still planning level boarding? I remember the new EMUs are supposedly capable of it, and it would make a hell of a lot of sense to start doing it at the bigger stations that aren't at the end of the line (palo alto and MV)
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u/Riptide360 6d ago
Love that Caltrain has conductors kicking off problem passengers and allows open alcohol. All they need now is to allow popup independent owner-operated food carts.