Re: Caltrain should be more like Transperth

["David Bennetts" <davibenn@pcug.org.au>]

brhough wrote in message <37ae0209@news1.us.ibm.net>...
>klepht@my-deja.com> wrote in message news:7ogtmf$n69$1@nnrp1.deja.com.:
>
>> Clem, what are the alternatives to BART?   Driving Solo??  I'll stick
>> with BART.
>> CalTrain is a waste.
>
>Rest of rant deleted.
>
>What most Caltrain supporters want is for Caltrain to upgraded to rapid
>transit levels of service. Examples of this include Germany's S-Bahns.
>
For those aus.rail readers who are wondering what this is all about,
Caltrain operates between San Francisco and through the Silicon Valley area
to San Jose, where it connects with Amtrak.  Currently it operates with
diesel hauled (and pushed) trains, a driving compartment being provided in
the rear car.  The journey takes about 90 minutes.  There are currently
plans to extend BART (the electric underground/above ground San Francisco
Bay system south to the airport with a convenient connection to Caltrain
nearby.

Caltrain suffers from having loco hauled trains with a relatively slow
acceleration/deceleration rate, and has a rather inconvenient terminal
location which is a bit away from the Centre of San Francisco.   The
transport lobbyists want improvements by shifting the terminal nearer Market
Street, and to electrify the line using Multiple unit stock.  The existing
cars are rather unusual, these are double deck gallery cars, fairly slow to
load with central doorways and loading from low level platforms, although a
wheelchair lift is provided in the rear car.  The railway used to be
operated by Southern Pacific, but is now operated by the California Dept of
Transportation.

I had a ride on Caltrain in 97 and look forward to riding it again in
October - it offers a reasonably frequent, fast and a cheap connection from
San Francisco  to the airport, providing a free shuttle to the terminal from
Millbrae station.

regards

David Bennetts
Canberra