Re: Caltrain should be more like Transperth

[elson@westworld.com]

In article <37af6ccc.0@newshost.pcug.org.au>,
  "David Bennetts" <davibenn@pcug.org.au> wrote:

> I still think that multiple unit trains would have been a better
> proposition, with well designed cars and improved loading times you
probably
> could have cut the journey time from San Francisco to San Jose from 90
> minutes to around 60.

I rode CalTrain for the first time last week, traveling from San Jose to
San Francisco. It was part curiosity thrill, part ordeal.

My main complaint was the bumpiness of the ride, which was mainly
because of the poor condition of the aging tracks on which the train
rides on. In some sections, the train goes as slow as 15 mph and only
goes as fast as 55mph.

Here in Los Angeles, we have Metrolink, a very young (since 1992)
commuter rail operation which has blossomed into a 400+ mile system
spanning seven counties. Though the system relied on existing freight
and Amtrak rights of way, a good deal of trackage was upgraded to
continuously-welded rail (a concept of which CalTrain is just starting
to adopt) on concrete ties, which allows trains to speed as fast as
80mph. The equipment is the same EMD locomotive + Bombardier commuter
car combination that has worked just as successfully in several north
American cities. In short, Metrolink was built on a relatively small
budget; I don't see any reason why CalTrain can't do the same,
especially since it already has a large ridership base.

Obviously money is an issue; BART to the south Peninsula and San Jose is
a nice fantasy, but where's all the money coming from? Why not a large
commuter rail system that absorbs the current CalTrain and ACE
corridors, plus some more, maybe a transbay route, maybe even reaching
as far as Santa Cruz and Sacramento, going where BART can't afford to
go?

To CalTrain's credit, the 4th/King station isn't as "out there" anymore;
it's easily reachable to the rest of SF via the Muni Metro N line and
the new ballpark and other developments seem to bring more activity to
the immediate area.

Elson
Los Angeles, CA


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