The state is already forcing them to upzone. But I really hope that we can finally get a bill passed specifically to increase density around the stations to at least 200 ft for housing. With high-quality transit like BART and 15-minute frequency electric Caltrain, there should be no more parking lots at those stations. This is what Washington DC and Vancouver have done. It works great for both reducing housing costs and increasing transit ridership.
@@TohaBgood2 Yes, everything is forced. The state has become one big thug bleeding money from everyone and telling everyone else what to do. At this point, I see no point in spending any money on the military. So what if China or Russia invade…are they really much different than our own corrupt government?
@@biggle_man all the cynics that say that see is the 119 miles under construction between Madera and Shafter, which does feel like nowhere. They don't see all the other progress being made, not just physical construction like Caltrain being electrified but also the environmental clearances and early pre-construction work being done on the SF and LA extensions, as well as CAHSR beginning the procurement process for high speed trains. The Merced and Bakersfield extensions should be starting construction in the next couple years, so service between those cities can begin by 2030. I'd push to get things moving faster so initial Central Valley service could begin in 2028. Brightline West aims to have their route up-and-running by Summer 2028 for the LA Olympics, dependent on some federal funding, and if the current pro-rail administration is smart, along with CAHSR and BW, they should advocate to get both the funding they need simultaneously so both could finish by 2028. That would create three operating examples of high speed rail in the US by the 2028 LA Olympics, new Acela trains on the NE Corridor, Brightline West and CAHSR's Central Valley segment. It would be a political but namely national win, in the spirit of Japan unveiling the Shinkansen at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It would show the world America is finally catching up with high speed rail.
The goal should be to get electrified Caltrain service to Gilroy completed prior to CAHSR arriving there, so as soon as they complete their Pacheco Pass route to Gilroy they can begin SF service.
@@P0w2you ideally both Caltrain and HSR would be built to Gilroy simultaneously, with Caltrain getting there first so by the time HSR arrived they could begin Bakersfield-SF service.
I wonder if there is some way to advocate for this. The Capitol Corridor is already planning electrified service in the East Bay and 110-125 mph service to Sacramento. This is still just a corridor vision, but I wonder if this could be a new project that Gilroy electrification could be folded into.
@@TohaBgood2 possibly. Part of the plan in the East Bay is to reroute trains either under or over Oakland, to eliminate the current bottleneck with street running. There’s also a proposal to route Amtrak trains along the BNSF alignment between Oakland and Martinez paralleling Highway 4, to avoid the slow, winding tracks along the Bay. All to get the Sacramento-San Jose trip time down. That trip currently takes just over 3 hours, while the drive can be less than 2. It needs to get competitive with driving. 2 hours, at least 2 1/2, should be achievable for Capitol Corridor, electrified or not. As for south of San Jose, the plan for trains to Salinas is the Capitol Corridor, I believe 2 trains north in the morning and 2 south in the evening, at least initially. If Caltrain is going 100% electric to Gilroy, and that’s mainly for CAHSR, then it’ll have to be another service like Amtrak going to Salinas. Amtrak will share the non-electrified track in the Gilroy-SJ corridor with UP freight trains, while the two electrified tracks will be for HSR and Caltrain only. Hopefully Monterey and Santa Cruz county transit will provide good connectivity to the Gilroy station. SC County has their Coast Futura train that’ll go between Santa Cruz and Pajaro, while Monterey is all buses. Having better, more frequent and convenient transit in the Monterey Bay Area will be huge to helping congestion on Highway 101 going between there and San Jose/SF.
Nice job including voices from the community of people with disabilities. They are rarely represented and the ADA passed 32 years ago. I’m glad they’re not an afterthought and forced to stare at a wall still
This is a great improvement for Caltrains with speeds increasing by about 40%. I can’t wait for the truly high speed rail on the CAHSR rail system that will be about double the speed of the new Caltrains.
@@davidjackson7281 I think it will be 30 minutes, CAHSR will only run 110mph between those two cities since the Caltrain corridor is over a century old and also since it runs thru dense urban cores, that being said it would be a direct ride rather than making the multiple stops that Caltrain does. Once it passes Gilroy to the new/dedicated HSR infrastructure, it will speed up to 220mph
@@davidjackson7281 Caltrain shows a time of 1hr 5m effective September 12 for their “Baby Bullet” trains - that includes 5 stops along the way. For a lot of people that means they can pull out a laptop and get an hour of work done before they get to the office, and another hour done on the way back. So, commuting by train gives them more time for themselves or makes them more productive. Southbound 6:06am 7:06am 8:06am Northbound 4:06pm 5:06pm 6:06pm
@@barryrobbins7694We won't know for a while but I surmise CAHSR, with a stop at Millbrae for the SFO connection instead of 5 stops, will take 45 minutes to go from SF to SJ.
@caltrain can I make one request? Please keep the current tri tone horns that are so iconic to locals. I know grade crossings will become fewer, but the current tri tones are beautiful sounding and should get to live on.
Really excited for this! With electrification and 15-minute off-peak frequencies Caltrain will be supercharged to become basically a BART line! This is incredible! Let's gooooo!
The challenge then will be blending in high speed trains, giving them priority to meet their statewide travel times (especially the peak time nonstops), without any additional tracks. I’m sure Caltrain and CAHSR will work out an operating agreement, if they haven’t already. Not all HSR trains headed to the Bay Area will be going to SF, as CAHSR’s planned service model shows some terminating in San Jose.
@@ChrisJones-gx7fc I think, though I may be wrong, that Caltrain's stations either do exist or will be rebuilt to have platforms on sidings away from the mainline, so that CAHSR trains can overtake while Caltrain services stop at the station. Though, if they get their timetable right, they might be able to reduce the number of stations at which this setup is needed.
@@mastertrams some stations have passing tracks already, but most don’t, and at one time there were plans to add bypass tracks at the other stations but that was scrapped, I believe to save costs. Maybe that’ll change later on and bypass tracks will be added at all the other stations. Really the only trains that need to make the 2:39 run time are the nonstop LA-SF, which according to CAHSR’s planned operating scenario will be six in each direction per day, 3 morning 3 evening, during peak hours. Going out of SF and LA in the mornings should be easy enough since most commuter trains will be heading into the city, while evening would be more challenging as they’ll then have to contend with all the other traffic, especially on the Peninsula corridor. It’ll take some serious coordination to pull off, but I’m sure CAHSR and Caltrain will figure out how to make it work. CAHSR estimates a 29-minute travel time between SF and San Jose, which at 48 miles requires an average speed of between 99 and 100mph, and they’ll have to make that to make the 2:39 SF-LA trip time. That’s why I say only the nonstop trains need to make that, while all the others won’t necessarily need to. Plus not all HSR trains will go to SF, as some will only go as far north as San Jose. I believe CAHSR aims for 6 trains/hour on the Caltrain corridor north of SJ (not sure if that’s total or in each direction).
@@davidjackson7281 that’s the time requirement laid out in Prop 1A and is what CAHSR is designing and building their system for. Whether it can actually hit those times will be determined when the first SF-LA nonstop train makes the trip, and until that happens and gets proved otherwise yeah I do believe they can make 2 hours 39 minutes. Even if it does end up being slower in the end, like 3 hours or even closer to 4, I seriously doubt we’re gonna complain too much or think we should just scrap it all cause it can’t make the originally promised time. What high speed rail is ultimately doing is giving us a fast, more convenient way to get between NorCal and SoCal than driving or flying. Total flight time between LA and SF, downtown to downtown via LAX and SFO, I’ve calculated to be 3 1/2 hours (30min to airport, 60min before plane leaves, 80min gate to gate, 10min to get curbside, 30min to downtown), and that’s without any delays. The drive on I-5 typically takes 5 1/2 to 6 hours to do without the bad traffic the Bay Area and LA Basin are notorious for. To be able to get on a train in downtown LA and ride it all the way to SF in a time considerably faster than driving (even at 4 hours compared to typically 5 1/2 to 6 driving) without having to deal with the traffic or parking, that’s also competitive with flying while being more convenient and comfortable, will be a serious game changer and why this is very much still worth doing. Plus, as I’ve said before, having this option will ease strain on the others, less traffic on the freeway and less crowded airports, which should be a win-win for everyone, even those in California who’ll never ride CAHSR.
We got new Stadler KISS trains (i.e. same as these new Caltrain trains) just before the pandemic up over here in Stockholm and they are awesome. Faster and higher capacity than the old trains and oh yeah a 8 car double decker going past at 100 mph is a real nice vibe.
So nice to have the youth seeing the benefits of such projects ! Make happen the remaining of the corridor as quickly as possible, this is what those generations deserved ! 🙌
Doesn't need to be like this. We could all try for a ballot measure to just clone the existing Caltrain electrification to Gilroy and for the Capitol Corridor in the East Bay.
I welcome this upgrade, all the diesel locomotives that Caltrain uses were built between 1985 and 2003, so they're already starting to show their age. This is a much needed upgrade.
Time will tell if electrification will soon come for Gilroy. I do hope Caltrain can find a way to extend electrification from their Tamien terminus to their southernmost stop (maybe Salinas too!), but so far, good job to Caltrain for making electrification possible for their mainline segment!
I feel like we could probably force this issue with a ballot measure in the Bay Area. Both BART and the Capitol Corridor have been threatening to run electrified EMU service on the East Bay side as well. There probably would be some appetite for a completely electrified Bay Area rail network if we could muster up the numbers and advocate for it properly.
@@davidjackson7281 First of all, the ACE is already planning to electrify the Altamont Pass and speed it up to 110-125 mph to match the speed upgrades on the Capitol Corridor and the San Joaquins. But the ACE project this is a local project that would only benefit the Tri-Valley area, so you all need to come up with the money to do it. You should pass a ballot measure and get cracking on that. Second, the stretch to Salinas may indeed be electrified at some point, but at this time Caltrain is only planning on running battery trains to Salinas. The electrification will stop at Gilroy for now. That being said, both Santa Cruz and Monterey are building electric rail to the future Watsonville and Salinas Caltrain stations respectively. So there may be some value in just electrifying all the way to Salinas if that means that Monterey-Santa Cruz can become an integrated regional service. But that is still mostly just dreams at this point. First we need to electrify to Gilroy somehow. Then we can think about these loftier plans.
@@TohaBgood2 if you wanna do that, there’s no stopping you. I’m not really into things like that, but running solely electric for the entire current Caltrain route would be such a wonder for the future. Maybe the others too what you have mentioned.
I visited Palo Alto in March and saw the power lines installed while the old galley cars were taking their last runs. These Stadlers are proper doubledeckers...but where are the power outlets? And wifi?
Super excited to see how all this will help CA. Now the west coast will have their version of the NEC, Northeast Corridor… Who knows, maybe they will start calling it the WCC, West Coast Corridor. I sure will miss those F40s and Bi Level cars once they are gone. Hopefully a museum will get their hands on a set.
Cool, wish high speed rail come to Denver, it is easy to build out east across the plains, but the challenge is difficult over the Rocky Mountain west of Denver. I wonder if high-speed trains is impossible going over the Rocky Mountains.
It won’t work. Not because of the infrastructure, cost, or trains, or the topography. It might get shut down by three things. Karens, Kevins, and NIMBYS. Also, not to mention the environmental test.
I'm bummed out that other California commuter roads haven't also decided to electrify and buy Stadler KISSes. Nevertheless, I'm glad SOMEBODY has done so!
Many of the other California commuter services are getting Stadler trains. There's the Arrow in SoCal. ACE is also getting Stadler trains. The San Joaquins is getting Siemens Venture trains which are also very nice.
@@aaronmiller5012 The Siemens locomotives are part of Caltrans's pool of available equipment they are shifter around the state as needed. It's not like they will go to waste. They're constantly expanding services and buying more Chargers.
Hopefully Caltrain will begin to recover from its approx. 50% loss in ridership before the new trains are operational 16 months from now. I wonder when electrification to Gilroy will be completed.
I gotta say, I love your almost subtle concern trolling when there's an obvious CAHSR win that you can't dismiss. I warms my heart to see you struggling to troll it. 😁
It's hard to fathom now, being so far into the future, but 1. We should start building south from SF to ease housing congestion... And 2. Eventually we will need an HSR spur up the East bay. and 3. That line will someday, connect the the HSR which no longer terminates in San Francisco, but continues under the bay east popping out for the trip to Sacramento along the delta.
I doubt another tunnel will ever happen. Too expensive and too little demand. There are many more important transit priorties. Rather than a one-seat dream riders will just have to make a transfer or two for such a journey.
Those trains look nice and sleek. Hope the overhead wires get put up soon, people don't like equipment owned by a government agency just hanging around and not being used!
@@TohaBgood2 Thanks. You're correct, 110mph is all it will do. But they do get up speed and slow down quickly. This is on Wikipedia, the last part is funny: Stadler refers to the train as "KISS", an acronym for "Komfortabler Innovativer Spurtstarker S-Bahn-Zug", meaning "comfortable, innovative, sprint-capable suburban train".[6] Transitio in Sweden uses the name "DOSTO" because "kiss" means "pee" in Swedish.
@@jjxtwo1 The trains are awesome, but Stadler really needs to work on their goofy naming scheme. The single level model is called FLIRT, the bi-level is KISS. I'm afraid to think what a full-on Stadler HSR train would be called if it escalates that quickly 😁😁😁
@@TohaBgood2 Well, well, well. I see what you mean. Stadler may have found a way to make public transportation a lot more interesting to people. Maybe their trains are too fast. 🤣
so the kid at 0:45 was part of history? the first ever high speed line? Not sure he's understanding what train he's sitting in, it isn't a "high speed" train.
Perhaps because the platform heights vary at different stations. Rather than spend money on platforms they apparently decided to have traiins with two different door heights to accomodate low platforms. To me the bilevel Stadler cars look odd and have a high coefficient of drag.
California might be a laughing stock right now, but it’ll set the example for the future going forward. Once CHSR along with Brightline East and West will show America that it can happen! Honolulu’s HART as well!
The HSR trains have level-boarding, and two of the platforms at stations they’ll be stopping at (Diridon, Millbrae and 4th and King) will need to be raised to accommodate them. 4th and King is temporary until STC is ready for trains, then all HSR trains will go there instead as will some Caltrain trains. (Given STC is half the capacity of 4th & King, and Caltrain expects to increase service plus all the HSR trains, I’m fully confident 4th & King will remain open, with maybe just Baby Bullet trains going to STC while all others continue going to 4th & King). That’s why the Caltrain sets have two sets of doors, one at ground level and the other at the same height the HSR trains are. Once HSR arrives and those station modifications are done, Caltrain trains stopping at those platforms will use the higher doors. That may only be for Millbrae though, as HSR trains should be the only ones using their platforms at San Jose, and maybe for 4th & King as well. HSR and Caltrain will share one of the three platforms at STC.
I wish they would spend only 1 percent of this on developing Northern CA, I am talking about north of Sacramento. It’s a shame that almost 30 percent of the entire state is populated by less than 5 percent of its people. It has immense potential but totally forgotten. In this part of CA we dream of having normal freeways let alone fancy trains. You might argue not too many people live there but how can you convince people to live there if there is no proper infrastructure!
Good video, but I was surprised to see the "Less Traffic" trope mentioned as one of the benefits of rail electrification. I hear this a lot in Southern California, but I thought Bay Area transit agencies are smarter than that. Providing better transit options for people is a laudable goal. But on its own - without congestion pricing or reducing roadway capacity - it will not, and cannot, result in "less traffic" due to the law of induced demand. Yes, as a result of this project some people who now drive will start taking the train instead. This will create excess road capacity. Do either Caltrain or CHSRA intend to recapture the newly excess road capacity by right-sizing the roads that serve as alternatives to the train route? Or perhaps charging congestion fees so that the newly increased speeds and decreased travel times on the roadways are maintained in the long run? My guess is, the answer is no. And that means new motorists will take the place of those who started taking the train, returning to the previous status quo and NOT resulting in "less traffic". Once and for all please stop repeating the "Less Traffic" propaganda point unless you actually mean to do something about it. You can instead say "More Travel Options" or "A New Alternative to Congested Highways".
Induced demand isn't infinite, and rail is certainly capable of providing more capacity per unit of right of way width than highways. Although long term its very unlikely that and 1 individuals project will truly reduce "traffic" for 10-20 years. But a complete system of alternatives could definitely take a lot of pressure off the roads, especially reducing the duration of rush hour congestion even if the experience of the congestion remains the same for any individual driver. (A lot of roads with "nightmarish traffic" are only actually bad during rush hour and otherwise are relatively quite)
No in both ways. The first one is that the tracks are upgraded to 180 km/h (from 125 km/h) so even the high-speed trains have to drive at conventional speeds and the second one is that you used the average speed vs. the top speed of the regional trains (which too are now 180 km/h).
That's not true. France has been at it for longer than most European countries and they still run a ton of diesel service. Stop trying to lie about obvious things that can be googled in 10 seconds.
@@RussianSevereWeatherVideos Where are you people getting this stuff from? Mass electrification of railways in Europe only started after WW2. And that includes the Soviet Union.
Just to set the record straight California receives less federal funding than it puts in. As a matter of fact, 85% of CAHSR funding has come from the state, the lack of federal funding partially the reason why it's taking so long.
@@adianchowdhury9016 how dare you come in here with FACTS & LOGIC! CALIFORNIA BAD!!!! GRRRRRRR TRAIN BAD ME DRIVE BIG TRUCK ME BIG MAN TAKE THAT LIBTARDS!
A correction around 2:53: I said, "I like using the bridge plate instead of the lift". Thanks for capturing my love of looking outside the window! - Aubrie
wow thank God somebody in USA had finally balls to switch over from those 50 year old trains to modern 21st century electrified transportation EMU... welcome to the present USA!
So excited to see how the region develops from all of this. Now we need to convince the cities to upzone their housing types!
The state is already forcing them to upzone. But I really hope that we can finally get a bill passed specifically to increase density around the stations to at least 200 ft for housing. With high-quality transit like BART and 15-minute frequency electric Caltrain, there should be no more parking lots at those stations. This is what Washington DC and Vancouver have done. It works great for both reducing housing costs and increasing transit ridership.
There's a huge push by the state to get everyone to at least jadus on their property.
No way I see you here hahaha I think I follow you on Twitter BIT you post Roblox train stuff sometimes
Hello Mr. NEC Roblox
@@TohaBgood2 Yes, everything is forced. The state has become one big thug bleeding money from everyone and telling everyone else what to do. At this point, I see no point in spending any money on the military. So what if China or Russia invade…are they really much different than our own corrupt government?
I love to see successful, cooperative projects like this. We need more of this!
It’s a train to nowhere
The CAHSR is a train to nowhere
@@roadguy4214😢
@@roadguy4214 what do you mean? its between SF and san diego isnt it?
@@biggle_man all the cynics that say that see is the 119 miles under construction between Madera and Shafter, which does feel like nowhere. They don't see all the other progress being made, not just physical construction like Caltrain being electrified but also the environmental clearances and early pre-construction work being done on the SF and LA extensions, as well as CAHSR beginning the procurement process for high speed trains. The Merced and Bakersfield extensions should be starting construction in the next couple years, so service between those cities can begin by 2030.
I'd push to get things moving faster so initial Central Valley service could begin in 2028. Brightline West aims to have their route up-and-running by Summer 2028 for the LA Olympics, dependent on some federal funding, and if the current pro-rail administration is smart, along with CAHSR and BW, they should advocate to get both the funding they need simultaneously so both could finish by 2028.
That would create three operating examples of high speed rail in the US by the 2028 LA Olympics, new Acela trains on the NE Corridor, Brightline West and CAHSR's Central Valley segment. It would be a political but namely national win, in the spirit of Japan unveiling the Shinkansen at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It would show the world America is finally catching up with high speed rail.
Let’s go Bay Area!!!
No
The goal should be to get electrified Caltrain service to Gilroy completed prior to CAHSR arriving there, so as soon as they complete their Pacheco Pass route to Gilroy they can begin SF service.
I think the idea is that Gilroy needs to be electrified last because it's the first stop of the actual high speed line.
Ideally the Federal government kicks in at least half the money and they build San Jose to Merced in one go.
@@P0w2you ideally both Caltrain and HSR would be built to Gilroy simultaneously, with Caltrain getting there first so by the time HSR arrived they could begin Bakersfield-SF service.
I wonder if there is some way to advocate for this. The Capitol Corridor is already planning electrified service in the East Bay and 110-125 mph service to Sacramento. This is still just a corridor vision, but I wonder if this could be a new project that Gilroy electrification could be folded into.
@@TohaBgood2 possibly. Part of the plan in the East Bay is to reroute trains either under or over Oakland, to eliminate the current bottleneck with street running. There’s also a proposal to route Amtrak trains along the BNSF alignment between Oakland and Martinez paralleling Highway 4, to avoid the slow, winding tracks along the Bay. All to get the Sacramento-San Jose trip time down.
That trip currently takes just over 3 hours, while the drive can be less than 2. It needs to get competitive with driving. 2 hours, at least 2 1/2, should be achievable for Capitol Corridor, electrified or not.
As for south of San Jose, the plan for trains to Salinas is the Capitol Corridor, I believe 2 trains north in the morning and 2 south in the evening, at least initially. If Caltrain is going 100% electric to Gilroy, and that’s mainly for CAHSR, then it’ll have to be another service like Amtrak going to Salinas. Amtrak will share the non-electrified track in the Gilroy-SJ corridor with UP freight trains, while the two electrified tracks will be for HSR and Caltrain only. Hopefully Monterey and Santa Cruz county transit will provide good connectivity to the Gilroy station.
SC County has their Coast Futura train that’ll go between Santa Cruz and Pajaro, while Monterey is all buses. Having better, more frequent and convenient transit in the Monterey Bay Area will be huge to helping congestion on Highway 101 going between there and San Jose/SF.
Nice job including voices from the community of people with disabilities. They are rarely represented and the ADA passed 32 years ago. I’m glad they’re not an afterthought and forced to stare at a wall still
A society is judged by how it treats is most vulnerable and helpless members. It's good to see that California is putting their needs first.
This is a great improvement for Caltrains with speeds increasing by about 40%. I can’t wait for the truly high speed rail on the CAHSR rail system that will be about double the speed of the new Caltrains.
What will be the SF-SJ trip time?
@@davidjackson7281 I think it will be 30 minutes, CAHSR will only run 110mph between those two cities since the Caltrain corridor is over a century old and also since it runs thru dense urban cores, that being said it would be a direct ride rather than making the multiple stops that Caltrain does. Once it passes Gilroy to the new/dedicated HSR infrastructure, it will speed up to 220mph
@@davidjackson7281 Caltrain shows a time of 1hr 5m effective September 12 for their “Baby Bullet” trains - that includes 5 stops along the way. For a lot of people that means they can pull out a laptop and get an hour of work done before they get to the office, and another hour done on the way back. So, commuting by train gives them more time for themselves or makes them more productive.
Southbound
6:06am
7:06am
8:06am
Northbound
4:06pm
5:06pm
6:06pm
@@lucaspadilla4815Will CAHSR operate from SF-SJ before the Gilroy-Merced route is built?
@@barryrobbins7694We won't know for a while but I surmise CAHSR, with a stop at Millbrae for the SFO connection instead of 5 stops, will take 45 minutes to go from SF to SJ.
We can’t wait for the next tour! Thank you for coming along with us on this journey!
How much time may the trip from SF to SJ be reduced by with the Stadlers? it is 65 minutes perhaps now on the Baby Bullet.
No
@caltrain can I make one request? Please keep the current tri tone horns that are so iconic to locals. I know grade crossings will become fewer, but the current tri tones are beautiful sounding and should get to live on.
Really excited for this! With electrification and 15-minute off-peak frequencies Caltrain will be supercharged to become basically a BART line! This is incredible! Let's gooooo!
The challenge then will be blending in high speed trains, giving them priority to meet their statewide travel times (especially the peak time nonstops), without any additional tracks. I’m sure Caltrain and CAHSR will work out an operating agreement, if they haven’t already.
Not all HSR trains headed to the Bay Area will be going to SF, as CAHSR’s planned service model shows some terminating in San Jose.
@@ChrisJones-gx7fc I think, though I may be wrong, that Caltrain's stations either do exist or will be rebuilt to have platforms on sidings away from the mainline, so that CAHSR trains can overtake while Caltrain services stop at the station. Though, if they get their timetable right, they might be able to reduce the number of stations at which this setup is needed.
@@mastertrams some stations have passing tracks already, but most don’t, and at one time there were plans to add bypass tracks at the other stations but that was scrapped, I believe to save costs. Maybe that’ll change later on and bypass tracks will be added at all the other stations.
Really the only trains that need to make the 2:39 run time are the nonstop LA-SF, which according to CAHSR’s planned operating scenario will be six in each direction per day, 3 morning 3 evening, during peak hours. Going out of SF and LA in the mornings should be easy enough since most commuter trains will be heading into the city, while evening would be more challenging as they’ll then have to contend with all the other traffic, especially on the Peninsula corridor. It’ll take some serious coordination to pull off, but I’m sure CAHSR and Caltrain will figure out how to make it work.
CAHSR estimates a 29-minute travel time between SF and San Jose, which at 48 miles requires an average speed of between 99 and 100mph, and they’ll have to make that to make the 2:39 SF-LA trip time. That’s why I say only the nonstop trains need to make that, while all the others won’t necessarily need to. Plus not all HSR trains will go to SF, as some will only go as far north as San Jose. I believe CAHSR aims for 6 trains/hour on the Caltrain corridor north of SJ (not sure if that’s total or in each direction).
@@ChrisJones-gx7fcSorry to differ but do you actually believe 2:40?
@@davidjackson7281 that’s the time requirement laid out in Prop 1A and is what CAHSR is designing and building their system for. Whether it can actually hit those times will be determined when the first SF-LA nonstop train makes the trip, and until that happens and gets proved otherwise yeah I do believe they can make 2 hours 39 minutes.
Even if it does end up being slower in the end, like 3 hours or even closer to 4, I seriously doubt we’re gonna complain too much or think we should just scrap it all cause it can’t make the originally promised time. What high speed rail is ultimately doing is giving us a fast, more convenient way to get between NorCal and SoCal than driving or flying.
Total flight time between LA and SF, downtown to downtown via LAX and SFO, I’ve calculated to be 3 1/2 hours (30min to airport, 60min before plane leaves, 80min gate to gate, 10min to get curbside, 30min to downtown), and that’s without any delays. The drive on I-5 typically takes 5 1/2 to 6 hours to do without the bad traffic the Bay Area and LA Basin are notorious for.
To be able to get on a train in downtown LA and ride it all the way to SF in a time considerably faster than driving (even at 4 hours compared to typically 5 1/2 to 6 driving) without having to deal with the traffic or parking, that’s also competitive with flying while being more convenient and comfortable, will be a serious game changer and why this is very much still worth doing.
Plus, as I’ve said before, having this option will ease strain on the others, less traffic on the freeway and less crowded airports, which should be a win-win for everyone, even those in California who’ll never ride CAHSR.
We got new Stadler KISS trains (i.e. same as these new Caltrain trains) just before the pandemic up over here in Stockholm and they are awesome. Faster and higher capacity than the old trains and oh yeah a 8 car double decker going past at 100 mph is a real nice vibe.
Yeah I wish more cities would electrify and buy Stadler KISS trains Boston and Salt lake City would be good contenders for more Electrification
And more comfortable. There really is a difference between Swiss and German design.
So nice to have the youth seeing the benefits of such projects !
Make happen the remaining of the corridor as quickly as possible, this is what those generations deserved ! 🙌
These new trains look so sleek
That's fantastic to see the electrification progress. We need that with Metrolink too. Another piece to the HSR puzzle has been added.
So happy to hear a familiar voice back on track with CHPRA. We thought was retired, but we're glad she's back. Thanks
Wish we had electric trains to Gilroy... One step a half-century at a time!
Doesn't need to be like this. We could all try for a ballot measure to just clone the existing Caltrain electrification to Gilroy and for the Capitol Corridor in the East Bay.
I can't wait for this. I hope it is faster and more frequent!
I welcome this upgrade, all the diesel locomotives that Caltrain uses were built between 1985 and 2003, so they're already starting to show their age. This is a much needed upgrade.
Time will tell if electrification will soon come for Gilroy. I do hope Caltrain can find a way to extend electrification from their Tamien terminus to their southernmost stop (maybe Salinas too!), but so far, good job to Caltrain for making electrification possible for their mainline segment!
I feel like we could probably force this issue with a ballot measure in the Bay Area. Both BART and the Capitol Corridor have been threatening to run electrified EMU service on the East Bay side as well. There probably would be some appetite for a completely electrified Bay Area rail network if we could muster up the numbers and advocate for it properly.
Electrifying to Salinas is a great idea. Then the Pacfic Surfliner could be extended to Salinas from San Luis Obispo. Electrify Altamont Pass.
@@davidjackson7281 First of all, the ACE is already planning to electrify the Altamont Pass and speed it up to 110-125 mph to match the speed upgrades on the Capitol Corridor and the San Joaquins. But the ACE project this is a local project that would only benefit the Tri-Valley area, so you all need to come up with the money to do it. You should pass a ballot measure and get cracking on that.
Second, the stretch to Salinas may indeed be electrified at some point, but at this time Caltrain is only planning on running battery trains to Salinas. The electrification will stop at Gilroy for now. That being said, both Santa Cruz and Monterey are building electric rail to the future Watsonville and Salinas Caltrain stations respectively. So there may be some value in just electrifying all the way to Salinas if that means that Monterey-Santa Cruz can become an integrated regional service. But that is still mostly just dreams at this point. First we need to electrify to Gilroy somehow. Then we can think about these loftier plans.
@@TohaBgood2 if you wanna do that, there’s no stopping you. I’m not really into things like that, but running solely electric for the entire current Caltrain route would be such a wonder for the future. Maybe the others too what you have mentioned.
@@TohaBgood2 Electrify? Didn’t ACE already or recently acquire Siemens charger locomotives for their rail services?
Not bad! But pedestrianization is also a key importance when it comes to mobility
That means traditional small town development not more suburban development
For Caltrain electrification is great news… for high speed rail it's huge!
When perhaps will CAHSR start running on the Caltrain Corridor? Before the Pacheco Pass segment is constructed?
Keep it going! We are getting there!
Cant wait till they finish!
Thank you. THANK YOU.
I wish the Caltrain Stadler KISSes had the corner booth table that's found in the Swiss KISS trainsets. They're super fun to sit in and play cards.
Madera to Gilroy and along the Caltrain corridor needs to open at the SAME TIME as the Central Valley core.
California, Fund the Cal HSR!
So excited!!!!
Great. I support this.
Congratulations 🎉
I always want California High-Speed Rail in California and I always love California High-Speed Rail in California.😮
The federal government has to fund this project ASAP.
Glory to the state of California!
Yessss my interview made it
I visited Palo Alto in March and saw the power lines installed while the old galley cars were taking their last runs. These Stadlers are proper doubledeckers...but where are the power outlets? And wifi?
They've got them!
California leads the way as usual.
I need to come back to the bay area to ride these trains!
Amazing!!!! Keep going!!!
Absolutely Amazing!!!!!!
Super excited to see how all this will help CA. Now the west coast will have their version of the NEC, Northeast Corridor… Who knows, maybe they will start calling it the WCC, West Coast Corridor.
I sure will miss those F40s and Bi Level cars once they are gone. Hopefully a museum will get their hands on a set.
I think by 2050, the entire country could easily be connected completely.
Yay! You've done it!
I actually worked on this a little bit in Salt Lake City, where it was built by Stadler.
Hell yeah!
Cool, wish high speed rail come to Denver, it is easy to build out east across the plains, but the challenge is difficult over the Rocky Mountain west of Denver. I wonder if high-speed trains is impossible going over the Rocky Mountains.
It won’t work. Not because of the infrastructure, cost, or trains, or the topography. It might get shut down by three things. Karens, Kevins, and NIMBYS. Also, not to mention the environmental test.
Interstate 70, The Saint Gotthard Base Tunnel, and Japan having Shinkansen lines through mountain ranges, suggest that it is indeed possible
YES !!!
So what's the speeds of the caltrain?
I'm bummed out that other California commuter roads haven't also decided to electrify and buy Stadler KISSes. Nevertheless, I'm glad SOMEBODY has done so!
Many of the other California commuter services are getting Stadler trains. There's the Arrow in SoCal. ACE is also getting Stadler trains. The San Joaquins is getting Siemens Venture trains which are also very nice.
@@TohaBgood2don’t they already have Siemens charger locomotives?
@@aaronmiller5012 The Siemens locomotives are part of Caltrans's pool of available equipment they are shifter around the state as needed. It's not like they will go to waste. They're constantly expanding services and buying more Chargers.
Hopefully Caltrain will begin to recover from its approx. 50% loss in ridership before the new trains are operational 16 months from now. I wonder when electrification to Gilroy will be completed.
I gotta say, I love your almost subtle concern trolling when there's an obvious CAHSR win that you can't dismiss. I warms my heart to see you struggling to troll it. 😁
They need to make caltrain go to Hollister and even to salinas so that there not so much traffic coming into Morgan hill and South Dan jose 101 hwy 85
It's hard to fathom now, being so far into the future, but 1. We should start building south from SF to ease housing congestion... And 2. Eventually we will need an HSR spur up the East bay. and 3. That line will someday, connect the the HSR which no longer terminates in San Francisco, but continues under the bay east popping out for the trip to Sacramento along the delta.
I doubt another tunnel will ever happen. Too expensive and too little demand. There are many more important transit priorties. Rather than a one-seat dream riders will just have to make a transfer or two for such a journey.
Those trains look nice and sleek. Hope the overhead wires get put up soon, people don't like equipment owned by a government agency just hanging around and not being used!
What is the top speed? And average speed?
I believe these KISS trains do 110 mph. But they have versions that can go 125 mph in Europe. Not sure if they'll ever bring those to the US.
@@TohaBgood2 Thanks. You're correct, 110mph is all it will do. But they do get up speed and slow down quickly. This is on Wikipedia, the last part is funny: Stadler refers to the train as "KISS", an acronym for "Komfortabler Innovativer Spurtstarker S-Bahn-Zug", meaning "comfortable, innovative, sprint-capable suburban train".[6] Transitio in Sweden uses the name "DOSTO" because "kiss" means "pee" in Swedish.
@@jjxtwo1 The trains are awesome, but Stadler really needs to work on their goofy naming scheme. The single level model is called FLIRT, the bi-level is KISS. I'm afraid to think what a full-on Stadler HSR train would be called if it escalates that quickly 😁😁😁
@@TohaBgood2 Well, well, well. I see what you mean. Stadler may have found a way to make public transportation a lot more interesting to people. Maybe their trains are too fast. 🤣
@@jjxtwo1 Yeah, I guess "interesting" is a good euphemism for whatever they're doing here 😁😁😁
Still can't find a bathroom, or place to eat at most stations. Compare "The Coaster". SV Rail is a disgrace.
LETS FUCKING GOG CHSR BABY
Ready in 2223?
so the kid at 0:45 was part of history? the first ever high speed line? Not sure he's understanding what train he's sitting in, it isn't a "high speed" train.
I believe Mountain View deserves to be a HSR station.
Late 2024! The opening date keeps getting pushed back. This project keeps getting later and later.
Why isnt their just level boarding
Perhaps because the platform heights vary at different stations. Rather than spend money on platforms they apparently decided to have traiins with two different door heights to accomodate low platforms. To me the bilevel Stadler cars look odd and have a high coefficient of drag.
California might be a laughing stock right now, but it’ll set the example for the future going forward. Once CHSR along with Brightline East and West will show America that it can happen! Honolulu’s HART as well!
But people still need transportation in the local level, unless you want people to use taxi or uber around town.
In San Jose you have VTA LRT & in San Francisco you have the Muni & BART
will the high speed trains also be low floor access?
The HSR trains have level-boarding, and two of the platforms at stations they’ll be stopping at (Diridon, Millbrae and 4th and King) will need to be raised to accommodate them. 4th and King is temporary until STC is ready for trains, then all HSR trains will go there instead as will some Caltrain trains.
(Given STC is half the capacity of 4th & King, and Caltrain expects to increase service plus all the HSR trains, I’m fully confident 4th & King will remain open, with maybe just Baby Bullet trains going to STC while all others continue going to 4th & King).
That’s why the Caltrain sets have two sets of doors, one at ground level and the other at the same height the HSR trains are. Once HSR arrives and those station modifications are done, Caltrain trains stopping at those platforms will use the higher doors. That may only be for Millbrae though, as HSR trains should be the only ones using their platforms at San Jose, and maybe for 4th & King as well. HSR and Caltrain will share one of the three platforms at STC.
10.55
*Cries in Metrolink* 😭
I wish they would spend only 1 percent of this on developing Northern CA, I am talking about north of Sacramento. It’s a shame that almost 30 percent of the entire state is populated by less than 5 percent of its people. It has immense potential but totally forgotten. In this part of CA we dream of having normal freeways let alone fancy trains. You might argue not too many people live there but how can you convince people to live there if there is no proper infrastructure!
Sacramento to Redding seems like a plausible route for a hypothetical Phase Three.
Good video, but I was surprised to see the "Less Traffic" trope mentioned as one of the benefits of rail electrification. I hear this a lot in Southern California, but I thought Bay Area transit agencies are smarter than that.
Providing better transit options for people is a laudable goal. But on its own - without congestion pricing or reducing roadway capacity - it will not, and cannot, result in "less traffic" due to the law of induced demand.
Yes, as a result of this project some people who now drive will start taking the train instead. This will create excess road capacity. Do either Caltrain or CHSRA intend to recapture the newly excess road capacity by right-sizing the roads that serve as alternatives to the train route? Or perhaps charging congestion fees so that the newly increased speeds and decreased travel times on the roadways are maintained in the long run? My guess is, the answer is no. And that means new motorists will take the place of those who started taking the train, returning to the previous status quo and NOT resulting in "less traffic".
Once and for all please stop repeating the "Less Traffic" propaganda point unless you actually mean to do something about it. You can instead say "More Travel Options" or "A New Alternative to Congested Highways".
Induced demand isn't infinite, and rail is certainly capable of providing more capacity per unit of right of way width than highways.
Although long term its very unlikely that and 1 individuals project will truly reduce "traffic" for 10-20 years. But a complete system of alternatives could definitely take a lot of pressure off the roads, especially reducing the duration of rush hour congestion even if the experience of the congestion remains the same for any individual driver. (A lot of roads with "nightmarish traffic" are only actually bad during rush hour and otherwise are relatively quite)
The people who want "Less Traffic" will not ride the train.
the tuumbnail looks like a screenshot from cities:skylines
Yes of course California High-Speed Rail in California.😮
Can we take e-bikes in those cars? they are too heavy to lift.
The same as in the current cars.
Seriously?! Mixing 300 km/h intercity trains in with 45 km/h commuter services for 1¾ hrs of their journey seems like a good idea to you?
No in both ways. The first one is that the tracks are upgraded to 180 km/h (from 125 km/h) so even the high-speed trains have to drive at conventional speeds and the second one is that you used the average speed vs. the top speed of the regional trains (which too are now 180 km/h).
@@MarioFanGamer659 OK, but unless there are passing loops the intercities can go no faster than the stopping services in the Bay Area.
@@markiliff That's why Caltrain gets new passing loops in some places while quadruple tracks in other places.
@@MarioFanGamer659 Ah. I missed that
Caltrain has never run at 45km/hr. Their current speed is about 100km/hr, im not sure where youre getting your numbers from
5.39 500,000 income for every ticket machine stolen
I think y'all have speed rail will be faster than Florida's
Been in USA for 30 years, i think India will have high speed rail before we do. Sad! How slow we move.
Apparently MAHSR, as compared to the CAHSR 171 mile segment, will be twice the distance and will cost half as much in half the construction time.
@@davidjackson7281& Brightline West will open in 2028
I'm famous
Bombay
Half of Europe has electric trains since 1960s. Meanwhile America: *first highspeed train on the west coast*
Yes, we know America sucks, stop reminding us about that every ten minutes!
That's not true. France has been at it for longer than most European countries and they still run a ton of diesel service. Stop trying to lie about obvious things that can be googled in 10 seconds.
The other half had electric trains since the 1900's :D
@@RussianSevereWeatherVideos Where are you people getting this stuff from? Mass electrification of railways in Europe only started after WW2. And that includes the Soviet Union.
@@TohaBgood2 Where the frak are you getting that from?! It started with Tallin in the USSR in 1924 and expanded from there.
110 miles/h is not very high speed
How much did this whole electrification project cost? I heard the 700ish mil but no way that was all. If it was then what are we even doing lol.
Why not to have such trains in San Diego? We have so ugly trains here
europe countries first high speed train dated 1977 in Italy ....
Yeah, the US has had its first HST trains since 1969. Look up the Metroliner trains. They were replaced by the Acela in 2000.
lfg
California has a 'High Speed Rail Authority' without having any high speed rail??? It would be comical if it weren't tragic.
Profound
Funny how excited y'all get over a train model that we have had and used here in Russia for at least a decade, soon two.
Russia also bombs countries for no reason, should we do that as well?
Celebrate? What does the CHSRA have to do with the price of tea in China?
How many years behind the rest of the world on electrified commuter train lines and how many unnecessary millions of $$$ spent?
Train to nowhere
WHY?
Brainwashed
More homeless
Troll
Do they have to interview people with high, whiney, screechy voices? Geez Louise!
It makes me ashamed that the federal tax dollars are subsidizing California.
Just to set the record straight California receives less federal funding than it puts in. As a matter of fact, 85% of CAHSR funding has come from the state, the lack of federal funding partially the reason why it's taking so long.
@@adianchowdhury9016 how dare you come in here with FACTS & LOGIC! CALIFORNIA BAD!!!! GRRRRRRR TRAIN BAD ME DRIVE BIG TRUCK ME BIG MAN TAKE THAT LIBTARDS!
On top of that, California usually is a giver state i.e. collecting more tax money for the federation than receiving it back.
It's upgrading commuter rail
A correction around 2:53: I said, "I like using the bridge plate instead of the lift". Thanks for capturing my love of looking outside the window! - Aubrie
wow thank God somebody in USA had finally balls to switch over from those 50 year old trains to modern 21st century electrified transportation EMU... welcome to the present USA!