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Here are various pictures from the Caltrain website of the new electric trainsets for the San Jose to San Francisco commuter line. https://calmod.org/gallery/all-photos/ None of the pictures are on Caltrain's tracks. I am guessing most are in Pueblo. Caltrain electrification courtesy of the High Speed Rail. One of the statements somewhere in this is "97% reduction in air pollution" Guess that means they are ignoring any pollution produced in the production of the electricity because that happens outside the Bay Area.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Should Cal Trans, likely using their Surfliner brand, choose to start a "Coast Daylight" LA-SF service (presumably replacing the Starlight), will their equipment still be able to access 3rd & Townsend?
George Harris Member # 2077
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Good question. Not quite sure how this is going to play out. There is a certain amount of freight on the peninsula line now, so whatever is done must clear AAR freight cars. The northernmost end of freight operation is south of Third and Townsend, but not by much. Therefore, it is probable that Superliners can get to 3rd & Townsend. What happens with the whole picture of freight on the Peninsula is not clear, based on what the HSR equipment will be amongst other things.
Currently the plan is to have the HSR station up close to Market St. with a tunnel at about a 25 mph alignment between there and Third and Townsend. The nature of the HSR equipment is currently up in the air. I somehow have great faith in the ability of California to make a bad decision in this regard as they have (at least in my opinion) in many other areas. IF, and that is a big IF, the HSR uses Shinkansen equipment, those cars are wide enough that a platform set to US ADA offsets will be clear of a standard US freight car. These are nice single level cars that can load and unload quickly. If European, Nope. Then you get into narrower vehicles and for the most part bi-level and a lower platform. A platform meeting ADA for those will not clear the bottom corner of the AAR equipment diagram.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Interesting point, Mr. Harris.
So apparently any passenger train using existing bi-level cars still will be able tp access 3rd & Townsend Station after the transition is complete.
I still think that savings could result for Amtrak or whoever if the Starlight were cut to OAK-SEA replaced with an SFO-LAX Coach only daylight train, with connecting experiential passengers overnighting and the others using the San Joaquin rail-bus service through MTZ
irishchieftain Member # 1473
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quote:Introducing the latest member of the Caltrain family, or should we say fleet, an AEM7! The AEM7 will help us test the new electric system in preparation for the new EMUs!
Enthusiastic tweet from Caltrain announcing the repaint and refurbishment (I presume) of former Amtrak AEM-7 #938.
To my mind, it seems that it would have saved the public more money to have replaced the F40PHs with something like the ACS-64 hauling the gallery cars and BBD cars, without being a lesser improvement on average speed.
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