Siemens Venture Single Level Cars for CA/IL/Midwest

Don't forget Alstom.

Obviously, the lead bearing components are coming from the People's Republic of China or some other Asian low-cost unregulated area.

I swear I heard somewhere (Likely FB) that the cars had been cleared and were due to enter service in February or March.

They popped up in this week's NEC Bulletin Order as being added to the timetable, so I'm guessing entry to service will be soon.

BandA wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:28 pm Obviously, the lead bearing components are coming from the People's Republic of China or some other Asian low-cost unregulated area.

Why do you say that? Couldn't it have just as easily come from a U.S.-based manufacturer? No evidence either way.

Because it's likely true?

The US has had strict lead standards for decades on potable fixtures and installations.

China doesn't.

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About that same time they were finding toxins in baby formula, and more recently, lead showing up in PVC piping.

Yet some people won't question buying from CRRC...

E

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I saw a briefing (http://www.highspeed-rail.org/Documents ... Update.pdf) suggesting there were welding issues on the exteriors of the cars. Given that the state procurements have "buy American" rules that the Brightline cars are not subject to, I'd think that its more likely that foreign parts would wind up in the trains that are in revenue service with Brightline than in the CA/IL/Midwest cars.

"Our trains are American-made and we're 100% Buy American-compliant." https://www.gobrightline.com/onboard-experiences

Brightline on the same page touts its "FPL clean biodiesel," which is actually a 6% - 20% blend.

It's entirely possible for suppliers to manufacture US "made" fittings using Chinese components....

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Review of San Joaquin Venture coaches: SF.Streetsblog.org

Review: Amtrak California Passengers are Starving for New Trains

New train cars started rolling on Amtrak's San Joaquin, the state-supported service that connects Oakland and the Central Valley, just before the Christmas break. Unfortunately, Amtrak passengers on these cars discovered they had nothing to eat.
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I took a ride on the 7:36 a.m. train, and got off at Martinez at 8:25, just to try them out. Compared to the bi-levels they are replacing, they are more brightly lit, with high ceilings. There are nice, wide passageways between the cars. They're also quieter, with a smoother ride. And there are easily accessible AC and USB plugs between every seat.

There are bike racks at the ends of every car. They're supposed to hold three bikes each, but I doubt they really could, as the space between the hooks doesn't seem sufficient. Moreover, my bike fell out when the train stopped. The racks on the older trains have a retractable arm with a bracket you can Velcro to your pedal cranks to keep your bike steady. The new racks really need a strap to keep bikes from swaying and swinging into each other and out of the hook.

The new seats are firm and comfortable, but bizarrely narrow. I didn't have anyone sitting next to me, by if I centered my body in the seat my shoulder was partially in the seat next to me. There's also only a single, narrow arm rest between the seats. When the train is packed (and I ride them enough to know they do get packed, especially on weekends and around the holidays), medium-to-large people will literally be rubbing shoulders.
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Well, the cafe car of course. Which brings us back to the food issue: there is no cafe car.
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Please don't hold me to this, but yesterday, I got a glimpse of 380(3) on the 3 track obscured by a WB MTY Coal on the #2 (as well as a Samoyed saying to me "you're supposed to hug and love me, and not look at those trains").

I think all the cars had the same height, suggesting that the Food Service car is now in service or Illinois is "pulling a California" as noted immediately by Sgt. Smith.

I read that same review this past weekend. The narrow seats do sound a bit problematic to me.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 10:22 am I read that same review this past weekend. The narrow seats do sound a bit problematic to me.

The seats are narrower for a reason, to make the center aisle wide enough for most wheelchairs or who otherwise require better accessibility access. You can not do both, wider aisles and wider seats, with a specification wide train body that fits within existing station platforms.
As for the food/cafe arrangement, talk with your local board of directors who approved the design of these trains for their specific state subsidized trains. Personally, if all you will get is cold food, using vending machines like NCDOT Piedmont trains does this most efficiently and at the lowest costs to you the consumer.

Devils advocate -- why should trains have food service when no other form of publicly subsidized transport does?

It's not like the time in transit is a surprise. Be prepared.