Caltrain Business Plan

[Jeff Smith]

http://www.caltrain.com/Assets/__Agenda ... tation.pdf

Too much to load up here, so download it while you can. I haven't parsed it yet; I'll leave it to my Cali experts!

[Gilbert B Norman]

What effect, if any, would electrification of the SP Peninsula Line have upon any proposed Amtrak/Caltrans into 4th St Station?

I'd think that economies would result if the Amtrak Starlight was "truncated" at Oakland and a Coach and Business Class "Coast Daylight" train LA-SF replaced such.

Those passengers desiring to have a (mostly) rail journey would use the existing San Joaquin service and connect with "The Cascade" at Martinez.

[electricron]

Why bring up Amtrak intercity rail services on a Caltrain commuter rail thread?
Does every train in America have to interconnect or interact with Amtrak?

Looking through the Caltrain business plan, I saw no mention at all of Amtrak. Surprising?

What I did see was a listing of all the improvements they are planning and are doing for increasing services. And typically, as just about all "growing" government agencies want and need all the time, they need more money - meaning they want more taxes.

Good luck, I hope they figure the money out eventually - but maybe something they should have done before spending all the money they have electrifying the line.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Ron, you have a point that I respect.

What you note did X my mind, but I reasoned that even if the train in question was Amtrak/Caltrans, it nevertheless is CaltraIN's trackage.

Of course I'm aware the Coast Starlight as it exists is solely an Amtrak train. Maybe I'm envisioning that if both endpoints -LA and SF were within California, some State agency would be compelled to participate in its funding. I also envisioned they could be rid of "Private Rooms" and Dining service.

[ExCon90]

Two thoughts (or clay pigeons?):

More space will be needed at 4th St. for Amtrak passengers who have been told to be at the station 1/2 hour before departure. Regular Caltrain passengers arrive no sooner than they have to and scarcely pause on their way from the street to their train; many Amtrak passengers are (one hopes) first-timers and will be looking for someplace to sit down while they're waiting. Amtrak could probably arrange for Caltrain personnel to act on behalf of Amtrak, but they should probably have their own people (preferably not trained at Chicago Union Station) on site to manage boarding and assistance, including baggage handling.

They should consider running the Starlight to San Jose Diridon for a timed transfer to and from the Coast Daylight for passengers wanting an all-rail journey to Los Angeles and intermediate points on the Coast Line. They might be able to arrange for mechanical and electrical maintenance at the Caltrain shops just west of San Jose -- which would be necessary for the Coast Daylight in any case -- with OBS supplies trucked from the commissary (in Oakland?) which handles the CZ and I assume also the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains.

And, just to return to the original topic, I hope Caltrain is thinking about future service from San Francisco to Monterey (at least 4 round trips throughout the day) using dual-mode locomotives, which I gather will be needed for the Gilroy service in any case.