America Is Finally Getting Some Good Transit - Caltrain’s Game-Changing New EMUs

[@mrxman581]

This is the first real transit benefit from investing in the CAHSR project. The CAHSR paid about 2/3 of the cost for the electrification of this line. California is leading the way for the rest of the USA once again. Thanks for the cool video.

[@louiszhang3050]

California may be good at getting new shiny things, but not so much at ridership. BART and Caltrain have been absolute ridership failures since COVID. And the rest of California is... not so great. California has a long way to go before they can even touch the Northeast. Regardless, I am happy for Caltrain's electrification. Now if Philly can have 30 minute frequencies...

[@lalakerspro]

@@louiszhang3050 caltrain and bart are getting much higher frequencies. now. The northeast uses old outdated deisels from the 70's. The northeast should look to CA to improve, not the other way around

[@renegadetenor]

California sucks. Denver sucks. Blue states suck. Bye, now...

[@SettledBatches]

Leading the way in lefty twits like you enjoying a fantasy life. You are the reason CA now sucks.

[@TohaBgood2]

@@louiszhang3050 Both Bart and Caltrain are primarily tech commuter services. And tech decided to just continue to work from home indefinitely, unlike other industries. Pre-pandemic Bart and Caltrain had 2-3x higher ridership. As tech gradually returns to office Bart and Caltrain ridership is rising back to their former levels. The relationship between return to office mandates in tech and Bay Area commuter rail ridership is basically linear. The more tech companies announce "return to office" the higher the ridership of Bart and Caltrain climbs. This is a temporary situation. Bart has been breaking post-pandemic ridership records every week for a couple of months now. What are you going to say when both Bart and Caltrain are back at their pre-pandemic ridership levels in a year or two?

[@arandomuser101]

This is the step in the right direction. No hydrogen or battery locomotives bs, just good old electrification

[@tomasdionnet812]

Amen

[@ryancolburn9654]

They are buying one battery train-set to trial on service to Gilroy

[@tomasdionnet812]

@@ryancolburn9654 well there goes my faith in american railroads. Is not that i have any to begin with

[@ryancolburn9654]

@@tomasdionnet812 the line to Gilroy will be electrified and have tracks added when California HSR connects to the bay, so it is just a temporary measure. The Battery Trains could still be useful on connecting branch line services, like to Salinas

[@JimBones1990]

@@ryancolburn9654 Or Hollister.

[@AlexanderSkinnerVids]

I was there for the last run of the legacy fleet. Sad to see them go, but I’m so excited to have the new trains and schedule!

[@Whistvomithasreturned]

Me too. Every half month or so me and my friends take the caltrain up to the city. The old ones were good, but honestly some of the older pre 2010 ones needed replacing.

[@polishstick0609]

​@@Whistvomithasreturned So what? The locomotive hauled stock wasn't reliable enough, so they decided to get their network electrified and get those EMUs for fuck's sake.

[@quarterburnt]

After decades of commuting with Chicago Metra, the thing that sticks out most is how quiet and how spacious the train is. Amazing!

[@1AngryPanda]

Its a nice train, im familiar with it. But the US version has some regulatory features who significant drop the expierence to use it. Compared to the EU version for example. Inside the train you get step by step instructions when the door close ect. In EU it makes a beep noise, thats it. When the train arrives it have the grand entry with bells and horn to make really everybody aware there is a train comming, in EU the train will use its horn if needed. What means 90% of the trains dont use it while arrive at a station. I know this are all regulatory must haves, but if the US really wants to make trains big again for commuter services, you have to get rid of atleasof the bells & horns at station entry, nobody wants to have that kind of noise next to the home or workplace every 5-15min. 😅

[@RasiAdventures]

As a European (Austrian), it is a great joy to see that a train built by Stadler is taking the Californian railway to the next level. Congratulations to those responsible for this decision.

[@MostHigh777]

If we could only get Europe to spend enough money on defense then we would really be getting somewhere.

[@leftbas65]

@@MostHigh777 seriously? What the hell is wrong with you. Take this crap elsewhere.

[@markusstudeli2997]

@@MostHigh777 Instead of the whole world spending more on defense, how about investing more in education and infrastructure, like this railroad electrification. It might make the world a better place to live in for all of us.

[@MostHigh777]

@@markusstudeli2997 incidentally I'm reporting you to KZbin for immediately removing comments you don't like. This is typical for an Austrian in that your intellectually shallow and cowardly. Did your army ever really win any War?

[@MostHigh777]

@@markusstudeli2997 Run that sterling idea by Vladimir Putin.

[@chrisbillington3341]

Saying "Hi!" from Sam Mateo County! Have been looking forward to seeing these beautiful vehicles and passenger cars for quite a while, and given how long it takes for any forward looking projects to actually happen, that means waiting for years. No more of the clanging, hooting, stinking diesel behemoths. Thank you for covering this event.

[@rodrigoalvesdepaula5262]

Former Amtrak's AEM-7 were used for electrification tests before arrival of Stadler EMU'sm

[@darryldworak6356]

They should use them to run with the Bombardiers in case of a break down, if there’s an issue with a KISS set the whole set is out of service

[@brentfoster9138]

@@darryldworak6356They might, but don’t they just have the one?

[@darryldworak6356]

@@brentfoster9138 it looked like 2 on this video but I could be mistaken if not they could buy an ACS-64 from Amtrak when they go to replace them soon. Just feels like it would make sense to keep some non kiss sets around in case of a bad day

[@sgt.eclair]

@@darryldworak6356 wonder if ACS-64s being Siemens would get in the way of that. anyone know if they signed for exclusivity with Stadler?

[@brentfoster9138]

@@darryldworak6356I’m sure if the need was there Caltrain could dig deep and tack on to an order of whatever Amtrak would be buying new. Ontario Northland Railway where I live is doing the same by piggybacking 3 extra trains on Via Rail’s Siemens order.

[@SkystopVlog]

Thank you for riding!! What a great video. We at Caltrain appreciate it.

[@goldenstateaviation2861]

Welcome back to the bay! Glad these units are finally in full service and I cant wait for the rail expansions in the Sac valley

[@gb9727]

i hope this is a sign of things to come

[@flinch622]

Bankruptcy?

[@leftbas65]

​@@flinch622What??

[@gb9727]

@@leftbas65 More Comrails going Stadler

[@RegiRaidillonVT]

Stadler and Siemens seem to be slowly taking the states over, so yeah... it is indeed. They know how to make trains. It's gonna be amazing, you'll love it.

[@TohaBgood2]

@@leftbas65 The right winger is hoping that our transit systems will go bankrupt. They always do.

[@kevinlloyd1088]

Nicely done! The rails have seen it all over the last 146 years: steam, diesel electric, and now full electric. It makes me proud to be a Peninsula native!

[@Be_a_Pineapple]

Next up HSR

[@neutrino78x]

@@Be_a_Pineapple Nah. We don't have the population density to justify it. I proudly voted no on Prop 1A in 2008 here in California. The HSR project has been a disaster. I am a lifelong centrist democrat and will vote for Harris in November.

[@lalakerspro]

@@neutrino78x california has 35 million people dude. And if you look at the highways between LA and bay area you would see why HSR is needed

[@neutrino78x]

@@lalakerspro "And if you look at the highways between LA and bay area you would see why HSR is needed " No you wouldn't, because all the traffic is WITHIN the Bay Area and WITHIN Los Angeles/San Diego. I-5 BETWEEN the two is pretty much always green on the traffic map. During rush hour, Los Angeles will be a big glob of red, and the Bay Area is three globs of red......but in between is green. Nobody commutes all the way from the Bay Area to LA, because that's 380 miles. That's not a daily commute. Especially not now, in the era when all the white collar workers are working from home for at least two weekdays every week. I wouldn't say there is zero demand for high speed travel between the two areas, because I am among those who go regularly. But our group needs SPEED, and is unimpressed by something that struggles to go three times slower than an airplane. Come on now. At best this would take some ground vehicle traffic. It doesn't compete with flying at all. Which is why 100 billion dollars is RIDICULOUS. They should get 100% of what we gave them with Prop 1A in 2008, but that's it. The project needs to revise their plans so that will be enough. I don't mind giving them some excess from Cap and Trade. But 100 billion, no. Just no. They have to work out a way that they can finish the IOS and dig the tunnel through the mountain to connect to Palmdale using the funds they have been given. That's why the Governor ALREADY MADE THE DECISION that there shall be no more construction beyond the Initial Operating Segment.

[@lalakerspro]

@@neutrino78x how long does it take you to get down i5? 5 hours? this would take 2.5. And sure you can go 80 mph until you reach Bakersfield then ur in traffic, and driving i5 is boring as hell, ive done it

[@noremfor]

Some of the cleanest and quietest trains ive ever ridden. I must say, they did an excellent job with them.

[@LWJCarroll]

Great to see California and Florida modernising its electric train systems! Laurie. NZ. 😊

[@kirkrotger9208]

Florida doesn't have any electrified railroads.

[@TohaBgood2]

Does Florida have any electric rail? I don't think they do. Everything is diesel down there.

[@ortegaperu8510]

Now let's have these in every american and Canadian City!

[@Cats01-g1y]

NO!!!!! Let's not, UNLESS users are willing to foot the entire bill.

[@ortegaperu8510]

@@Cats01-g1y Yes trains are awesome!

[@maxmusterkann6057]

@@Cats01-g1y Like car users are with their roads? ffs

[@planefan082]

Fucking finally. Please. Not having it is the worst part of living in North America.

[@planefan082]

​@@Cats01-g1yYou know moving people around with these is far cheaper than the equivalent roadway capacity?

[@dennisud]

Glad you're back on this side of the pond! I like what Caltrain is handling this new era on the west coast. Now we see Justin doing it. Still a great video! And, you HAVE to visit back yourself sometime soon! 😉 I hope this technology will make its way to Florida and all their commuter trains! So, how come a state known for earthquakes, can they electrify a train line and NOT in Florida? And hurricanes can do as much damage as an earthquake!

[@chickenitsa]

California resident of France here: YAY California! Please give the example to the rest of the U..S. (π) ... After having ridden trains here for over 30 years I can tell you with 1000% certainty that train travel beats all the other options, hands down. The great "horizontal elevator": You step on, enjoy the ride, arrive, and step off (in the City Centr without additional "transfers"!). During the trip, you can walk around, pee-pee, have a coffee at will (compare *that* to a plane or a bus!) •••• (π)Lastly, it has seemed pretty obvious to me for years that an extensive train network in the U.S. is the missing solution to *several* issues at once... but I'll keep this short in just repeating my "bravo"!

[@marcelmoulin3335]

Vous avez raison! Peut-être que les Américains feront de grands efforts maintenant pour améliorer leur transport public.

[@flinch622]

Does France have metheads camped out near public transport too?

[@chickenitsa]

@@flinch622 No. I don't believe that meth addiction is a particularly a big problem here, at least not to the same extent as in the U.S. Anyway, France -as in many European countries - has extensive social care programs and a different public attitude that seems to deal very well in that domain.

[@chickenitsa]

@@marcelmoulin3335 Espérons-le. A mon avis, c'est une idée gagnant-gagnant, quel que soit le camp politique ou le niveau social et économique. Je crois que ce mouvement a historiquement été freiné par les industries de l'automobile, de l'essence et des pneus [

[@marcelmoulin3335]

@@chickenitsa Je vous remercie de votre réponse excellente! Vous avez raison.

[@erzsebetnilsson580]

Congrat's to you all ! Hope you will enjoy it as we enjoyed it and use it too. regards from Europe ' Better late than never...! '

[@beatrueegg2722]

i would like to see an interview with one or more locomotive drivers and hear how they have experienced the change and how their workplace has changed

[@LisaMarli]

Well as someone who lives in San Jose and occasionally goes up to The City, I'm not sad to see the old trains go. The new trains look lovely, and I look forward to riding them.

[@jasonhowell7763]

I got to ride one of these a couple weeks ago. They haul ass! Felt like being on a light rail or heavy rapid transit train, but its a huge double decker. They just fly out of the stations.

[@DDELE7]

Congratulations to Caltrains and ESPECIALLY to Stadler. This project will put them on the map here in North America. They’re gonna give Kawasaki, Siemens and Alstom a run for their money.

[@smileyeagle1021]

We can hope. Maybe with Stadler shaking things up, we'll see the other three forced to improve their products to (or failing that, drop their prices to be competitive making rail viable in more areas). It would also be great to see some of the European bus manufacturers set up shop over here to shape up our miserable bus industry (where the only real new entry to the market in a decade was Proterra and that was an absolutely unmitigated disaster, my sincerest condolences to anyone who is stuck using a Proterra for their commute).

[@OliversElevators]

@@smileyeagle1021luckily European bus manufacturer Solaris has recently entered the North American bus market with an adapted version of their Urbino battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell buses called the NAE40. Their first (and as far as I know, only) order so far was for 5 pilot buses for the MTA in NYC. If Solaris’ nicer buses do well, it’ll give New Flyer and Gillig a run for their money for sure, and hopefully the result will be nicer buses from all manufacturers at lower prices, across the continent.

[@3gunslingers]

@@smileyeagle1021 _"Maybe with Stadler shaking things up, we'll see the other three forced to improve their products to (or failing that, drop their prices to be competitive making rail viable in more areas)."_ Given how badly those companies are currently losing to Stadler in Europe, this might take a while... But I´m sure Stadler is more than willing to fill the gap.

[@Letsgobyland]

yeah hope america will get more and more trains!

[@lalakerspro]

we have more trains than anywhere else, they are just freight instead

[@mif4731]

@@lalakerspro well technically km of rail per square km in us in not the biggest.

[@VieleGuteFahrer]

@@mif4731 Neither are they in India, Canada, Australia, China, Finland, and Russia? The smaller the country is, the better it ranks in that category. Monaco ranks very well in that category and it only has one intermediate passenger rail stop on the edge of the city that‘s operated by a foreign rail company.

[@SubCapt]

As one of the millions of Europeans riding Stadler KISS trains to work every day of the week, I find it very interesting to see how they were modified for US commuter services... it's a bit uncanny, very familiar but not so much...

[@modellbahn9447]

They look uncanny because of their Strcture Gauge. While european trains get narrower to the top, they have vertical sidewalls. Thats why they have so much space in the upper level.

[@magnificus8581]

Oh I hope you come to So Cal, I'll wave hello!

[@angusbeef9200]

Reminds me of trains in sydney (double decker EMUs) american trains have really strange platforms. Theyre so low! Hello from Australia 🇦🇺

[@legopoliceman]

And during the first day of paid service, Monday, someone shorted out a line and the trains were delayed for over an hour in both directions. Everything was in disarray in San Jose with some subsequent mechanical issues and passengers running from platform to platform as Caltrain staff didn't know which train would leave for San Francisco next. In San Francisco, hundreds of people were packed into the station waiting to see when they could go home. Electrification is a great change for Caltrain, they just need to update their operational playbook now.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Can't wait to try these trains when I visit the area in November!

[@BayArearailphotos]

I Saw my Self!!!!! I was Helping out with media yesterday!!

[@chrisbillington3341]

Very very exciting! 👍🏻👍🏻👏👏

[@chrismcdonnell1695]

Great coverage of this event. Thank you. Interesting to note that many cities around the world have had metro and inner rural electrified trains for about 100 years. So good to see that USA railways are slowly coming out of the dark diesel ages.

[@lalakerspro]

The US also has had electrification for a long time now. And all our metros and light rails are electrified.

[@rajun1231]

This is what Amtrak should aspire to -brightly colored modern cars with interiors that look inviting and comfortable. And I bet Caltrain's restrooms are clean.

[@hirampriggott1689]

I'm digging the tables.

[@scottyerkes1867]

San Francisco finally electrified their busy commuter corridor to San Jose/Diridon. No more diesel exhaust, faster acceleration and quieter. Thanks Justin for filming. Thanks Thibault for the review😀👍👌

[@BigBlueMan118]

Dunno If it IS quieter as a passenger actually, because the old service was loco-hauled

[@OOFUS4103]

@@BigBlueMan118dude, it’s WAY quieter

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@OOFUS4103 not what I heard in the cabins, also the beeping for the doors closing ist vulgar

[@z00h]

@@OOFUS4103 it is really quiet... if you ignore the high pitched racket that is clearly audible in this video in all coaches except two.

[@stevens1041]

@@BigBlueMan118 Its significantly quieter when you're standing on the rail platforms and one of these things passes by at full speed, compared with the rumbling of the outgoing models. Anyone would notice that used these.

[@custardo]

Apart from the bells, they're great!

[@icenijohn2]

I've never understood the american obsession with train bells. Would americans swarm out onto the tracks when a train approaches (sort of like corpulent lemmings) if there were no bells? Other countries don't have bells on trains, yet I haven't noticed mass die-offs whenever trains approach stations there. Weird.

[@alang5764]

@@icenijohn2 Considering the frequency which Amtrak, Brightline and freight trains hit cars and trucks driven onto tracks it seems even loud annoying bells aren't enough of a hint of an approaching train for some Americans.

[@ArtyI]

Damn, this is the first E-bell that I don’t loathe the sound of! Well done Cali!

[@Caltrain-kj4rx]

I was there that same day but I took a train two hours after yours to San Jose 👍

[@jack615]

Boston and MBTA could do this too if they go with their plan to electrify more lines

[@tonythat_tiger]

Beautifully presented!! ❤

[@hbruins85]

I am from Japan and have worked for three companies HQed in the South Bay. Caltrain was my favorite way of getting around the Valley, and I am so happy to see the phenomenal improvement. Makes me want to go back for a visit - if not for the dirt cheap yen 😅

[@HayleyKiyokoLineBMT]

So quiet for new electrical trains. Well done!

[@petrfedor1851]

Like how some cars have dedicated spaces for bikes, not seen often it this scale

[@lesajohnson8409]

I like this train

[@NassauandSuffolkCountyRailfan]

The New Generation of Caltrain is finally here...

[@davideddy5877]

At last, trains which look as if they were designed by one person instead of half a dozen people at different times. A coherent design.

[@parthasur6018]

Not surprising, what else did you expect from the Swiss?

[@bbpete8349]

I join you in hoping other states "get on board"!!! I am going to start planning to ride this train! (First, I've got to get to SF).

[@osmanhossain676]

I will ride electric Caltrain to the CHASE CENTER next year with Tayjas Surey.

[@baurdavid6924]

12:45 Typical sound of the drive of Stadler trains!😎

[@ivaaan_]

The US MUST get its passenger railroads back, at least with major trains serving between nearby major cities. It is almost a moral obligation to honor all those old railroads (and their staff) that helped make the country the most important in the world.

[@williamduke1756]

Especially since the notion of America being "too big" for trains is ridiculous given that most American live in densely populated metropolitan areas. There is only one single reason that rail service is so bad in America, and it's corruption.

[@lalakerspro]

@@williamduke1756 Many americans live in completely rural remote areas. Dont speak on something you have no idea on

[@williamduke1756]

​@@lalakersproMany Americans are also over 70 years old. Or severely underweight. Or multi millionaires. Doesn't change the fact that most aren't. I can't believe that I have to explain such a basic concept to an adult.

[@lalakerspro]

@williamduke1756 america is bigger than europe area wise and has half the people. Many areas are not dense, we have good trains in dense areas like nyc and sf

[@williamduke1756]

@@lalakerspro Most commuter rail services in America are dogshit. Overpriced, old, dirty, unreliable and mostly not even electrified. Long-distance rail service is even worse (look at Amtrak reviews). I've traveled third world countries that had cleaner, more modern and more efficient rail service than America. And again, the "America is big" argument is a bad one. 80% of the country mass is just desert. There is a reason we call it "flyover country". It's a shame because the potential is huge, but corrupt politicians keep taking bribes from the automobile lobby and throw more and more and more taxpayer money into building 10 lane freeways.

[@mengwang1755]

Thank you so much this is a great video

[@Unioncentrals1]

The new trains are perfect (the horn not my best) but I heard the Caltrain is still running their baby bullet service with the mo36ph-3c

[@lalakerspro]

no, thats only between gilroy and sj

[@LucilleCarmichaelPDX]

I commuted (with my bike) for several years from SF to Mountain View on those MISERABLE gallery cars. Sooooooo glad to see them FINALLY replaced. Good by, Diesel!! *waves happily to them receding into the distance* The "only one toilet" thing though.....

[@mwiz100]

IMO the biggest issue with these now is a lot of the crossing areas - my friend lives right by one of the stations and while the new trains are SO quiet and awesome the horns are louder than the old ones and they BLAST it always when approaching, pass, and leaving the station. I think this is the next major factor to getting more buy-in on trains is having more quiet crossings especially around transit oriented development.

[@Tripreporternet]

Hoi, Thibault and congrats to „Best Mobility Channel" awarded just today at InnoTrans2024 Berlin. Following you´re channel, also my biz, but mainly plane travel for PRM people.

[@Rebelnightwolfe]

This is commuter rail done right. If only commuter rail in my region wasn't at the mercy of sharing tracks with Amtrak, CSX and Norfolk Southern.

[@lalakerspro]

VRE? Caltrain also shares tracks with Union pacific, but they only run small trains 2-3 times per day, and caltrain gets priority.

[@theflyingduckman3608]

I wouldn’t say they are “perfect.” While the trains themselves are awesome, I felt the seats were uncomfortable. Fine for a short trip, but traveling end to end, you definitely start to feel it.

[@michaelb4047]

Thank you for this great video. Stadler and Siemens could in fact achieve what Kawasaki, Hitachi and co. have never achieved. Revolutionise US public transport. And thus bring more reliability and comfort in the long term. We finally need a railway revolution in the USA. Greetings from Germany and I am curious to see when my employer will adapt the Desiro in the USA.

[@Josheron99]

I think is the best time for me to get my visa some use, Brightline and now this are getting very interesting for me to visit America.

[@lalakerspro]

wait 4-5 years until brightline west is built

[@4AMO4]

It would be cool if they put shells of the old train cars at each express station. Or at least one if SF and SJ.

[@Tumleren]

That electrical buzz being audible everywhere in the train would be maddening to me

[@matematika1000]

We have Stadler Kiss in Serbia and they're very awesome trains!

[@lalakerspro]

Passenger trains are improving in the US, now Europe needs to improve its archaic freight network

[@AL5520]

First of al, Europe is doing a lot to improve rail transport with it's corridors plan that is advancing in multiple countries. Apart from that freight is not as heavily used in the US as you might think. They do use it more than Europe but the difference is just a few percent more and in both the main land transit mode is by trucks. Europe, however transport more by waterways. There is definitely a need to increase rail freight usage everywhere in anyway possible, preferably electrified.

[@lalakerspro]

@@AL5520 Europe cant even run doublestack trains, which the US has been doing since the 1970's Literally 60 years behind

[@AL5520]

@@lalakerspro double stacking is not such an innovation as you claim and the ability to do it depends on clearance, which is why it's not possible to do in Europe, at least not with a standard container (there are new adapted containers that allow it). Double stacking does increase capacity but not in a way that requires changing the whole infrastructure but, on the other hand, the European rail system allows for higher speeds which van make up for that. In any case, the double stacking or not the total usage of freight in Europe is not as lo as people think and the ongoing huge investment plan on rail infrastructure is changing this, Add to that higher safety, higher infrastructure quality, and high electrification levels and you get a far better system. In the mean time, this double stacking thing is one of the reasons used to prevent any advancement in rail travel in the US by the freight companies.

[@Sam-w5v]

​@@AL5520Europe's a broad term. Maybe rail is great in france, but its terrible in places like Romania, Ukraine, and Russia etc.

[@AL5520]

@@Sam-w5v Europe is a pretty clear term. Of course, not every place in Europe has the same size and quality of rail network but that's also true in the US. That said, apart from a few small countries like Cyprus. Malta and Iceland (all islands) and two of the micro countries (Andorra and San Marino) all other countries have good rail infrastructure, including the ones you've mentioned. Russia has a big network, most of it in the European sections, and it's a pretty good one. Ukraine also have an pretty extensive network that is not the greatest but works well with large usage of freight (more than the US) and, before the war, ~500 million passengers a year. Romania is more problematic but they still have a more than decent rail services and there are some improvements with with the new private operators. All those countries provides better passenger service than the US and have large electrified sections. Russia also has high speed rail. As for good/great, that includes most of the continent and in most places there is also are also good local transit systems.

[@snuffsonic23]

man this version of stadler kiss is LARGE 🦅🦅

[@th3p4triotic]

California is starting to remind me of Europe

[@ziqi92]

We've still got a long way to go before we reach EU levels of public transit though. Traveling within a city still has to be done by car.

[@th3p4triotic]

@ziqi92 Yeah, it was just the train station and the train's interior that looked familiar. You guys got 8 highways stacked on top of each other, can't imagine a locomotive replacing that.

[@smileyeagle1021]

10:30 that window was so clean that I genuinely thought that you were outside the train.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Nice to see Stadler setting foot on America. The trains look oddly familiar to the ones here in Switzerland especially the layout of the floors and stairs, but there are differences, like no level boarding and different hardware inside. Hopefully the tracks will get the same attention as the trains, as the service expands into more regions. At times in the video I heard the rhythmic clacking of the track seams and felt like I was set 20 or 30 years back.

[@gdrriley420]

Caltrain has 23 7 trains coming and 1 "4" car battery KISS which only has 3 cars for passengers. They might still have options to move to 24 8 car sets. Caltrain is keeping 9 diesel engines and the 41 octogons. 920-928 have been rebuilt in the past 5 years so they'll be good for another 10-15 years. Right now they need 4 sets to run their peak 4RT along with 1-2 spares for upkeep. Service is looking to be extended to Salinas with 2 peak RT near term. The word is the 1 AEM-7 that was fixed up got killed at some point. Someone will buy the gallery cars, thankfully Metra doesn't want them. There has been rumors metrolink might want them for the 2028 games to add capacity before disposing of them.

[@s125ish]

What are the electric locomotives for at Caltrain?

[@gdrriley420]

@@s125ish there are 2 AEM-7C. 1 was to be used for testing the other spare parts. They killed the testing one

[@patrickscott838]

Way better then the MBTA in Boston clapped out trains! Commuter rail that is!

[@FalconsEye58094]

I'd give anything to have these in NY. On the LIRR or Metro North

[@MrJimheeren]

C’mon Dovetail. Time to remaster this route for TSW5. I want to drive around with these beauties

[@unreliablenarrator6649]

A big improvement and probably the best choice for this line. Perfect? No. Very good? Yes.

[@lalakerspro]

no train line is perfect, i agree

[@hans-jorg-io1is]

As I see with pleasure you also like trains from Switzerland 🇨🇭. Imagine in Switzerland 🇨🇭 and in other european countries there really run a lot of this trains day by day. Greetings from good old Europe! 👍

[@lalakerspro]

These trains seats suck. American seats seemed more comfortable

[@hans-jorg-io1is]

@@lalakerspro But these are not the same seats like in Switzerland 🇨🇭 or other european countries. 😂👍

[@lalakerspro]

@@hans-jorg-io1is They are. Someone from the netherlands said their stadler trains have the same seats. The old seats were much better even though the train itself is better

[@TohaBgood2]

@@hans-jorg-io1is Unfortunately, they are the same seats and they do not measure up to regular American rail seats. In the US, the train seat standard is just a lot higher than in Europe. Amtrak was desperately trying to compete with the airlines in the 70s-80s and they got insanely comfortable seats to get an edge over air travel. So now rail passengers in the US expect a lot more from train seats than in other countries. Amtrak coach seats on regular daytime intercity trains (short and medium distance) are now expected to be better than business class seats on planes! It's a weird quirk of American rail travel - the seats are wildly comfortable.

[@kornelkokai6519]

​@@lalakerspro the seats are choosen from the operating company. So it is not Stadler's fault if the seats are not the best one.

[@barbarakilpatrick3859]

The Alamo is Medicare Hayward Park Caltrain😷⭐️

[@williamduke1756]

Quite surreal to see Swiss trains in America. It's like seeing a giant Amtrak monstrosity riding in the middle of Europe.

[@TohaBgood2]

In all fairness, Amtrak is switching its entire fleet to essentially the same Siemens trains that OBB is using on Railjet (Vectron/Charger + Viaggio/Venture cars), the Acela is getting new Alstom TGV-M/Avelia trains, and a bunch of commuter services are getting Stadler KISS/FLIRT trains (Arrow, ACE, etc.) So there is a lot of rail modernization going on in the US right now. In about 10 years many rail services will have state of the art world class trains.

[@williamduke1756]

@@TohaBgood2 That's awesome. Definitely late to the game but great nonetheless.

[@3gunslingers]

_"It's like seeing a giant Amtrak monstrosity riding in the middle of Europe."_ To be fair, as a development engineer for trains I would LOVE to work with the north american loading gauges. So much space to play with!

[@MarioFanGamer659]

@@TohaBgood2 *ÖBB. SBB are the swiss railways, ÖBB are the austrian ones.

[@TohaBgood2]

@@MarioFanGamer659 You're right. Corrected.

[@daciatravel.647]

Very good video!

[@Victor-yj1gt]

What I liked is that it has a plug to charge the cell phone.

[@SarahRenz59]

I always enjoy seeing nice shiny new trains, though I do wonder how well those white interiors will hold up over time. I don't get the intense hate for the gallery cars, but I'm a lifelong resident of Chicagoland and those are my "normal." I'm not sure when/how Metra will be able to go electric as they run a lot of trains on freight lines and it's hard to get cooperation from the freight rail companies.

[@albertcarello619]

The bell reminds me of Interurbans past.

[@Happymali10]

It's interesting that they use those "grab and pull" emergency exists, when most (all?) trains like that "back home" have the breakaway windows where you grab a pointy little hammer from the wall and just shatter selected windows.

[@OOFUS4103]

Don’t want shards puncturing your face

[@txquartz]

Have you seen american teenagers?

[@HenryMulder53]

Congratulations on your award from Innotrans. Why are those Americans still using that bellsound and that horn?

[@lalakerspro]

regulations. Why do europeans get annoyed by every little thing?

[@HenryMulder53]

@@lalakersproSorry, it was only a question, no annoying here.

[@mikemainer3009]

Completely agree with you on the gallery cars. Now if we can get the other skinflint commuter rail companies around the U.S, to get on board we might have a chance to inch our abysmal rail service in the United States to the 1990s.

[@DieJagdente]

Siemens Flirt 3 thats nice!

[@lexburen5932]

Stadler*

[@Silvercat2343]

FINALLY!

[@hypatiatv421]

Hey SIMPLE. Hello from SERBIA. In Serbia very soon should be opened high spedd railway BELGRADE-BUDAPEST. 5 new chinese CRCC trains should operate + 3 to 5 STADLER KISS trains. U are WELCOME.

[@GEP43DC]

Caltrain bought the AEM-7's to test the electrification while it was being implemented just to see how it did. there plenty of videos on it with the AEM-7 being tested on the Electrified Line of Cal-Train

[@gaborbakos7058]

It's strange to see this. These Stadler Kiss trains have run here in Hungary for years despite Hungary is a poor country. But here the seat covers are not plastic but nice fabric. :)

[@stevenmontoya9950]

The new Stadler KISSes are truly going to be a game changer for CalTrain! Def I'll be excited when Stadler sends their hydrogen trainset for Arrow down in SoCal and eventually for Amtrak California service.

[@Victor-yj1gt]

I liked the bathroom, the Mexico-Toluca intercity train does not have a bathroom at the stations either, I think it's ridiculous that they don't have a bathroom.

[@Victor-yj1gt]

This is what the Mexico-Toluca interurban train needed, a carriage exclusively for bicycles, but it is prohibited here.

[@Macintoshiba]

Ive got to say, hearing a stadler train do bell sounds is quite unusual.

[@SimplyRailway]

Indeed!

[@rogeriomonteiro760]

Now it is time to cross the golden gate by train.

[@AntenneQC]

Ça va prendre un nouveau pont... ou un tunnel peut-être. Vers la nouvelle gare de Sausalito.

[@the_mcmartin]

Looks a lot like the CityJet trains of ÖBB in Austria. Is it built by Siemens?

[@kevinb8881]

Caltrain commuter rail, it's ELECTRIC, 25kV 60Hz on constant tension catenary, WOOOOOO!!!🚉⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡💯

[@EpicThe112]

Bring it on and by the way there is a concept art for the battery electric version of the train because Boston and San Francisco will order them at the same time yet one of them has the both door operation enabled Boston MBTA. In Europe Northeastern United States it has to be Shrunk down from the SF Caltrain version. Since you are from France I wonder if there are manufacturers over there that can rival this one made in Switzerland shell although finished inside Salt Lake City Utah. 5:11 really needed and much better than USB

[@tdb7992]

It's always a little bit 'shocking' when the USA gets public transport right. You can't help but be really happy for the Americans - they are often a bit of a punching bag when it comes to PT discussions (often unfairly so).

[@TohaBgood2]

SF in particular and the Bay Area as a whole have incredible transit. SF has an incredibly dense transit network even by European standards.

[@lalakerspro]

The bay area actually has a transit network like europe. Its just other parts of the country that need work. Plus america is almost as big as the entire europe

[@christophermiller867]

I'm almost ecstatic that Stadler now has a plant in Utah. Perhaps we can finally join the 21st century here in the US. I can only imagine that will make it so much easier to purchase and deliver these to other destinations across the country.

[@lalakerspro]

we also have a seiments plant in sacramento that makes all the new seimens locos for US and Canada

[@marco.paterna]

Se non fosse per la campana sembrerebbe veramente un treno tedesco o svizzero. 😊

[@lalakerspro]

bell has nothing to do with look lol, thats sound. To a deaf person its just like a swiss train

[@georgrust1462]

È svizzero 🤩🤩🤩

[@sprinter429]

rode this line mid 1980's to early 1990's sorry to see end of diesel era...

[@dethray1000]

can you buy a beer on the thing?

[@meantares]

Broader and with more headroom than the European KISS.