California’s Newest Train: Arrow

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Arrow opened on October 24, 2022. What is Arrow? It’s a 9-mile commuter rail line that runs between San Bernardino and Redlands, CA. It essentially acts as an extension of the Metrolink network. Metrolink and passes are valid on Arrow.
What’s interesting about this line is that instead of classic locomotive-hauled trains, Arrow uses trainsets. These FLIRT trains (yes, I will explain the acronym in the video) are built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler. They’re a very popular train in Europe, and are slowly starting to be seen more in the US.
For Thom, there was the thrill of a new train mixed with the familiarity of the Stadler FLIRT. See one of the first video reports of this new train service right here, at Trains Are Awesome.
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[@toshihitsu1989]

Fun fact about the area there used to be extensive trolley network that ran from LA all the way to Redlands The system was diminished in the 1930s and 1940s when cars start becoming more popular on this side of the United States. There is certain locations in San Bernardino that you can see where trolley networks were you'll see a lot of avenues that have very wide streets were in the center there is a boulevard of grass islands that used to be trolley networks where the track would run down the center of these roads while cars will drive on the other side along with horse-drawn carriages back in the 1900s. With these new projects coming on that I'm seeing I'm proud to be that they are improving public transit this area has a very bad post transit right now though over the last 15 or 20 years they've been improving including with Metrolink.

[@basictransportenthusiast4386]

There was also a scheme by GM to get rid of streetcar systems all over the US and LA was hit the hardest. They bought out the LA streetcar lines and shut them down to force people to buy their cars and to force cities to buy their buses

[@toshihitsu1989]

@@basictransportenthusiast4386 yap will aware just add goodyear tyre as well as they both where in on the dismatling of streetcars.

[@derek20la]

Post WW2, the Pacific Electric railroad was run down and needed a complete rebuild of track and replacement of equipment. Yet the fares were fixed by the state, leading to huge losses. In 1926 and 1949, ballot proposals in LA for a tax to fund transit were voted down. Pacific Electric couldn't raise passengers fares nor could they issue tax-free bonds for infrastructure improvements like the government. They had no choice but to sell out. And when I mean run down, I mean large portions of the system still had the original 90# track that was laid down decades prior. The signal system was archaic, requiring frequent stops for the conductor to exit the train and activate trackside waypoints. Plus the whole company was subject to property and income taxes, and union work rules, costing a fortune to operate.

[@toshihitsu1989]

@@derek20la thanks for that info. i knew a little bit of but not this much I new that pacific electric with a few other co's ran things but I didn't know it was this bad.

[@derek20la]

@@toshihitsu1989 A lot of it was just bad timing. If a couple PE lines could have lasted even a decade longer, more of the system could have been salvaged. A good example is MUNI rail in SF. In the past, there used to be many more lines but they were discontinued and replaced with busses... except for the few that had private right-of-way, like the J Judah. too curvey and narrow for a bus, and with no nearby road to use.

[@bennyg2688]

Happy to see more reliable transit being opened and used in the US lately

[@Thom-TRA]

Me too! This line is nice, even if it isn’t used a lot yet. I also rode the new K Line in LA. Video coming soon!

[@romanrat5613]

It's crazy to look at maps of transit in US cities from 1990s compared to today. Definitely on the right track

[@andrewdutton3831]

Not to be a buzzkill, but considering it’s California, homeless people will likely be living on them within 4 years.

[@davidgarrett9711]

Great video. I too travel to see new or different trains. Love taking the "City of New Orleans to your hometown.

[@kennymccannYT]

Yes

[@msuspartan2016]

I take the FLIRT Tex-rail train in Texas to commute to work. It's the only reason I started to use public transit more frequently. happy to see more operators roll these out.

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s great! Glad to hear it

[@Hensepens64]

Flirt trains are indeed very common here in Europe. Although here we don't have flashing frontlights, honnes and the typical bell sounding. Biu the sound when the door closes 😂

[@msuspartan2016]

@@295g295 no, that’s the Trinity Railway Express (TRE). It still operates. Texrail goes from Fort Worth to grapevine and DFW airport but doesn’t continue to Dallas

[@yazz3r]

I am proud of my beautiful city of Redlands. I work at ESRI and our company ws heavily involved in getting this train service. We also have our own dedicated stop at ESRI 😀 p.s I enjoy the red evil lights on the Stadler 👀

[@chrisliu4689]

Better putting 3 public restrooms onb9ard and extend the way la metro does.

[@snoopyloopy]

The quiet zones were approved by the FRA a few weeks ago so they should be operational by the end of the month. Also, the "arrow" name is a nod to the arrowhead feature on the mountains above San Bernardino and is frequently featured in a lot of imagery associated with the region.

[@jonw999999]

Maybe we can cut early morning flights or freeway access while I'm sleeping too. Crazy to not run key commuter service over noise, certainly wouldn't do that for other modes.

[@ct92404]

@@jonw999999 The railroad tracks were there LONG before any of the houses and apartments in that area were. Since the late 1800's! I hate when people move near tracks and then complain about "noise". Well, too bad, you knew that ahead of time. They should just move if they don't like it.

[@mattherhorn290]

I travel on Stadler FLIRTs, KISSes and SMILEs every day on my commute - they are the most comfortable and best all-round trains out there. Glad to see they’re now in California too! I hope you guys over there get many more Stadler trains :D

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow, you even get to travel with the Giruno? Lucky!

[@mattherhorn290]

@@Thom-TRA the Giruno should really get more of a chance to shine internationally - unfortunately no other country has ordered it yet!

[@nashorn9745]

@@mattherhorn290 the giruno feel‘s unnecessary when they already have the astoro and the icn. It would have made more sense to get more astoros and FV Dostos and only have two trains to worry about the fleet would look more unified. And sometimes the girunos can’t handle the high ridership so they have to use the FV Dosto. The plan for the Astoro and ICN are not known the only IC lines where the ICN is still used are the IC 5 and 51 the ICN on the 51 are going to be replaced by the Mouette so the IC Flirt and on the 5 by the FV Dosto when they can actually tilt witch at the moment doesn’t work. It was just something that stadler wanted to produce so they have a semi high speed train.

[@Thom-TRA]

There’s nothing wrong with having a smaller fleet for a premium product. Many railways have that. For example, look up what a “Limited Express” is in Japan. Standardization should be the goal if it’s for economic reasons. It shouldn’t be a goal just in and of itself.

[@danielchou5895]

@@Thom-TRA Standardization is not good and creates something called a monopoly which is illegal in the United States.

[@JaapGinder]

Using more European products in the US, like trains, is a good thing. Also the Siemens locomotives, like the Vectron, are very good and used in Europe and beyond as the Amtrak Cities Sprinter ACS-64. And yes the Flirt is all around us in Europe, The Netherlands (as Sprinter and the Arriva R-NET train). I like the Flirts, as you say: trains off the shelve.

[@Thom-TRA]

I think so too. US companies can’t make the level of quality that European or Japanese companies can. If they build European trains in American factories, then I think it’s a win-win for everyone!

[@amfm889]

@@Thom-TRA It's not that US companies can't build them; they just got completely out of the passenger train business. And everyone else filled the void.

[@darknessofevil117]

@Trains Are Awesome as someone who loves trains are strength is freight.

[@Thom-TRA]

But we’re living in a time where more people are realizing the benefits of passenger rail. Freight railroads should not hold those developments hostage.

[@nowaymuller6643]

Here in Austria the are very rare and get mostly used by "Westbahn" who operate the Double Decker.

[@lyndakorner2383]

San Bernardino's new central station also offers sbX, which is a $115-million B.R.T. system running between San Bernardino State and Loma Linda Universities, as well as several freeway-running express buses to and from Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake, and similar destinations.

[@someguy9778]

Wait...You can get to big bear now? wow.

[@LMB222]

It's still a bus.

[@ct92404]

Technically, that station on E Street is NOT San Bernardino's central station. (They call it the "downtown" station, but it isn't really a hub). The main station is actually the old Santa Fe depot farther west on 3rd Street. That's where you catch all the other Metrolink trains to LA, Riverside, etc. Amtrak uses it too.

[@Thom-TRA]

This was now my most viewed video ever for a while. Thanks everyone!

[@peteralbert1485]

That might be because California is huge, incredibly diverse in terms of its rail systems. Nowhere is this more evident than the Bay Area with BART, Caltrain, VTA, SMART, ACE, Capitol Corridor, and of course Muni, which by itself has three very different (and iconic) types of rail transit.

[@1jamarks]

Well deserved. Second video. I like your positive vibes not everything is crummy about CA in fact we have a lot to look forward to. I like biking and PT. I'm subscribing. Also, mixing in the food is a nice touch we all get hungry on a journey.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@1jamarks thanks for the comment! I appreciate feedback like this

[@FEARNoMore]

@@1jamarks I agree, just like everywhere else, Cali is not perfect but amazing & diverse, although I hope he ventures out into more local cuisine. So far I've only seen fast food. haha ;)

[@shawng8613]

Great video. I rode this train last week for the first time and was very impressed at the quality compared to existing equipment. If anyone does make a trip just to ride, downtown Redlands has lots of restaurants and bars within a 5-10 minute walk of the station. The ramen place across the street from the downtown station was very good too.

[@Thom-TRA]

I wish I had some more time to check out Redlands. The trains certainly are an improvement to the existing metrolink trains. I wonder if longer trainsets could eventually replace some of the loco hauled trains. Especially if the network is integrated with HSR/Brightline West…

[@jonw999999]

I understand there is some great historic architecture and a very nice downtown. The historic train station is particularly nice too.

[@jpmasters-aus]

In Australia, the diesel EMUs are high enough (with elevated platforms), so the engines can fit underneath the car, improving internal sound management.

[@anitrain]

Really appreciated your perspective here! I'm a native Californian railfan and I went to ride this for the first time just over a week ago. I was really impressed with the FLIRT trainsets, never having experienced them before. We have the Sprinter in San Diego that uses the Siemens Desiro but I like the Stadler units so much better. I just wish we had more of them so we could extend service beyond San Bernardino... I really think it should continue on to Riverside and link together the east side of the metrolink service map.

[@gregvassilakos]

The Arrow follows part of the Santa Fe's Kite Route, which formed a lopsided figure eight around Los Angeles and San Bernardino. Much of the San Bernardino end of the Kite Route corridor became the 210 Freeway. The station in downtown Redlands with the white colonnade is the original Santa Fe station. The transit center in downtown San Bernardino is newly built, but to the west of it on the other side of Interstate 215 is the original Santa Fe station.

[@gregvassilakos]

@TNerd I've long suspected that a key reason for the support for the Arrow Line among elected officials is the idea that a rail link could be established to the warehouses around the airport.

[@ck4426]

This train is awesome!!! And so was this video and the sunshiny California weather!!! What an amazing one day trip!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

It was a “chilly” 60° day haha. I’ll take that over the brutally cold winds we had here today! It was a fun trip, looking forward to go back to LA for a little longer in a few weeks.

[@zyoninkiro]

Fun fact: Stadler builds trains for the North American market in a fairly recently built plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to that, they built their first American trains in space leased in the Utah Transit Authority's Warm Springs maintenance shops.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yep, drove past the Stadler factory recently and saw the new KISS trains for Caltrain!

[@gregvassilakos]

The name Arrow no doubt was inspired by the natural feature shaped like an arrowhead that is on the side of the mountains on the northern edge of San Bernardino. One of the major north-south roads through San Bermardino is Arrowhead Avenue. There also is a Lake Arrowhead in the mountains north of San Bernardino.

[@mikeprior-jones7779]

In the UK we have very similar diesel FLIRTS and the railfans call the corridor through the power pack the “thrash cupboard”, so I guess it should be “thrash closet” in the USA…

[@jessedeleon1928]

Hey Thom, the future of Metrolink's Arrow that you visited, Plans for future improvments to the line were drawn up during the planning process. They call for additional passing sidings to allow 15-minute peak period headways and 30-minute off-peak headways Service could potentially be extended along the historic Redlands Loop around Highland and San Bernardino International Airport before returning to downtown San Bernardino Thank you Thom!

[@Thom-TRA]

I would love to see all those improvements!

[@isaacrogers4174]

I actually worked on this train a little bit with Stadler, I remember cleaning this train. It was transported from Salt Lake City.

[@Thom-TRA]

Well, you did a great job

[@kennethdgunderson6013]

The Arrow Name is Because San Bernardino Has An Arrowhead Large Enough To See On The Side of The Mountain & Is The Logo For San Bernardino County

[@amapparatistkwabena]

It's tiny, but cute! Speaking of Switzerland, I just returned last evening. I don't think I've ever seen a train with such few carriages even in Switzerland, a country of only 8.5 million (well, excepting for perhaps the mountain trains). The Inter-Regio might be The US needs to wake up! I spent six years in Europe (Switzerland), and before then 6 years in Asia (South Korea). Trains are really the way to go. These high-cost, environment-killing planes and cars will be the end of us.

[@fel1237]

I live in SoCal and have only taken the San Bernardino line pre-pandemic. Didn't know the Metrolink runs all the way to Redlands already. Thanks for the info.

[@andyvoss1149]

I knew this line was going in, but totally forgot about it to check when it opened. I frequently travel to San Bernadino for music festivals from San Diego and can now go basically car free by only taking two rail lines including Arrow. Was there last week and stayed at a motel near Tipacanoe. Traffic is nearly unbearable in this greater regional area so this sounds so much less stress.

[@WeichenherzByChrookie]

So strange and weird to see swiss trains with the american flashing lights and bell. Also your pronounciation of the german words was pretty good!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks! It helps that I speak German haha

[@snhanson3173]

Several years back now, BART, in the San Francisco bay area, extended the yellow line from Pittsburg / Bay Point to Antioch via an installation of these diesel FLIRT trains. Just past the Pittsburg / Bay Point station, the standard BART train stops. All the passengers deboard, cross a platform and board the FLIRT train for the 10 mile ride out to Antioch.

[@Thom-TRA]

The trains on the eBART are actually a slightly different model built by the same manufacturer, known as the GTW! I’d love to go to the Bay Area someday and ride all the trains there!

[@TuanNguyen-uq8gz]

@@Thom-TRA BART is very dangerous after 7 pm so be careful

[@peteralbert1485]

BART is a great entree to Bay Area rail. I ride it often, day and night, and find it easy and safe.

[@TuanNguyen-uq8gz]

@@peteralbert1485 which route do you usually take? The ones pass Oakland and East Bay are like going to nightmare during night

[@peteralbert1485]

@@TuanNguyen-uq8gz Berkeley to SF. Sometimes I ride from SF to Berkeley for work, Richmond for Amtrak, Walnut Creek and Berryessa to see family. All these rides go through Oakland and the East Bay, and I do notice the mood shifts after 9 pm. My recent 11:30 pm ride from San Jose was depressing: the cars almost empty except for a few people sleeping in the seats and two guys smoking pot at Lake Merritt station where I was transferring. But "depressing" isn't the same as "very dangerous." Maybe I've just been lucky. Sounds like something terrible happened to you on BART. I hope you are OK.

[@TwoWholeWorms]

That's a shockingly good livery for a US train! I'm impressed!

[@rpf276]

As an engineer as soon as saw the high level platform boarding which is great I think it is not impossible to develop a hydraulic lift that could be installed at a commuter station, so a commuter trains system could replace the low level old train systems with a new high level platform like a FLIRT train. I would design it so it could removed form a station earmarked for permanent high platform to another transition station as the system is progressively upgraded.

[@erik_griswold]

The Esri station was paid for by the Esri company for the benefit of their employees. It’s across the street from their Headquarters. Any lack of amenities was due to the need to save costs.

[@lyndakorner2383]

Esri, which is the world leader in mapping software and Geographic Information Systems, paid the construction and maintenance costs of the New York Street station. Esri is the biggest tech company in the San Bernardino Valley, and the business allows the general public to dine at the Esri Cafe on the campus.

[@Thom-TRA]

Interesting!

[@conncr]

@@Thom-TRA Also, it is not pronounced as a word, but the letters each said sequentially. E.S.R.I.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@conncr the train staff said Esri so I just followed them

[@kennymccannYT]

Glad to see this train in Redlands. Thanks for sharing.

[@Alex_catz]

Nice to see metrolink finally extending!

[@jonw999999]

Looking forward to Orange Empire Railway Museum extending their museum track a couple blocks to the relatively new Perris Metrolink station for a cross-platform transfer, the museum platform is already built as part of that Metrolink station just the museum tracks are missing... take the train to the train museum!

[@derek20la]

This line was more Omnitrans incompetence than Metrolink expansion. The San Bernardino County transit agency couldn't complete the project, leading to Metrolink (a 5 county regional rail district) to take over operations.

[@ct92404]

@@derek20la There had been talk about Metrolink extending to Redlands for over 20 years. I first heard about it back around 1999 or 2000. As far as I know, it was always going to be under Metrolink and I had never heard anything about Omnitrans being involved.

[@tomherron4334]

We live just a few blocks from the UofR station. This is a historical train route that we are glad to have back in use

[@ct92404]

That track has been abandoned for so many years and I have NEVER seen a train on it. I'm actually going to ride the Arrow train tomorrow and it's going to be so weird and amazing to ride that route...especially the part on Redlands Blvd!

[@SteveInPalmSprings]

Thank you very much for this nice video. I grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. As a youngster I went to the "big city" on the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee R R, an inter-urban electric train (now defunct). Later, as a high schooler, I used the Chicago & Northwestern R R powered by a steam loco to go to summer school. And still later commuted to Chicago many times as an adult on the same line powered by diesel. Now I live in Palm Springs, California and while we have Amtrak service 4 days a week to and from Los Angeles, we lack commuter service. The 9 mile extension of the Metro Rail network to Redlands brings it one step closer to Palm Springs. The rail exists today, but it will be another 2-5 years until commuter service reaches us because of environmental and bureaucratic issues. Progress is S-L-O-W !

[@Thom-TRA]

What I would give to take a ride on the North Shore Line. So sad it doesn’t exist anymore. Are there plans to expand rail service to Palm Springs? I know CA is investing and building a lot but I’m not up to date on all the different projects. Have actually been doing a little research on that front today.

[@SteveInPalmSprings]

@@Thom-TRA Sorry for not replying sooner. The only service from Palm Springs to or from Los Angeles is Amtrak. It is, I believe 4-5 days a week and the arrival times in Palm Springs are in the early AM hours like 1 or 2 AM. Not very useful. In order to have commuter service, they will have to add a third track in many places. Environmental and air pollution regulations require extensive study. Congress recently passed funding for the study of this new service. That will take a couple of years. The earliest we can expect actual service is about 8 years out.

[@saangtoaikaa9211]

@@SteveInPalmSprings Sunset Limited Amtrak runs 3 times a week. PSP to LA in the middle of the night.

[@JimPaloAlto]

Outstanding video! Thank you for including the map detailing the San Bernardino line's expansion; also for the picture of the timetables.

[@transitengineer]

Wow, I live in Southern California and also work in transportation. Yet, I have never heard of this "special" extension of our commuter rail network (Metrolink) into the Redlands community. So, thank you, so much for sharing this information. Shortly, I will be asking Metrolink staff for a presentation of this new service (smile...smile).

[@Thom-TRA]

Hey, glad to help! Tell me about the presentation haha

[@metrolink]

Thanks for riding the Arrow service. Regarding why there is no arrow-looking logo, the service is named after the Arrowhead landmark, located in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains directly above the City of San Bernardino.

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for commenting! It’s a great train, i enjoyed riding.

[@lyndakorner2383]

It should be noted also that San Bernardino's new central station is the optional location for California High-Speed Rail in the city. California High-Speed Rail would connect San Bernardino with Los Angeles in 30 minutes, with San Diego in 50, and with Ontario International Airport in ten. San Bernardino International Airport is also located just two miles from the central station, and the land that would be needed for a track extension to the facility is currently vacant, underutilized, and/or publicly owned. Southern California, currently, only offers one airport with a direct rail connection: Hollywood-Burbank.

[@Thom-TRA]

It would be great if HSR could connect all those places. I’ve also heard that Arrow might be extended to form a loop?

[@lyndakorner2383]

@@Thom-TRA, Arrow uses the Redlands Subdivision that originally belonged to the Santa Fe Railroad. Santa Fe operated a regional service in southern California that was called the "Kite-Shaped Track." The kite was formed by a lopsided circle-eight with two loops, a big one from L.A. to San Bernardino via Claremont and Riverside and a small one from Redlands to San Bernardino via Highland. The smaller one is probably the loop to which you are referring. Arrow could be extended northeastward another mile, perhaps, but the right of way for the rest of the original small loop is largely missing. Part of that area the S.B. County Transportation Authority has studied in order to reach Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the agency has determined that a cog railway would be the best mode. Other smart options for an extension of Arrow include downtown Riverside and U.C., Riverside/Perris via some of the abandoned rights of way in Highgrove. San Bernardino and Los Angeles used to be the two hubs of the Pacific Electric "Red Cars," which were the largest trolley system in the world.

[@exrobowidow1617]

Hoping LAX Peoplemover will actually open in 2024. At this time, it seems possible. I'm certainly looking forward to it. But the weak link is that the Metro light rail lines do not run 24/7 like the airport seems to. So people would still have to drive to the outer parking lot, and many people will just drive on into the terminal area to drop off and pick up passengers.

[@AussieGunzel]

If you ever come back to southern California I would suggest looking at the other European DMU service known as the NCTD SPRINTER. I also got the feeling NCTD told Metrolink to do this.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to ride the Sprinter. Unfortunately the train line to Oceanside is currently closed, so I’d have to fly to San Diego! Which I may do someday of course.

[@OnkelJajusBahn]

This train with the motor section in the middle reminds me of the Stadler GTW trains. I didn't thought from the looks, it is actually a Flirt train. Very nice video. Glad to see some progress in LA

[@bryanCJC2105]

Great video! It's not often that a brand new train line opens in the US. It will be great to see more of these kinds of trains showing up around the country. These trains appear to be the same as the e-BART trains in California. Must be fun to be on a brand new train! Flying out there to ride the train... that's dedication. I love the enthusiasm! I saw the red logo "cta" on the side of the train at 12:09 and it looks almost exactly like the Chicago "cta" logo, except that it's red. That caught me off guard. I imagine that Redlands is re-zoning areas around the stations (if they haven't already) to encourage transit oriented development of the station areas and pedestrian amenities. Yoshinoya! When I go back home to LA, I make sure to visit my favorite... and it isn't In & Out (I stopped eating burgers and fries). It's Poquito Mas and Tito's Tacos.

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

These same trains use the same bell used on the DART rail in Dallas. Now used on TexRail from Fort Worth to DFW Airport since 2019.

[@timnewman1172]

I would love to see them all over the U.S.!

[@leothemaskedgiraffe]

I grew up in Redlands. The downtown station used to contain an amazing coffee house called Jazz and Java.

[@Deutscher256]

Cool to see this. I live near Redlands, and I was on the first revenue trip. Also, they have british announcements on the Sprinter in Escondido. Those trains are direct-drive diesel and they shift gears. Slow too.

[@dersachsenspotter]

Its amazing to see the FLIRTS in the USA! In my Region, we have some Stadler KISS-trains in Intercity service from DB (Deutsche Bahn - German Railways). But in other parts of germany there are many Stadler FLIRT and in some parts there is even the Stadler GTW. The only diesel FLIRT i have ever seen, like the one in the USA, was in Aosta, Italy

[@Danger909]

Hey Welcome to San Bernardino, Ca 🙏 Thanks for stopping by here in SoCal , I Love Yoshinoya too ❤️ I drive the city bus for Omnitrans next to the trains at S.B.T.C. Hope to see again in SoCal San Bernardino 👍👍🤙🤙🚅🚆🚇🚈🚉🚞🚍

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for the comment!

[@srajfnly2]

The 755 in Britain has overhead lines and the diesel pack which is also a FLIRT

[@doriancroatia2054]

Wow so excited to se Stadler in America ..almost looks unreal... I see them regularly in Slovenia and Serbia :)

[@roundhouses]

Thanks for doing this video as I wasnt aware of this new line and now hope to ride it on our trip to California from the UK in the near future

[@Thom-TRA]

I hope you have a really good trip! You’re welcome!

[@InlandEmpiresoccer909]

Glad you rode it! I use it regularly to work near the university and I couldn’t be happier avoiding the traffic from Rialto

[@melvinjones3895]

good to see those types of rail trains. Thanks a lot. As a old Locomotive Engineer it sure looks clean to me. High Ball

[@ct92404]

I just found your channel, and I'm so excited about this! I actually live in the area. They had been talking about extending Metrolink from San Bernardino to Redlands for YEARS! The first time I heard about it was over 20 years ago! I saw that they were working on the track on E Street, but I didn't know that the train was running now! I'm definitely going to ride it, just out of curiosity. The tracks had been abandoned for so many years, it'll be amazing to ride a passenger train and see the route.

[@Thom-TRA]

You should ride it, it’s a fun experience!

[@pacificostudios]

Thanks for the video. As I expected, the Arrow is very similar to the Sprinter by my house in Oceanside, CA, including the diesel power. The only difference is that the train ride is only 20 minutes compared to the hour-long ride on the Spinter.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d really like to ride the Sprinter someday. Their schedule is not affected by the line closure, right?

[@pacificostudios]

@@Thom-TRA - Absolutely not. I'm happy to report that ridership on the Surfliner service remains impressively strong. There is even a regular Surfliner service operating between Oceanside and San Diego while service remains suspended between Oceanside and San Juan Capistrano.

[@erik_griswold]

Except the Arrow DMU is FRA compliant. Sprinter is, AFAIK, not and has to operate with time-segregation away from Freight Trains.

[@pacificostudios]

@@erik_griswold- I didn't know the FLIRT is FRA compliant. Im a little doubtful, even if you say it is. Just compare it to a Metrolink train, and I think you'd rather not be in the FLIRT during a collision. However, you are correct that the Siemens Desiro used by Sprinter is essentially an LRV.

[@CameronLandels]

Great video Thom! Impressive that you went to CA for the day from Chicago! It looks a neat rail line. I am a big fan of the Flirt trains! Hoping more rail lines are operated by Stadler trains in the future 🙂

[@Thom-TRA]

It was a fun trip! I got to ride some other trains in the LA area as well, like the new k-line!

[@TheNid08]

Great. Thank you for making this video for my information and convenience. Your story is very interesting.

[@fredphipps9452]

Just like our Stadlers in the UK, thanks for posting

[@marcelmoulin3335]

I, too, am a train enthusiast. I am fortunate to live in the Netherlands with its impeccable rail offerings. Albeit Dutch, I grew up in Palo Alto, and I am looking forward to taking CHSR. (Will it be complete in 2033?) Your new video platform is brilliant. Keep up the excellent work.

[@exrobowidow1617]

What you call the CHSR, most Californians call the Train to Nowhere. Many people like the idea of high-speed rail between L.A. and the Bay Area. But this program seems to be a never-ending disaster. In my opinion, they're doing it all wrong. Funding started with a ballot measure for voters to approve a bond for just half the estimated amount needed. So I voted no, but I got outvoted by people who seemingly favored a half-funded project. So I also call it the half-baked train project. With skyrocketing costs, I should probably call it the one-tenth-baked project. I don't expect it to be complete in my lifetime as a rail line, and I certainly don't expect it to be a fully maglev HSR line for decades after all the tracks are laid. At this time, you can take Amtrak from downtown L.A. to the Bay Area. I hear it's a very scenic ride up the coast.

[@ezyryder11]

I’m looking forward to CA HSR too 😊 Were you Paly or Gunn?

[@marcelmoulin3335]

@@ezyryder11 Cubberley H. S. (1974)

[@ezyryder11]

@@marcelmoulin3335 ah, Gunn 2010 for me. Very different times. Wishing you well.

[@marcelmoulin3335]

@@ezyryder11 Thank you. Let's hope that CHSR comes to fruition... soon. I send you warm greetings from the Netherlands.

[@hivemindconcussion2173]

Fantastic! Thanks for the ride.

[@Herowebcomics]

Man! This train looks so cool! and you said you road ones like it when you were going to school?! That is awesome!

[@bartb7450]

Nice to see the snow on the mountains too. I Love California.

[@drewrobinson5153]

Great video! I'm looking forward to riding this the next time I'm in LA. Keep making these excellent videos - very informative and well-done!

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s a great little train, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

[@kenpalmer1965]

I have yet to ride this route, but I will real soon being I live in San Bernardino as I told you. Nice video once again! I had no idea that these trains have a power pack in the middle of the passenger cars as opposed to a regular locomotive. Very interesting!

[@Canleaf08]

3:48 FLIRTs are common on the Cantus, we have been having them since 2006. The Bilevel version is called "KISS", which is "Komfortabler Innovativer Spurtstarker S-Bahn-Zug".

And like the name suggests, it‘s more comfortable (at least the Nah SH one).

[@albert3801]

Thanks for the video Thom. I wasn’t familiar with FLIRTs. This is the first time I’ve seen a low-floor train with higher seats above the wheels.

[@Thom-TRA]

You’re welcome!

[@pahogger]

It’s nice to see new trains with new train service in America, enjoyed the video! 👍

[@Thom-TRA]

Always nice indeed! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@Sweetbeariesart]

This is a great video about our local train. I still want to ride it.

[@Ozzymandias493]

The Line is named Arrow after the Old Arrowhead trail I believe, which does not exist anymore(in the city) but has many local streets in the LA area also named after it.

[@LarryAllenTonar]

I wish you had popped in to chat with folks at ESRI -- pretty neat for a company to have a dedicated rail line!

[@dianethulin1700]

You need to come back to California to experience the Chinatown/ Central Subway in San Francisco. For now it’s only operating on weekends and goes to limited stops. Starting in January full service will start with this new rail line extending all the way to the border of town

[@Thom-TRA]

San Francisco is the #1 place on my American bucket list. I really hope to go there someday soon.

[@jonw999999]

@@Thom-TRA and the new Van Ness BRT (I do realize this is more about Trains though). SF has no shortage of unique rail transit though.

[@MainTrack]

Awesome! Thanks for posting this. Many years ago (in 1999) I lived and worked in San Bernardino for one summer in college. Way back then, there were talks and planning going on for this line. It took a couple decades, but it's nice to see it open finally. I'll be paying this route a visit next time I'm out there!

[@Thom-TRA]

You should! It’s a short but fun little trip. And you were in college the year I was born lol. Thanks for the comment!

[@MainTrack]

@@Thom-TRA Haha...that makes me feel my age! Trust me, it doesn't feel like 20 years ago....time and life just fly right by. San Diego just opened their new Blue Line light rail extension, which was also in the works for a while. A ride on that is also on my list.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@MainTrack I want to go back to California again and ride so much more. The Bay Area is top of my US bucket list.

[@japanesetrainandtravel6168]

Nice to see this. Ottawa’s OC Transpo, 4 hours from where I live, will be getting FLIRTs soon. One set is already being tested. Looking forward to ride them

[@Thom-TRA]

The FLIRTs for Ottawa look really cool!

[@jdillon8360]

Great video. Interesting to see the state of rail travel in the USA. I find it amazing that level boarding and DMUs are still kind of new over there. This kind of stuff has been normal in Europe and some parts of Australia (where I'm from) for decades. Seeing how much commuter rail in North America still has low platforms and loco-hauled trains is astonishing. I guess it shows much passenger rail (outside of metro systems) has been neglected since WW2, but good to see that efforts are being made to bring trains and routes into the 21st century. Hope to see more of it.

[@TomMarvan]

Superb presentation. Thank you!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you so much!

[@CMDModels1]

Just found your channel and this video. Nicely done. As somebody who travels around the globe a lot and always rides trains. Was also recently in California and Chicago riding trains, like you I have found many parts not friendly for walking in the USA, the infrastructure is made only for cars. Good to see the USA getting DMUs. Europe is strong with Siemens, Alstom and Stadler, certain places buy more from one manufacturer than from others.

[@lyndakorner2383]

The area around the Esri station is particularly bad. The S.B. County Transportation Authority would not have built that station had Esri not agreed to pay the construction and maintenance costs. Downtown Redlands is walkable, however. Generally speaking, bicycles are a good way to explore Redlands, which has several charms that, unfortunately, were nowhere near that Yoshinoya.

[@dennisdownes9319]

Great video! Thanks for showing the "diesel car" and talking about the new hydrogen car of the future! I especially like seeing the snow capped mountains in the background.....also very cool!! DD

[@Thom-TRA]

The snow surprised me!

[@alogan7951]

Love this video thanks thom!😊

[@Thom-TRA]

You’re welcome!

[@mojavesojourner]

Awesome! Wish this was here when I was at Lima Linda University. Now to extend the line to Palm Springs

[@gethighonlife11]

I was just about to ask you if this was an electric or diesel train. As soon as I was typing the question, you answered the question! You're amazing, Thom!

[@Thom-TRA]

Haha thank you!

[@martindesantiago6508]

Nice video! Gonna look into stuff to do in Redlands and maybe take the trains out there.

[@Roger55509]

Bravo for this deal!

[@miles_thomas]

Very similar FLIRT DMU experience to the Greater Anglia rural branch line FLIRT services in the UK, e.g. Marks Tey to Sudbury, or Norwich to Sheringham (and soon to be in Wales, also for rural work). Huge improvement in passenger experience over what was running before. The Greater Anglia FLIRTS can change to overhead EMU mode, and sometimes I think they do when entering the major electrified stations (Norwich, Colchester, Ipswich). I do hope Greater Anglia upgrades to H2 power packs in due course, although that would require a significant retrofit to the main depot (Crown Point) to fuel the trains. Because the UK loading gauge is smaller than many other countries, the UK FLIRTS have slightly smaller bodies as well (and it doesn't feel like the step up in the cabin over the bogies is as tall, but I could be wrong), To get level boarding, the UK FLIRTS have a motorised step that moves out (and then back a little) before the doors open, but I see the Arrow trains don't have (or need) this feature).

[@timectrl]

Very good! I might visit SoCal next year and will hope to check these out!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks! You should, it’s very nice. Next week, Metra NorthCentral Service!

[@timectrl]

@@Thom-TRA YES! I've been waiting for that for ages.

[@richardneilson1188]

The Esri station is located at the company HQ for what used to be called Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). It is the world leader in GIS software, with 5,000 employees in 73 countries. Unsure why it originally located in Redlands. Staff at Esri also are faculty at Redlands University, which offers a Master degree in GIS. It used to be one of few, but now several universities offer graduate programs in GIS. In the US, at least, all city, county and state governments use some form of the software for land use planning, placement of resources (including police & fire). Esri used to host annual conference, which is now held every year in San Diego. Not sure who hosts it now. So, I guess it got its own train station.

[@curtissharris8914]

pretty sure owner lives in Redlands.

[@ShoresRailfan]

Great presentation! After hearing about Flirt, I'd been wondering how this new rail system operated. I might have to do a trip to the area and see for myself.

[@AdrianSenn]

Cool to see those train in the US. Greetings from Switzerland where those train first introduced.

[@roaddogg800]

When I grew up in Southern California in the 1980s that whole LA / San Bernardino County route was one RTD bus line. First the 60G and later the 496, typically with hourly service. My how things have changed.

[@gregorylparks7304]

Great Video!! One day I might want to ride those trains, while I'm in California.😊😊😊

[@benvail6395]

Your comment about Redlands was at the Esri stop -- the only one that exists to drop off folks at a particular business. I wish you had explored downtown! State street has a ton of great eats there.

[@Thom-TRA]

I mean, I made the comment about the area around the Esri stop, not about Redlands itself.

[@Ghfvhvfg]

That beautiful door sounds i love it in swiss by the way.

[@Thiefnuker]

I think they're a huge pain in the ears. I'm autistic so it may have to do with that but that BEE-DAA-BEE-DAA-BEE-DAA Siren going off not just every time the doors may open but literally every time *any* door on the train is opened in all seriousness discourage me from using those trains. As this Siren for some fucking reason becomes more and more common (probably because those who decide to implement it never, ever would set their feet on a train) that honestly starts being a good argument to get a car instead..

[@erich1070]

Thank You for this gift😎

[@Thom-TRA]

You’re welcome!

[@2cartalkers]

The desert look beautiful in the winter but in the summer it will melt your eyeballs.

[@JamesBond-ko7ky]

Great video, Portugal will have a few of them soon as well.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m very excited to see what the CP flirts will look like

[@JamesBond-ko7ky]

@@Thom-TRA I have seen some edited pics, with a livery like the Alfa pendular, but theres no official release yet. But they will be used in regional services in Minho and Algarve, If I recall call correctly.

[@DicksonMaimouth]

Great video. Next time skip the other exits and just get off at the Downtown Redlands stop. Redlands is a cute little town with plenty of food options, coffee, antique shops, etc. I’m still in a bit of shock that someone would travel from Chicago just to ride this little train. Thanks for putting Redlands on the map!

[@Thom-TRA]

Take into consideration I rode these trains on a daily basis during my childhood. This was kind of a nostalgia trip for me.

[@toolsteel8482]

A really nice looking train . I like the M.U. Operation as opposed to a locomotive. I think this is a great compromise between an overhead catenary system versus traditional diesel locomotives. The train seems very thoughtfully designed, and I would love to see models of this train put in service all over the U.S.A.

[@Thom-TRA]

I like trainsets a lot too. I grew up riding them and I don’t think I rode a locomotive-hauled train until in my teenage years. There will be some more FLIRTs in North America! TEXRail in Fort Worth has them. And the eBart in the Bay Area uses Stadler trains. And in the future there will be FLIRTs on the Silver Line in Dallas, the O-Train in Ottawa, and Amtrak California. Double-deck KISS trains for Caltrain. Hopefully there will be even more!

[@alexverdigris9939]

You could be fooled for being somewhere in Europe, except for the horns that instantly give it away as being the USA: that is bell and horn madness! 😱🥴

[@Thom-TRA]

I love the bell and horn in the US though. It wouldn’t be an American train without it.

[@alexverdigris9939]

@@Thom-TRA My neirodivergent brain can't cope very well with that sort of noise; I even mute videos like this when a train approaches or departs; that *ding, ding, ding* bell drives me insane.

[@beautifulflorida]

Nice train! Thank you for the informative video!

[@Thom-TRA]

You’re welcome!

[@TransportNut89]

I quite like the FLIRT units, really smooth and comfortable. They're currently being introduced in Wales and Eastern England

[@miles_thomas]

Running in Eastern England a couple of years now, I ride them from time to time (as well as the 10 car FLIRT EMU expresses), and indeed they are awesome and huge improvement in passenger experience on those lines (capacity too--the Bittern line to Sheringham went from a 1/2 car DMU which could be standing room only to 3/4 car FLIRT, no standing anymore) . Triggered quite a lot of station refurbishment too (Sheringham pretty much got a complete rebuild to take 4 car trains). Wales soon I think. Bittern line can be a fun rail fan day trip from London--changing at Sheringham from very modern trains to heritage railway (North Norfolk "Poppy" line--steam or their early BR diesel DMU--looks like Daisy from the "Thomas" books). With an overnight in the area, then you can also see some military vehicles (Muckleborough collection--taxi or bus from Sheringham), and get some coastal views (climb the Beeston Bump to see the WW2 Observer corp site), or squeeze in a trip on the Mid Norfolk Heritage railway or a narrow gauge, or see traction/showmans engines and a Wurlitzer at Thursford (longer taxi ride needed from Holt for that one, or careful bus planning and some walking).

[@guyrandom7861]

Great pronunciation!!!🎉 Sehr beeindruckend!

[@Thom-TRA]

Danke schön!

[@galaxystar8232]

Love to see Stadler Trains beeing more common outside of Switzerland, as I commute on the SBB and SOB Network nearly everyday is it funny to me to hear those door chimes in an American Video, feels like Home ;)

[@FlightAndTrack]

Great job 👍