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 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.
@@markusstudeli2997 incidentally I'm reporting you to RU-vid 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?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
@@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
@@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.
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"!
@@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.
@@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 [
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.
@@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.
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!
@@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
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.....
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
@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
@@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.
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.
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! 👍
@@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
@@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.
A welcome relief from the old diesels. The trainsets are quiet, smooth and it is a pleasure to be able to look out of a window again without a decade or so of grime. Do have to disagree with your rating of the seats though. The backs are ramrod straight with no armrests and pitch you slightly forward, with a shorter seat pan that offers much less support. No way to relax into the seat for an hour plus commute like mine. I find myself going for the little fold down seats near my bike because it is easier to get comfortable. That said, it is overall a fantastic improvement, in the direction more transit should be going.
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).
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.
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.
In all fairness, Amtrak is switching its entire fleet to essentially the same Siemens trains that SBB 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.
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.
These trains are good but not perfect. There is only one restroom, which causes people to walk through the whole train looking for it. The seats are uncomfortable, the interior is dull, and the door-closing signal is noisy. But in any case, this is a huge step forward for the U.S.; in Moscow, such trains have been running since 2015.
@@lalakerspro These trains were built in the US, and Stadler does not design train seats. The decision which seats to install lies with the operator, not with Stadler. Maybe Caltrain opted for European seats, but they could have just as well installed US seats, if they are still being built there. But even if so, I'm afraid they might not be as comfortable as the good old Amtrak seats that you are used to, as new regulations (fire hazards, hygiene) might make it hard (in the most literal sense) to live up to old standards of seat comfort. Train seats in Europe unfortunately have also become harder in the last few decades, with a few exceptions.
@@17dimanizh If Caltrain aims to operate as regional rail with high frequencies (like many S-Bahn and RER systems) there would be less need for more bathrooms?
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
It’s a cultural difference. American trains tend to have the air conditioning set much cooler than in Europe, so this is not much of an issue. (I rode this new train yesterday and it was very cool even on a hot day)
I hope TRE in the DFW area eventually catches up with the rest of the area's commuter rail lines and orders nice modern Stadlers too! I love the TexRail trains.
Vraiment impressionnant ! Peux-tu tester à l’avenir les Stadler Flirt et les Alstom Coradia Polyvalent que nous avons en Algérie ? Nous avons un superbe réseau électrifié en 25 000 volts.
First... $10.50 in the USA. Not $10,50. The latter could be misinterpreted as ten-thousand-five-hundred. A bit pricey for a ticket. LOL. Second... A TOASTER! The old AEM 7 from the NE Corridor. Nice to see a couple made it to the West after their retirement. They used the Toasters to test the new electrical system during conversion. Searching through the RU-vids doesn't reveal any of these Toasters moving under wire, but rumor has it CalTrain may keep them for MOW movements. In San Mateo you show the knockouts for doors that I understand will be installed later when high platforms are built somewhere along the line. Do you or anybody know where those high platforms will be at?
You’d have to be an idiot to interpret $10,50 as meaning the ticket costs $1,050 for a 60 minute commuter rail ride. That or someone like Bill gates who never goes outside or shops for themselves and who thinks tide costs $500.
On trips to Europe I made sure I included a train ride because I love trains --- in fact I have a sizeable HO layout at home. However, for sightseeing I used a car as transportation. No way could we have seen that many attractions in 2 weeks. It would have taken 4 weeks by public transport, not to mention that everything would have to be planned around schedules and convenient night accommodations. The freedom that a car offers cannot be matched by your enthusiasm for GREEN, GREEN, GREEN. Each one has its place but you come across awfully onesided. Gets boring.
This is good and bad news. The good is that Electrification does eliminate locally produced emissions. Unfortunately. California s power grid is on Life Support.
With mandates that all switch to EV s by 2035 and all but one Nuclear power plant shut down which bears 9.9% of the State s entire power output I cannot say that this is a great move.
What is depressing is it takes so long with such a very complicated and expensive process that [some] other places around the world seem to get done so much more efficiently. We cannot seem to get out of our own way, (California HSR).
@@pgchase4578043026 true but those places have methods of building that lets just say arent very ethical (like having people build for free if you know what i mean)
this took 7 years because they didn't close the line to upgrade it. And they also upgraded the train control and tracks at the same time. It was nearly a complete rebuild, but with in-operations trains actively running on the other track. People love to whine about various things online, but in this case the criticism is misplaced. Rebuilding a rail line while it's kept in operations would not have taken any less anywhere else.
The security announcements are a bit much, though. Is this because litigation works a bit differently in the USA than in (continental) Europe, or are there other reasons? I expect this sort of thing when taking a flight, not when taking a train. Especially not a commuter train.
@@lalakerspro I'm talking about the announcements, like 'make sure that you don't fall flat on your face because we're slowing down', that sort of thing.
@SeverityOne These trains have quicker acceleration than the old trains, so they are simply giving them a heads up to be careful. I'm sure any kind of legal liability issues would be covered when you first agree to buy a ticket.
One step into the direction of becoming a first world country. Now keep improving the railway based on this and brightline and then the next step is healthcare / properly trained cops.
Does anyone have info regarding the configuration of BEMU Caltrain on order? Is it a 4 passenger cars with battery on each car or 4 passenger cars with additional battery / catenary power car?
30 fps, 30 fps, 30 fps... bad, bad, bad... still behind, but it's good that America is catching up with the electrification of its tracks. but it's still a very long run... so hopefully she'll make it. the only meaningful voltage is 25kV, enough power for everything in the future as well. 🙃
Basically a train that has its own Motors are called "Multiple Units". And here it's an EMU because it's Electric. If it was Diesel-Powered it would be a DMU. There is also the BMU which is the "Bi-Mode Multiple Unit", often being Diesel and Electric, being able to switch Power Source. And there is the BEMU, which is the "Battery-Electric Multiple Unit" These are just EMU's with batteries onboard. I am not sure about the Hydrogen-Powered trains but that's another thing to worry about.
I was really hoping they would be quieter. This ear deafening horn blowing, bell dinging, I hoped this would be a thing of a past. Some cities fight for a "quiet zone" around Caltrain track.
Such cities want the quiet zone but refuse to cooperate in grade separation projects and don’t pitch in any funds. Such cities will demand changes in laws until someone gets hurt then they will blame transit and say we must keep building more lanes
@@sgt.eclair I thought that much: Public transport is rare in the US, and this a country of Endless and Many Law Suits after all. In Europe even if it is an accident, even a causality, they move everything aside as fast as it is possible, and the transport moves on.
@@f-86zoomer37 Understood! The new trains are a progress, for sure. I use Caltrain for over 10 years. I still have the old 10 and later 8-rides tickets in a box, aeons of time before the Clipper card.
That electric noise you hear is from the “engine”: in Europe you’d only hear it in the front and back cars but since here all wheels are powered you can’t escape it
This is awesome! I may not have to drive down to SJ as much (unless I'm buying a lot of crap). I do hope that the trains and seats stay clean for a long time. When BART got their new trains, it only took a matter of days before it got really disgusting; I'm afraid I might contract some kind of skin disease if/when I sit on BART seats. lol
@@TohaBgood2 You're lucky or you haven't seen the horrors I've seen on those seats. I'm not a germaphobe, but I always try not to touch anything inside a BART train car.
Hope the toilets are designed much better than the previous models. The previous trains, the toilets would often stink up the entire cars by the evening commute. Ruined an otherwise great trainset.
The european Kiss-trains are more narrow at the top, Caltrain-Kiss is all straight to the top on the side. I don't know if this was a wish from Caltrain to have as similar trains than before (with more space at the windows) or if this is mandatory)
@@claudea9037 the European loading gauge makes the second floor narrow to fit into old tunnels. In the US they don't have that restriction so they make the second floor full-size. that adds almost 20% more seats!
It's a pity such US is lagging behind the rest of the world which such important infrastructure projects. It's a single short line. In the same time we build 10time as much in Poland being 10x smaller population wise and God knows how much less wealthy by GDP. Yet we progress way faster infrastructure wise.
Am I hearing what sounds like a wheel flat at 9:39? If a wheel needs to be turned already on a new EMU, that doesn't bode well. Don't KISS units have ABS, so how could a wheel even get a flat? Strange.
Those are nice Swiss built trains, that have been ruined by having vinyl seats fitted. Why were vinyl seats installed? Its gonna be unhygienic on a hot day with those seats. They should have ordered cloth seat covers instead.
