Caltrain EMU Testing, Amtrak Coast Starlight, and more in Santa Clara 

In all fairness, Amtrak is now also upgrading to European-style Siemens trains. The new Siemens Charger locomotives and Siemens Venture cars, the same ones Brightline and VIA ordered, are actually stellar modern trains. They’ve just started the upgrade but in a few years Amtrak will be pretty much unrecognizable. We’re about to get a real world class national rail carrier, at least in terms of rolling stock!

@@TohaBgood2 Being unrecognizable is a very good thing :-) I know OKC-FTW is probably way down on their list of priorities. I want to take a long distance ride but they need to replace their sleepers with something not looking 50 years out of date.

@@TohaBgood2 These are for our regional trains. Which is fantastic. But I wonder what's in store for our sleepers. At least we get a clean slate with the Superliners. Unfortunately we've already committed to the Viewliner IIs which look the same as the originals, on the outside.

@@jonesyokc Like Samuel said, I think the long distance trains are only getting upgraded interiors, unfortunately. But still! At least we’re getting new interiors and modern equipment with hopefully properly working wifi this time. Also, the classic dining experience is returning! I hear the food is actually pretty stellar now, at least on the Western routes.

@@samuelitooooo Eh, you can’t win them all. But Honestly, the thing that I want the most is for them to make the historic long-distance trains more touristy and more bougie. I know it’s an unpopular opinion. They already cost an arm and a leg! They need to upgrade the experience and really lean in on the old-timey charm of the whole experience. I mean, let’s face it, nobody takes these iconic trains to get anywhere. Almost everyone is taking them “for the experience”. So I say, dial that up to eleven and come up with a few “first class” packages that could recoup the entire subsidy that those trains are currently getting from the profitable intercity routes. We’ve already seen that people will pay a ton of money for “the experience” with the Rocky Mountaineer and other luxe products. It can be done!

so there replacing the old train cars with Stadler Kiss and have it pulled by the EMD F40PH right?

@@Perich29 Catenary is in the process of being installed and energized! Electrified service isn't scheduled to start for another two years!

@@Perich29 Lol, no bud. They’re just clearance testing the new trains by towing them with the old diesel locomotives. In actual service the new trains will run under their own electric power.

They do that

Thanks Kimber !

What's "clearance testing?"

@@TheRailwayDrone They want to make sure that the new emus fit through the tunnels and don’t hit anything along the corridor

@@westernpacificrr That's the purpose of the yellow foam going around the car near the end of the train.

@@danielcarroll3358 yup.

ME TOO!

2024 supposedly

2024

@@Perich29 I'm thinking they can't just let them sit in large warehouses for two years. They'll need to run them every once in a while, to keep them from getting all rusty and stuff.

@@roachtoasties have an employees bobtail in these Loco to work and home everyday and then it would have running time.

The MP36PHI-3CS will be staying to serve down to Gilroy, from what I understand.

Even though it wasn’t powered testing, it was still testing. They were testing station clearances and the track crossovers before running them under their own power