tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post4550624765829623108..comments2024-03-28T11:51:19.078-07:00Comments on Caltrain HSR Compatibility Blog: The Future of Caltrain, Without HSRClemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-52148721433742106572011-02-15T13:37:58.902-08:002011-02-15T13:37:58.902-08:00"For example, right now they're in the mi..."<i>For example, right now they're in the middle of renegotiating their operating contract, and accepting bids from non-Amtrak contractors ...</i>"<br /><br />Oh, it's much, much, MUCH worse than even you might imagine.<br /><br />You see, the terms of the operating contract were that the bidders were REQUIRED to take on the full massive over-staffing level of Amtrak, regardless of anything ... including service cutbacks!<br /><br />So there is less than zero scope for any operational efficiency, even if the dim-wit proven incompetents within the agency were open in the slightest to input from outside the SamTrans bunker, which they aren't.<br /><br />So there's supposedly a "bidding" process, but it's over nothing. The same number of people get employed to do nothing a great deal of the time, the bidders are in control over none of service level, service planning, capital project co-ordination, capital project priorities, staffing levels, or 95% of the ability to employ their own workforce.<br /><br />You want something other than yet more 19th century commuter rail? You want any "new" (post 1920!) thinking? You want anything but the most trivial change in operational efficiency? Don't look for it at Caltrain. They simply do not want any of this and have set up the process to preclude it.Richard Mlynarikhttp://www.pobox.com/users/mly/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-7225594355567866792011-02-12T11:11:34.742-08:002011-02-12T11:11:34.742-08:00What really concerns me with Caltrain is that it s...What really concerns me with Caltrain is that it seems like parts of the agency just don't talk to each other. For example, right now they're in the middle of renegotiating their operating contract, and accepting bids from non-Amtrak contractors. Yet I haven't heard anything at all about how this would affect their operating budget for the next year, which could obviously have a huge impact on the level of service they could provide.crzwdjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394805356595604336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-44831531601644396142011-02-11T20:57:08.451-08:002011-02-11T20:57:08.451-08:00Caltrain just posted proposed 48 train schedule in...Caltrain just posted proposed 48 train schedule in their web site. It is something similar to their proposed schedule after HSR is introduced. I fully doubt their planning capabilities.<br />I also worried about their willingness on cost reduction. It looks that Caltrain want new Tax but they don't want to change themselves. Caltrain is stick to 48 train, no weekend and station closure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-26381824181804452792011-02-08T21:57:17.677-08:002011-02-08T21:57:17.677-08:00Thanks, Richard, for doing all the hard work of lo...Thanks, Richard, for doing all the hard work of looking up those records. Given that there are 10 parcels and extrapolating from the sale price that we know, it would be reasonable to estimate the cost of acquiring them at something like $5 million, which is quite insignificant compared even to the cost of the grade separation project, much less the cost of any Caltrain upgrade program or the numbers being thrown around for HSR construction. And acquiring those properties and easing the curve would have a real, tangible benefit to travel time, and would be more cost effective than saving the same amount of time by building five miles of HSR track that allows the San Joaquins to run at 110 mph instead of 80. As Caltrain is also used by thousands of commuters daily, the benefits would be greater too.crzwdjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394805356595604336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-8895479991339022402011-02-07T21:06:34.229-08:002011-02-07T21:06:34.229-08:00From Richard Mlynarik...
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One could speculate...From Richard Mlynarik...<br /><br />---<br /><br />One could speculate, or one could make the effort to gather data. (One could also just ask the right people, which would be even easier.)<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.smcare.org/assessor/" rel="nofollow">San Mateo County Assessor Recorder's Office</a> provides a <a href="http://www.smcare.org/apps/ParcelMaps/default.aspx" rel="nofollow">form</a> that enables one to easily determine, from the comfort of one's own living room, the lot and block numbers of the relevant parcels (APNs, Assessor's Parcel Numbers in SMCo-speak.)<br /><br />We're <a href="http://www.smcare.org/apps/ParcelMaps/apnraster/BK014/01429.tif" rel="nofollow">looking at</a>:<br />* 014-292-130 (903 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-120 (925 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-110 (933 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-100 (937 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-090 (941 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-080 (949 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-070 (957 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-060 (961 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-050 (967 Montgomery)<br />* 014-292-040 (973 Montgomery)<br /><br />Using a <a href="http://www.sanmateocountytaxcollector.org/SMCWPS/pages/secureSearch.jsp" rel="nofollow">painfully misimplemented search form</a> is is straightforward if a little tiresome to determine the recorded owners of these parcels.<br /><br />* 014-292-130 (903 Montgomery), last sold for $125,000 on 14-Mar-1986, belongs to<br /> REDACTED PER CA AB2238 of 851 Crane Avenue, Foster City.<br /> <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292130/903_montgomery/" rel="nofollow">A trivial amount of Googling</a> reveals that the owners are some members of the Keighran family.<br /> I don't know much about penny ante micro town politics, but there's an <a href="http://www.annkeighran.com/" rel="nofollow">Ann Keighran</a> on the mighty Burlingame City Council, and appear to be a lot of sundry Keighrans embedded left and right.<br /> No idea if these people are big movers and shakers in the big bad world of San Bruno politics.<br /><br />* 014-292-120 through -090 (925, 933, 937, 941 Montgomery)<br /> (last sold for $129,000, $99,000, $129,000, $129,000 on in Jun-Jul 1986), all belong to<br /> REDACTED PER CA AB2238 of 88 Idlewood Court, South San Francisco.<br /> That would of course be <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014330620/88_idlewood" rel="nofollow">Vijay Chand, Saras W Chand</a><br /> They appear to <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/search?f=homeowners&q=Vijay%2BChand" rel="nofollow">own</a> <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/search?f=homeowners&q=Saras%2BChand" rel="nofollow">significant</a> amounts of local real estate.<br /><br />* 014-292-080 (949 Montgomery)<br /> last sold for $320,000 on <b>22 Jan 2010</b> as a foreclosure sale to <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292080/949_montgomery/" rel="nofollow">David Kuan</a>.<br /><br />* 014-292-070 (957 Montgomery) belongs to<br /> <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292070/957_montgomery" rel="nofollow">Josefina Palafox</a>.<br /><br />* 014-292-060 (961 Montgomery) belongs to<br /> <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292060/961_montgomery" rel="nofollow">Jose Joel Arevalos and Maria Guadalupe Arevalos</a>.<br /><br />* 014-292-050 (967 Montgomery) belongs to<br /> <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292050/967_montgomery" rel="nofollow">Arthur Fanfelle</a> who lives inside PO Box 1176, San Bruno.<br /> He <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/search?f=homeowners&q=Arthur%2BFanfelle" rel="nofollow">seems to own</a> a number of properties around San Bruno, though less than the Chand landlords.<br /><br />* 014-292-040 (973 Montgomery) belongs to<br /> the <a href="http://sf.blockshopper.com/property/014292040/973_montgomery" rel="nofollow">G & C Sanchez Family Limited Partnership</a> of 2820 Evergreen Drive, San Bruno, which is also the address of the "Guadalupe A Sanchez Trust".Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-85543244366793348092011-02-07T16:37:30.377-08:002011-02-07T16:37:30.377-08:00I've been told that Somebody Important (city c...<i>I've been told that Somebody Important (city council or higher) owns property on Montgomery, and that's why the curve wasn't eased. I cannot confirm this rumor.</i><br /><br />The weird thing about this, if true, is that the location in question is quite blighted. It's surrounded by I-380, Caltrain, airport parking, and auto body shops/light industrial. It's really a terrible location for a residential neighborhood. I seriously doubt the city councilmember lives there...most likely they are renting it out for not much rent.<br /><br />If I owned property there, I'd <b>want</b> the city/county to buy me out. At least then I'd have a shot at getting an above-market price for selling quickly, plus I could avoid the 10% hit in transaction costs. And every "comp" they could possibly use in assigning the price they'd give me could only increase the value, because it's basically the worst location in San Bruno. You definitely won't get much trying to sell it on the actual market.mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-83307106740688911102011-02-05T19:47:21.653-08:002011-02-05T19:47:21.653-08:00A lot of the investment is in parts and components...<em>A lot of the investment is in parts and components that can be re-configured like a giant erector set. </em><br /><br />That work isn't going to be done by Keebler Elves. It's going to be done by construction workers who will want to be paid in cold hard cash or it's equivalents in electronic funds transfers. <br /><br /><em>The reasons why you might *not* want to do this have to do with track capacity and gate down-times.</em> <br /><br />And the people who will be boarding in San Jose instead of San Francisco will be getting to San Jose by going to the Keebler Elf tree on the corner and using the elfin teletransporter to get to San Jose? The gates will be down whether the logo on the side of the train says Caltrain or CAHSR or Virgin or Southern Pacific... <br /><br /><em>I've been told that Somebody Important (city council or higher) owns property on Montgomery, and that's why the curve wasn't eased. I cannot confirm this rumor.</em><br /><br />Hmm the stereotypical rumor mongering is that someone important owns the property to be taken and is planning on making a killing when the good ol' boy network inflates the assessment.Adirondacker12800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-91378265592684801502011-02-03T23:04:47.172-08:002011-02-03T23:04:47.172-08:00At this point, peninsula high-speed rail is an ope...<i>At this point, peninsula high-speed rail is an open-ended proposition with no clear dates in sight.</i><br /><br />I thought that it's actually been like that all along, with the HSR design not really getting past the very preliminary stage, despite the appearance from the HSRA (with which they managed to anger half the cities along the line). And one could argue that the Caltrain staff should have known better than to tie the future of their agency to the HSR albatross. But hey, Bob Doty got himself a pretty nice job at HNTB out of it.crzwdjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394805356595604336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-69806134738454127552011-02-03T22:36:36.303-08:002011-02-03T22:36:36.303-08:00"I've been told that Somebody Important (...<em>"I've been told that Somebody Important (city council or higher) owns property on Montgomery, and that's why the curve wasn't eased. I cannot confirm this rumor."</em><br /><br />Now why doesn't that surprise me? Politics have always had the upper hand. Been like that since this country was founded.Eric Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-25959508623416776902011-02-03T20:49:34.434-08:002011-02-03T20:49:34.434-08:00I wanted to address a bunch of points.
it's r...I wanted to address a bunch of points.<br /><br /><i>it's really really stupid to string up wire, which has a 75 year or so life cycle and then rip it all out a few years later</i><br /><br />It's not so stupid if you think about it. A lot of the investment is in parts and components that can be re-configured like a giant erector set. The only parts "lost" would be pole footings. Everything else, poles, hardware, insulators, wire, etc. would be re-usable. Not to mention all the other stuff that doesn't depend on future track configuration (substations, CEMOF, 4th & King, SF tunnels, etc.)<br /><br />Caltrain needed electrification 10 years ago, not 10 years from now. At this point, peninsula high-speed rail is an open-ended proposition with no clear dates in sight. Not only that, but the CHSRA is now talking about doing it in phases, i.e. starting with the two track system and gradually building stuff where it is most pressing.<br /><br /><i>Once the wire is up there's no technical reason whey an HSR train couldn't go to San Francisco. Regulatory ones but no technical ones.</i><br /><br />Not even regulatory. Provided that the high-speed trains meet the same Euro structural and crashworthiness standards as Caltrain (as allowed by the waiver, and as the Velaros, Talgos and AGVs of the world already do), there is no technical or regulatory barrier to running HSR through 43 grade crossings. The reasons why you might *not* want to do this have to do with track capacity and gate down-times.<br /><br /><i>Looking at the San Bruno project which you brought up in the slides, I notice that they do not provide room for more than 2 tracks!</i><br /><br />They do, sort of. Read and weep:<br /><a href="http://www.caltrain.com/Assets/_Public+Affairs/pdf/San+Bruno+Grade+Separation+Community+Meeting+Presentation.pdf" rel="nofollow">Caltrain presentation</a><br />Blog post: <a href="http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2009/09/san-bruno-done-wrong.html" rel="nofollow">San Bruno Done Wrong</a><br />Blog post: <a href="http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2009/04/san-bruno-done-right.html" rel="nofollow">San Bruno Done Right</a><br />Blog post: <a href="http://caltrain-hsr.blogspot.com/2010/03/san-bruno-out-to-bid.html" rel="nofollow">San Bruno Out to Bid</a><br /><br />I've been told that Somebody Important (city council or higher) owns property on Montgomery, and that's why the curve wasn't eased. I cannot confirm this rumor.Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-85827772335795135442011-02-03T15:11:33.132-08:002011-02-03T15:11:33.132-08:00And it is just asinine to not take the properties ...And it is just asinine to not take the properties along Montgomery Street so the San Bruno curve can be straightened out!Eric Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-55507512840539830112011-02-03T13:30:50.685-08:002011-02-03T13:30:50.685-08:00Looking at the San Bruno project which you brought...Looking at the San Bruno project which you brought up in the slides, I notice that they do not provide room for more than 2 tracks! I feel that no work should be permitted anywhere that, if it is possible, does not include room for future high speed. Does it not cross the minds of those involved with the San Bruno station that they should be building a station with 4 platforms? The lack of foresight will destroy all of the physical improvements within a decade at the least. Please correct me If I am wrong. If I am not, then I fear for the intelligence of our leaders.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04639926593565683599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-23030720620121261452011-02-02T16:33:32.668-08:002011-02-02T16:33:32.668-08:00Much of the infrastructure can be reused, and some...Much of the infrastructure can be reused, and some, like substations, doesn't have to change at all (assuming it's built to accommodate additional power demand when HSR comes around and isn't built within the space that might eventually be occupied by additional tracks).Joeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16406340564037825796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-12883023369234610512011-02-02T14:28:34.468-08:002011-02-02T14:28:34.468-08:00Clem, you points are very good.... but it's re...Clem, you points are very good.... but it's really really stupid to string up wire, which has a 75 year or so life cycle and then rip it all out a few years later. Run diesels until plans for HSR are finalized. <br /><br />Once the wire is up there's no technical reason whey an HSR train couldn't go to San Francisco. Regulatory ones but no technical ones.Adirondacker12800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-41674603439576301252011-02-02T12:07:36.418-08:002011-02-02T12:07:36.418-08:005 different stopping pattern in peak period(2 diff...5 different stopping pattern in peak period(2 different Baby Bullet, 2 Local-express and limited) makes inflexible if people miss the train, or any of train accident.<br />Caltrain should consider re-optimization the schedule. <br />Baby bullet should have same stopping pattern just differenciate between "Traditional commute" vs "Reverse commute". They did not changed the schedule scince 2005.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-88154562202158643062011-02-01T22:29:32.235-08:002011-02-01T22:29:32.235-08:00Clem: Ah, so the funding is for the trains specifi...Clem: Ah, so the funding is for the trains specifically. I was hoping it could be transfered to building the wires themselves, and Caltrain could lease some electric trains until they got enough money to buy the new EMUs.<br /><br />Spokker: in the tech jobs in Silicon Valley, people tend to wander in by about 10 am, and leave around dinnertime. On time performance of trains is more an annoyance than anything, and the real constraint is on schedule flexibility. For example, if I were to take Caltrain and the shuttle to work from San Francisco, I couldn't leave any later than 7:44 am, to get to work at 9, an hour before everyone else gets there. I feel like commuting by car is also subject to random delays, plus it's pretty stressful the whole time, since for many people it's 30 miles of heavy freeway traffic. Plus, on the train you can read your email on the way to/from work, which counts as "work" time.crzwdjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394805356595604336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-3209561701071512082011-02-01T21:15:25.274-08:002011-02-01T21:15:25.274-08:00"Raw speed matters, but so does reliability, ..."Raw speed matters, but so does reliability, frequency, and availability of reliable transit connections."<br /><br />Raw speed matters to people who don't need to care about being late. A lot of older professionals fall into this category. <br /><br />If you're young, you are better off driving. First, if you aren't at work for whatever reason, you can be replaced far more easily. Second, the boss isn't going to care that your connection failed. Someone else showed up and can likely do your job just as well.<br /><br />Commuter rail in California is really the older generation who are already established. If older workers are late because of the train or a missed connection, they'll be believed. If they show up late, others are probably waiting for them, not the other way around. Trains are not reliable enough for people who count on it the most. I stopped taking the bus because I didn't want to be late for quizzes and tests. I missed one quiz when a guy decided it would be a good idea to get angry and shatter the window of the bus. Out of service and the next bus comes in an hour. <br /><br />When I finally graduate, I won't be taking rail. Some guy decides to jump in front of the train and, bam, I'm fired because I couldn't show up to work. At least if your auto commute is three hours, you can leave early enough to get there on time. Car accidents are cleaned up relatively quickly.Spokkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03244298044953214810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-42123437050619088952011-02-01T19:39:07.167-08:002011-02-01T19:39:07.167-08:00Missing the point, again. The hard part of this i...Missing the point, again. The hard part of this isn't getting trains, new or used. The funding for fleet replacement is all lined up from the FTA.<br /><br />The hard part is getting wires strung up... there is strong institutional resistance to this for the 4 reasons I listed:<br /><br />(1) the local transportation-industrial complex (fronted by MTC) doesn't like it because there's no concrete pouring<br /><br />(2) not so many local jobs created<br /><br />(3) undermines the case for BART on the peninsula, should HSR fall through<br /><br />(4) viewed by litigious anti-HSR forces as a foot in the door for HSR and therefore must not be allowed under any circumstance. Scorched earth and all that.<br /><br />This is a very difficult <i>political</i> puzzle. The technical stuff is a no-brainer...Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-79791859695191079902011-02-01T19:03:56.954-08:002011-02-01T19:03:56.954-08:00NJTransit sold them to Utah which leased them to L...NJTransit sold them to Utah which leased them to LA before they got repainted.Adirondacker12800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-27365847624348199892011-02-01T18:21:11.442-08:002011-02-01T18:21:11.442-08:00Peter: HHP-8s are a likely fleet, or even more imm...Peter: HHP-8s are a likely fleet, or even more immediately, New Jersey Transit is getting rid of their ALP-44s, which is a fairly tried and true design, and the locomotives themselves were built in the late 80s and early 90s, which isn't all that long ago. Plus, NJT is already in the railcar leasing business, what with their old Comet I cars making appearances in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.crzwdjkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394805356595604336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-20446463488279982132011-02-01T09:39:47.206-08:002011-02-01T09:39:47.206-08:00Does anyone know much more it would cost Caltrain ...Does anyone know much more it would cost Caltrain in the long run if instead of purchasing all-new electric trainsets, it electrified its current two track system, leased some more Bombardier cars to replace the Gallery cars that are reaching the end of their life, and leased some electric locomotives from Amtrak. Maybe they could lease some of the HHP-8s that are being replaced in a few years. That would give Caltrain enough equipment to hold them over until they have the funds together to upgrade to a full EMU fleet.<br /><br />Of course, this all presumes that Caltrain is able to survive in the short term...Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-65278121964139086032011-02-01T09:33:20.802-08:002011-02-01T09:33:20.802-08:00@ Clem
I know about VTA defunding electrification...@ Clem<br /><br />I know about VTA defunding electrification, I was being snarky.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00326948451529910432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-20459743048673413112011-02-01T08:35:38.700-08:002011-02-01T08:35:38.700-08:00Regarding the baby bullets... It's interesting...Regarding the baby bullets... It's interesting how perception seems to have played a part in their success. <br /><br />They really aren't much faster than some limited express trains(ex. 285 is 9 minutes slower than 383 from SJ to SF), yet I would frequently hear passengers talk as if they were twice as fast. In conversations people would even argue it until I showed them the schedule. Marketing matters (since when was 48MPH avg "like a bullet" anyway? especially when compared to 42MPH avg?)<br /><br />Alas, I stopped riding caltrain after I got fed up with poor transit connections and infrequent, unreliable service. The morning commute becomes much longer when MUNI runs late and you miss your train (for example) or the shuttle to work decides to not show up. Nevermind the lack of flexibility for days that I needed to work early or late, or caltrain's weekly(or more) mechanical glitches. Raw speed matters, but so does reliability, frequency, and availability of reliable transit connections.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-52519842172139485072011-01-31T21:13:21.817-08:002011-01-31T21:13:21.817-08:00@Brent: my mistake--I incorrectly assumed that onl...@Brent: my mistake--I incorrectly assumed that only the $2.1B for phase 1 to Berryessa was lined up. As you pointed out, a goodly portion of phase 2 to Santa Clara is funded, putting the total closer to 80%. That only reinforces my point that the three Caltrain counties are awash in cash for rail projects, although Caltrain is not partaking in that bounty.<br /><br />@Peter: do yourself a favor and study up on Santa Clara Measure A (2000). VTA asked county voters to fund a wide basket of transit projects including SCCo's entire portion of the Caltrain electrification project, from Palo Alto to Gilroy. In 2008 VTA decided to defund Caltrain electrification (since HSR was Caltrain's white knight) and everything else, and assigned all the money into BART. Without asking voters. This will probably be litigated at some point.Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01374282217135682245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8419444332771213285.post-15994795667956724822011-01-31T19:52:43.331-08:002011-01-31T19:52:43.331-08:00"Run Jedi, Run. You have only prolonged the i..."Run Jedi, Run. You have only prolonged the inevitable."<br /><br />-The GeneralAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com