

Business, Caltrain group looks to improve rail commute system - ak217
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Business-Caltrain-group-vows-to-improve-commute-5849249.php

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ghshephard
This doesn't get enough discussion - the reason why Google and others are
running their own "shadow" commuter system is that the Bay Area rapid transit
is abysmal.

Compared to places like New York, Tokyo, Singapore and London, where everyone
makes use of the transit system, in the Bay Area, only those who are
impoverished would consider trying to get anywhere using bart + caltrain +
public buses.

Everyone else (for reasonable definitions of "everyone" \- there is obviously
a small group of people who make use of bikes to work) either (A) Drives
(majority), (B) Is lucky enough to have a place of work near a caltrain
station (rare), (C) Has an employer provided shuttle to take them from
Caltrain to their place of work, or (D) Uses a Company provided bus.

Compare this to a place like Singapore, where the MRT + buses are actually a
very viable option to take you anywhere in the country.

I don't know how feasible or reasonable it would be to have an integrated Bus,
Bart, Caltrain transit system, with easy connection/transfer from each stage
would be, but, at the very least, cleaning up the Bus System so everyone felt
comfortable using them would be a nice start.

I'm still hoping the various counties can get over their insecurity and
eventually run BART around the bay one day.

~~~
GFK_of_xmaspast
BART used to be a regular part of my commute, with the occasional Caltrain
trip mixed in, and this: "only those who are impoverished would consider
trying to get anywhere using bart + caltrain + public buses." is so totally
out of line with my observed experiences that I have to wonder what on earth
you were tracking.

~~~
ghshephard
I lived in Oakland (17th and Merrit), and worked at Netscape in Mountain View
on Ellis. I took Bart + Caltrain + a company shuttle for 2 1/2 years. I tried
taking buses as well - but it was a brutal grind, and not something anybody
with a realistic choice would undertake. Bart + Caltrain is possible,
particularly now that Millbrae exists, and you don't have to perform the
absolutely wretched 4th and Townsend to Powell street transfer, which was the
bane of my existence.

But Public Buses are just not seen as first, or even second class
transportation in the Bay area, so most people, and certainly the vast, vast
majority of Silicon Valley employees, would never consider using them to get
to work in conjunction with Bart+Caltrain. They are, at most, used as part of
two-segment trip. (I.E. Caltrain + Bus, Bart + Bus).

What I'm really trying to say, is that if the valley had a first class rapid
transit system around the bay, so you could eliminate the transfer to
caltrain, and just go from Bart -> Bus, it might be a reasonable alternative
for a lot more people, particularly with company shuttles that run from the
nearby bart station to the office on a regular basis.

Speaking of which - I've been away from the Bay for a few years - have they
finally unified the payment of Caltrain/Bart/Buses, or are they still on
separate payment systems?

~~~
matthewarkin
You can use your Clipper Card on most transit systems (Golden Gate, BART,
MUNI, VTA, AC Transit, Sam Trans). You can load generic cash that can be used
on all the systems, or you can load the Bart "passes" (the $40 for $44). Some
monthly passes will get you monthly passes on other transit systems, like a
2-zone Caltrain includes a VTA monthly pass.

So yea you can use a clipper card everywhere but its still complicated. Also,
if you load your clipper card online it will take days to actually appear on
your card.

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furyg3
I know that many public transit services are (highly) subsidized, but it's a
bit shocking to me that a) there is a huge demand for more capacity and b) it
is simply a matter of adding more trains. It would seem to me that this is an
easy investment decision for local governments to make.

Many other transit services can't simply add trains without making other
investments like improving switching capacity so that trains can run closer
together, lengthening platforms, or adding tracks around platforms so that
express trains can jump ahead of trains stopped at a station. If your current
trains are at capacity while the infrastructure is underutilized (and there is
plenty of demand) that's just fantastic news.

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iblaine
Caltrain was not built to be a high volume short distance commuter train.
Which is why the shuttles exist. The shuttles are a crutch.

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garagemc2
You use Diesel Trains in San Fran. What the hell.

~~~
dayyan
Caltrain operates diesel generators on electric cars between Silicon Valley
and San Francisco.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is electric. MUNI train cars are electric. Many
of the buses are electric. Cable cars operate on a cable run by electric
motor.

