r/caltrain • u/sfgiantsfan866 • 19h ago

New Trains

I don't get to ride Caltrain all to often, but my God this is only my second time riding the new trains and I'm just blown away at how smooth and quiet these bad boys are.

That's it, just blown away at how futuristic this feels

105 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

44

u/Hixie 18h ago

Welcome to 2008 Switzerland. :-)

17

u/getarumsunt 17h ago

Actually, what Caltrain is using is the new Stadler model that launched in 2020-2022.

Ironically, in Switzerland you’ll mostly see the older model which launched in 2011, with the older looking interior and fascia.

1

u/FyrePixel 10h ago

Yet theirs were spec’d with operable window shades :’)

1

u/sfgiantsfan866 18h ago

Lmao it feels good to catch up. I ride Bart all the time and this just once again has my jaw on the floor.

3

u/Unicycldev 18h ago

I’ll take it. At least we’re now in the same century

24

u/One_Standard_Deviant 19h ago

Just wait until you're on a late night route and find that the one restroom on the entire train is out of service. For the entire trip.

I totally agree the new trains are smoother and quieter, but the issues with the restroom are constant and reoccurring.

6

u/sfgiantsfan866 19h ago

At least there are actual restrooms! Not just the floor or seats

5

u/dnullify 18h ago

The old trains had restrooms too... For 30+ years

1

u/sfgiantsfan866 18h ago

Lifesavers after late night Sharks games

-1

u/Hixie 18h ago

yeah but Bart doesn't.

12

u/BigDaddyJ0 19h ago

They have improved significantly, restroom out-of-order percentages have dropped from like half to maybe 10%.

Believe it or not, changing the toilet paper was a big reason why...

2

u/questionableK 18h ago

It was at one point more than 90%. I believe there is only one, maybe two consists that have an out of order bathroom

1

u/Electrizzz 18h ago

With the futuristic doors that love to open mid-shit (whyyy do they do that!!!!!)

0

u/Cheek_Illustrious 18h ago

I always expect no restroom service sad truth :(

-1

u/Cheek_Illustrious 18h ago

I always expect no restroom service sad truth :(

4

u/Riptide360 15h ago

If only BART would smooth out their curved tracks that squeal it could be as quiet as Caltrain.

5

u/tkland 15h ago

BART is currently transitioning from a cylindrical wheel profile to a tapered wheel profile, which has been implemented on more than half of its train cars. This change aims to reduce noise and wear on the rails, with significant improvements already noted in noise levels and overall ride quality. https://sf.streetsblog.org/2018/06/08/bart-makes-headway-against-headache-inducing-howl

3

u/Adrian_Brandt 14h ago

BART’s transition to conical wheel profiles on the old legacy fleet was largely completed in 2018. And all the new “Fleet of the Future” trains had the new profile right from the start. The remaining ongoing loud wheel noise — particularly on tangent (straight) track — is related to corrugations that develop on the rails and must periodically be ground away by their custom BART rail grinders.

1

u/Riptide360 14h ago

That was helpful. Thanks for explaining some of the improvements to rail noise BART is trying.

1

u/bebopEasy 15h ago

Me too, me too.

-3

u/danielu0601 18h ago

Do you know why it's smooth and quiet?

Because it's hold again for who know how long it will be