3 ms·

I'm a daily user of CalTrain (Mt. View → SF), I'm not at all sorry to it go. The system is very broken, and is due for a reboot. 1. Payments. Using conductors

I'm a daily user of CalTrain (Mt. View → SF), I'm not at all sorry to it go. The system is very broken, and is due for a reboot. 1. Payments. Using conductors to check tickets on a mass-transit system is asking to loose on fares. My commute is long enough (3 zones) that I get my ticket checked nearly every time. But many commuters who only travel one zone could easily avoid paying altogether. Conductors simply don't have the time to canvas the whole train between each stop. CalTrain ought to realize that it's in the business of mass transit, not leisurely travel and implement a tag on/off system (i.e. Muni). That aside, tickets are far too expensive. I pay for monthly parking and a monthly pass. That monthly fee is not much cheaper, if at all, than driving – and I don't have a hybrid or anything. Oh, and driving saves me at least 2 hours of commute time/day. Mass transit is a failure if it's neither faster nor cheaper. 2. Costs. I know nothing about trains, but I can't imagine that the full diesel engines they use for these 6~ish car commuter trains are necessary. There's got to be a lot of wasted fuel there. Further, do they really need to attach all those cars to every train? I have to think that less cars = less fuel use & less staff needed = cost savings. 3. Logistics. Again, I don't know much about mass-transit systems, but some simple logic and personal experience states that a two-track system means that if one things goes wrong the entire system gets badly backed up. CalTrain has been a lot more reliable lately, but I can testify that when it gets backed up, it gets really backed up. Tangentially, Caltrain relies on other systems to be useful – you have to either drive, bus, or BART to one of their stations. It's an incomplete system from inception. ============ My point: CalTrain is broken, I'd gladly suffer the hassle of not having it for a few years if it could be shut-down and reborn as an extension of BART or somesuch.

dnsworks 16y ago
"Mass transit is a failure if it's neither faster nor cheaper." I might argue that depends upon your enjoyment of driving versus riding. I for one dislike driving, and used to enjoy the 2 hours of caltrain time (I live a block from the SF stop) time to and from palo alto. I often got two uninterrupted hours of reading and listening to music in every day.
dasil003 16y ago
> 1. Payments. Using conductors to check tickets on a mass-transit system is asking to loose on fares. My commute is long enough (3 zones) that I get my ticket checked nearly every time. But many commuters who only travel one zone could easily avoid paying altogether. Conductors simply don't have the time to canvas the whole train between each stop. I travel one zone (MV to PA) and they ask for my ticket 10-20% of the time. What is the fine if you get caught without a ticket? $200? > CalTrain ought to realize that it's in the business of mass transit, not leisurely travel and implement a tag on/off system (i.e. Muni). Uh, isn't that exactly what they've been pushing for the last 6 months, and now just stopped selling 8-ride tickets, and soon, monthly passes as well? > Oh, and driving saves me at least 2 hours of commute time/day. Are you telling me you can drive from MV to SF faster than the bullet train during rush hour?

dnsworks 16y ago

"Mass transit is a failure if it's neither faster nor cheaper." I might argue that depends upon your enjoyment of driving versus riding. I for one dislike driving, and used to enjoy the 2 hours of caltrain time (I live a block from the SF stop) time to and from palo alto. I often got two uninterrupted hours of reading and listening to music in every day.

dasil003 16y ago

> 1. Payments. Using conductors to check tickets on a mass-transit system is asking to loose on fares. My commute is long enough (3 zones) that I get my ticket checked nearly every time. But many commuters who only travel one zone could easily avoid paying altogether. Conductors simply don't have the time to canvas the whole train between each stop. I travel one zone (MV to PA) and they ask for my ticket 10-20% of the time. What is the fine if you get caught without a ticket? $200? > CalTrain ought to realize that it's in the business of mass transit, not leisurely travel and implement a tag on/off system (i.e. Muni). Uh, isn't that exactly what they've been pushing for the last 6 months, and now just stopped selling 8-ride tickets, and soon, monthly passes as well? > Oh, and driving saves me at least 2 hours of commute time/day. Are you telling me you can drive from MV to SF faster than the bullet train during rush hour?