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I live 300 Meters from a Station. IT IS SO MUCH QUIETER!

by SUDOSuperUser 2y ago

dekhn 2y ago
How about the horns? I heard that they are much worse in the new trains.
- CaliforniaKarl 2y ago
  FWIW, they don't sound worse to me, just different.
- zbrozek 2y ago
  I was really hoping the end of Chevron deference might mean Caltrain might get to kill off horns and bells. Alas, I don't think so. The optional noise (horns and bells, especially near the level crossings) is obscene and I don't know why we put up with it. Everywhere the trains go, people plug their ears to avoid hearing damage. It's a miserable failure of government.
  - aeternum 2y ago
    The worst part is the horns and bells don't even work. Many people die each year from being hit by Caltrain. Computer vision has come a long way and PoE cameras are now super cheap, would be nice if they installed cameras as part of the electrification project that could continually verify whether crossings /track was clear ahead. It could prevent at least the accidental collisions much better than a horn+bell.
    - creer 2y ago
      Are any significant number of them accidental?
      - aeternum 2y ago
        Yes, often a car that is stopped on the tracks then the driver panics when the gates start to come down. Starting with cameras only at the crossings would prevent these with extremely low cost, and crossings are also the only places where the train must blow the horn.
        creer 2y ago
        Okay. I wonder why this isn't already a thing. (Also probably, "extremely low cost" underestimates the ease with which all crossings and many stations on the Peninsula have already been built up to crazy levels.)
- jez 2y ago
  The one electric Caltrain I rode recently played an ear shattering tone inside the trains when the doors were about to open and close. With any luck and enough complaints, it should be easy enough to dial that back or drop it entirely. I don’t remember the old trains ever playing a noise as loud when the doors open and close.
  - creer 2y ago
    The old trains have the PA volume at completely random level from one car to the next. Often extremely loud. The staff is happy with it being just how it is (no intent to adjust it, no intent to report it to maintenance.) You travel on Caltrain or Bart with earplugs - necessary also because some cars are extra noisy and some cars have no sound insulation left.
  - Gravityloss 2y ago
    I think the new Stadler FLIRT trains over here also had "factory setting" horrible door close alert noise that was then toned down after a while. Maybe it's easier to have it that way so the manufacturer gets no lawsuit in the vein of "there was no warning the door was about to close!".

I live 300 Meters from a Station. IT IS SO MUCH QUIETER!

dekhn 2y ago

How about the horns? I heard that they are much worse in the new trains.

CaliforniaKarl 2y ago
FWIW, they don't sound worse to me, just different.
zbrozek 2y ago
I was really hoping the end of Chevron deference might mean Caltrain might get to kill off horns and bells. Alas, I don't think so. The optional noise (horns and bells, especially near the level crossings) is obscene and I don't know why we put up with it. Everywhere the trains go, people plug their ears to avoid hearing damage. It's a miserable failure of government.
- aeternum 2y ago
  The worst part is the horns and bells don't even work. Many people die each year from being hit by Caltrain. Computer vision has come a long way and PoE cameras are now super cheap, would be nice if they installed cameras as part of the electrification project that could continually verify whether crossings /track was clear ahead. It could prevent at least the accidental collisions much better than a horn+bell.
  - creer 2y ago
    Are any significant number of them accidental?
    - aeternum 2y ago
      Yes, often a car that is stopped on the tracks then the driver panics when the gates start to come down. Starting with cameras only at the crossings would prevent these with extremely low cost, and crossings are also the only places where the train must blow the horn.
      - creer 2y ago
        Okay. I wonder why this isn't already a thing. (Also probably, "extremely low cost" underestimates the ease with which all crossings and many stations on the Peninsula have already been built up to crazy levels.)
jez 2y ago
The one electric Caltrain I rode recently played an ear shattering tone inside the trains when the doors were about to open and close. With any luck and enough complaints, it should be easy enough to dial that back or drop it entirely. I don’t remember the old trains ever playing a noise as loud when the doors open and close.
- creer 2y ago
  The old trains have the PA volume at completely random level from one car to the next. Often extremely loud. The staff is happy with it being just how it is (no intent to adjust it, no intent to report it to maintenance.) You travel on Caltrain or Bart with earplugs - necessary also because some cars are extra noisy and some cars have no sound insulation left.
- Gravityloss 2y ago
  I think the new Stadler FLIRT trains over here also had "factory setting" horrible door close alert noise that was then toned down after a while. Maybe it's easier to have it that way so the manufacturer gets no lawsuit in the vein of "there was no warning the door was about to close!".