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The train itself was quiet when I rode it from SF to Palo Alto but they were honking the horn almost nonstop… so much for peace and quiet.

usr1106 2y ago
I grew up in a 600,000 inhabitants city in Germany. They got EMUs in the 1930s. When they got the next generation in the 1970s all level crossings were replaced. So California, one of the forerunners in the US, seems to be roughly 90 years behind. Depends on your age whether you'll be able to enjoy a quiet train trip during your lifetime. </sarcasm>
- dcrazy 2y ago
  In 1930s California’s population boom had just started. There were 5 million people in the state, split between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Both cities had electric trams, but the demand for regional rail wasn’t high enough to electrify it. Even today it’s not uncommon to de-electrify lower-volume rights of way.
DiogenesKynikos 2y ago
That's because they still haven't eliminated the crossing points. They need to turn every road or pedestrian crossing into an underpass or overpass, or eliminate it. They've started on this process, but it will take many years.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  Trains don't honk in much of Europe when approaching a gated crossing. The lights and barriers are assumed to be sufficient. Within cities, there may well be CCTV cameras (pointing only at the crossing) so the signal controllers can check the crossing is clear. More video than you could possibly want: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hidjpkqJ0-Y https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hidjpkqJ0-Y (I think the honk in the first one is the train driver recognizing the person filming? It's far too late to be for safety.)
  - presentation 2y ago
    I think they need the honking in the USA since this is the standard of behavior for American drivers… https://youtu.be/5kPxJnPQsBU?si=B8YyzKMAAWgimumi https://youtu.be/5kPxJnPQsBU?si=B8YyzKMAAWgimumi
- fallsoffbikes 2y ago
  I live a block away from a train crossing for a track that does a lot of local refinery transfers and occasional has freight. It has the normal old style crossing with an arm on each side with lights, a loud bell, and trains required to signal with horn. There are 8 road crossings in a short distance so each train is signals 8 times nearby. The requirements for a no-signal crossing is essentially a pedestrian gate. The quote the city has for each crossing was if I remember right 1.5 million usd. And you’d need to replace many of them. The city doesn’t want to prioritize that much money. (FWIW I agree) The worst thing is we have under utilized tracks going all over the region and no commuter train service. Even with the rail expansion prior to the Olympics (I’m near Los Angeles), the commuter rail is only being extended to the northern most edge of the city. Neighbors have been fighting against commuter rail every step of the way. I’ll say attending local govt and rail proposal meetings is at once interesting, impressive at what some groups are trying to achieve and disturbing at the lengths people go to prevent change.

usr1106 2y ago

I grew up in a 600,000 inhabitants city in Germany. They got EMUs in the 1930s. When they got the next generation in the 1970s all level crossings were replaced. So California, one of the forerunners in the US, seems to be roughly 90 years behind. Depends on your age whether you'll be able to enjoy a quiet train trip during your lifetime. </sarcasm>

dcrazy 2y ago
In 1930s California’s population boom had just started. There were 5 million people in the state, split between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Both cities had electric trams, but the demand for regional rail wasn’t high enough to electrify it. Even today it’s not uncommon to de-electrify lower-volume rights of way.

DiogenesKynikos 2y ago

That's because they still haven't eliminated the crossing points. They need to turn every road or pedestrian crossing into an underpass or overpass, or eliminate it. They've started on this process, but it will take many years.

Symbiote 2y ago
Trains don't honk in much of Europe when approaching a gated crossing. The lights and barriers are assumed to be sufficient. Within cities, there may well be CCTV cameras (pointing only at the crossing) so the signal controllers can check the crossing is clear. More video than you could possibly want: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hidjpkqJ0-Y https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hidjpkqJ0-Y (I think the honk in the first one is the train driver recognizing the person filming? It's far too late to be for safety.)
- presentation 2y ago
  I think they need the honking in the USA since this is the standard of behavior for American drivers… https://youtu.be/5kPxJnPQsBU?si=B8YyzKMAAWgimumi https://youtu.be/5kPxJnPQsBU?si=B8YyzKMAAWgimumi
fallsoffbikes 2y ago
I live a block away from a train crossing for a track that does a lot of local refinery transfers and occasional has freight. It has the normal old style crossing with an arm on each side with lights, a loud bell, and trains required to signal with horn. There are 8 road crossings in a short distance so each train is signals 8 times nearby. The requirements for a no-signal crossing is essentially a pedestrian gate. The quote the city has for each crossing was if I remember right 1.5 million usd. And you’d need to replace many of them. The city doesn’t want to prioritize that much money. (FWIW I agree) The worst thing is we have under utilized tracks going all over the region and no commuter train service. Even with the rail expansion prior to the Olympics (I’m near Los Angeles), the commuter rail is only being extended to the northern most edge of the city. Neighbors have been fighting against commuter rail every step of the way. I’ll say attending local govt and rail proposal meetings is at once interesting, impressive at what some groups are trying to achieve and disturbing at the lengths people go to prevent change.