#commuter-rail — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #commuter-rail, aggregated by home.social.
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Something we never considered when we decided to move from Bostonish to the country was, is there a train nearby? Despite not considering it, we really lucked out. There is. I am so grateful to be near the commuter rail: an hour ride* in no hassle comfort and "boom!" dropped right in the city. No traffic. No search for parking. No stress.
*Only 50 minutes for me as I'm traveling to Somerville/Cambridge. We're also real lucky we're on the line that travels this route. #MBTA #CommuterRail -
It's never a good sign when the train conductor comes on the loudspeaker and says, "Okay, here's the situation...."
#train #commuting #ChooChoo #MBTA #CommuterRail -
This is an obvious April Fool's joke, but ngl I'd prefer a screaming car over listening to someone else's cell phone conversations
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Amtrak catenary wire comes down right on top of Franklin Line train in Hyde Park; riders spend an hour inside metal cars with no AC
https://www.universalhub.com/2025/amtrak-catenary-wire-comes-down-right-top-franklin-line-train-hyde
#MBTA #Boston #CommuterRail -
America’s most-improved regional rail line
Twenty-five years or so of traveling to the Bay Area for work and for family have not left me in the habit of handing out compliments to rail transit there. Between the limited route maps of Bay Area Rapid Transit and Muni Metro and the horribly expensive construction costs of projects like San Francisco’s 1.7-mile, $1.6 billion Central Subway, public transport around the Bay has too often served first as a lesson to others.
More recently–especially since Google moved its I/O developer conference to Mountain View in 2016–I’ve gotten acquainted with and also unimpressed by Caltrain’s commuter-rail service on the peninsula, run with trains hauled by aging, loud and polluting diesel locomotives. But this week’s I/O trip introduced me to a reinvented rail line that the rest of the U.S. should envy.
Between last May and this May, Caltrain completed a lengthy modernization project to string electric wires over 51 miles of track from San Francisco to San Jose and buy electric-multiple-unit, double-decker trainsets from the Swiss manufacturer Stadler.
So instead of waiting for my ride south from Milbrae to groan its way up to speed on Monday night, this train (packed with Giants fans on their way home from that night’s game) quietly whooshed out of the station. That faster acceleration from every stop helped my entire trip from SFO to Mountain View, starting with BART from the airport, take less time than just last year’s Caltrain ride from Milbrae to Mountain View.
Bunking down in an Airbnb four blocks from that station for the next three nights provided another reminder of how much better electrified trains are: I didn’t hear the roar of diesel engines, leaving just train horns at the nearby grade crossings.
Less obvious but also appreciated: the immense drop in air pollution at and near stations as well as onboard train cars.
My return trip up the peninsula Thursday morning, one of four northbound departures from Mountain View between 8 and 9 a.m., was as great as the ride down. Other passengers seemed to agree about the usefulness of the service, with the train looking as crowded as Monday night’s. Caltrain’s fare date for April showed a more than 50 percent jump in ridership compared to a year ago, outpacing growth at every other transit agency in the region.
(Bonus: the fastest train WiFi I’ve enjoyed to date.)
Outside the U.S., this is not that special–fast, frequent, electric-hauled trains are the default for regional rail service across Europe. But in most of the States, the best you can get outside a subway’s service area is a diesel engine, hopefully built in the last 15 years, hauling passenger cars. This trip to the Bay Area reminded me that we don’t have to accept that level of sluggish, noisy and dirty service as good enough.
We can, however, do better than Caltrain in electrifying regional rail lines, since that organization wound up spending $2.44 billion on this upgrade. Delusional NIMBY lawsuits, Trump adminstration unhelpfulness, and the pandemic aren’t its fault, but Caltrain can’t blame anybody else for an unnecessarily conservative infrastructure design and a botched proprietary train-control effort. And it still needs to raise station platforms to train-door levels to speed boarding and alighting.
A recent report called Momentum, written by veteran NYC transit reporter Nolan Hicks for New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management, provides a must-read playbook for other transit organizations about how to avoid design mistakes like Caltrain’s and electrify and accelerate their routes at lower costs.
Commuter-rail managers should read it. And if they find themselves needing to head south of San Francisco on their next trip to the Bay Area, they should take a ride on a line that may make them feel bad about their own service.
#BART #BayArea #Caltrain #catenary #commuterRail #diesel #electricMultipleUnit #electricTrain #electrification #EMU #GoogleIO #Muni #overheadWire #pollution #regionalRail
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In one of the happiest accidents that ever resulted from utter failure in planning, I got “stranded” in the parking lot of Palo Alto Medical's main campus... and discovered I was 6 stories above a #Caltrain line on a beautiful day. 🥰
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So electrifying a train line works, even in the USA…
Just use modern rolling stock.
#usa #publictransport #caltrain #commuterrail #stadlerhttps://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/caltrain-electrification-project-paying-off-19917422.php
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@universalhub dead inbound #commuterrail #FitchburgLine train between #Belmont & #Porter. Rescue train on the way.
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pro tip: if you're taking commuter rail into and out of Boston on a day with a Red Sox game, you might not need to buy a ticket.
They didn't check either inbound or outbound.
(I bought and activated my tickets anyway, I think public transit is worth supporting.)
But now I'm realizing maybe I should have checked, and maybe this is an explicit policy on this line on game days?
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#MBTA board commits to making the Fairmount Line battery operated by early 2028
https://www.universalhub.com/2024/mbta-board-commits-making-fairmount-line-battery -
Which US city’s commuter rail is the best, and why is it Metra?
#Metra #CommuterRail -
‘“We believe additional [Sounder] trips would be supported by the public and would address ridership demand in 2036,” Saxe said. If we were to engage with BNSF on the possibility of adding new trips, we would continue to track ridership trends as well.”
Saxe added that Sounder capital projects uniquely qualify for Federal Railroad Administration grants and financing, unlike Sound Transit’s other modes. ' https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/06/15/sounder-south-frequency-boost/ #CommuterRail #RegionalRail #Sounder #Seattle #Tacoma @urbanistorg
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Riding the #MBTA #CommuterRail for the first time in maybe a decade and
1. It’s a pain in the ass,
2. It’s expensive, but
3. Trains are freakin cool -
Rapid transit plan calls for 10-20 minute service through #PortlandMaine, #WestbrookMaine and #GorhamMaine
Maine Public | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published July 28, 2023
"Local officials in #GreaterPortland are considering a system of #RapidTransit bus routes for the region.
"Under a draft proposal from the Greater Portland Council of Governments, dedicated bus lanes would provide express service through Portland, Westbrook and Gorham more quickly than traditional bus service, with stops along the way.
"The preferred route would start at the University of Southern Maine campus in Gorham, travel through downtown Westbrook and stop at the USM campus in Portland before heading down Congress Street and ending near the Eastern Promenade.
"The proposal envisions service every 10 minutes between Portland and Westbrook, and 20 minutes between Westbrook and Gorham.
"'That's frequent enough that you're not relying on a schedule anymore,' said Andrew Clark, transit program manager for #GPCOG. 'You're no longer planning your day around the bus schedule. You just know you can go out to the station, and the bus will be there in 10 minutes or something like that.'
"Clark said service every 10-20 minutes should also lure riders who wouldn't normally consider taking #PublicTransit.
"'I think people understand the role that transit can play in making our cities better, its role in reducing congestion, its role in better climate outcomes, better social equity outcomes,' he said.
"Greater Portland Metro would operate the proposed route, but the vehicles and stops would have a different look than the service's existing buses, Clark added.
"The proposed routes are still a long way away, Clark said. The cities of Portland, Westbrook and Gorham will need to decide how much road space can be freed up for dedicated bus lanes. The project will also need to secure federal funds for the new bus lanes and some new battery-powered vehicles.
"Local officials also eventually envision rapid transit routes to South Portland, Biddeford and Saco, Brunswick and Windham."
#GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHillFarm #Sprawl
#SaveTheForest #Woodlands
#Meadows #InducedDemand
#EnvironmentalImpact
#GorhamConnector
#SaveRedBrook #RedBrook
#GreaterPortlandMaine
#BusService #MTA
#ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #PeterMills #JanetMills #CommuterRail #RapidTransit #GreaterPortland #Maine -
There are alternatives to the #GorhamBypass... This is one of them! A much better use for the #Infrastructure funds #Maine received!!!
Gorham-Westbrook-Portland #RapidTransit Study
The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland Rapid Transit Study examined the need for and benefits of a rapid transit line connecting Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland. Based on estimated ridership, travel times, operating costs, and social equity, the study concluded that the most direct and fastest route alignment is via Main Street, Brighton Ave, and Congress Street. From west to east, this alignment connects USM Gorham, Gorham Village, downtown Westbrook, Rock Row, USM Portland, Maine Medical Center, downtown Portland, and the Eastern Waterfront. See project document below:
"The Bigger Picture. The purpose of this project is to provide fast, reliable, and frequent transit service that connects Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland's major transportation and/or activity centers. This project stems from our region's long-range transit plan Transit Tomorrow. That plan identifies five corridors where rapid transit is feasible. The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland corridor is the first corridor we studied. The bigger goal is to create a rapid transit network that allows us to meet the growing demand placed on our transportation network without building new roads or inducing more vehicle travel. "
https://www.gpcog.org/557/Gorham-Westbrook-Portland-Rapid-Transit-
#GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHillFarm #Sprawl
#SaveTheForest #Woodlands
#Meadows #InducedDemand
#EnvironmentalImpact
#GorhamConnector
#SaveRedBrook #RedBrook
#GreaterPortlandMaine
#LightRail #BikeLanes
#BusService #MTA
#ProtectFarmland #LessCars #WorkingFarms #PeterMills #JanetMills #CommuterRail #RapidTransit #GreaterPortland #Maine -
The #KTMKomuter is a lifeline to many people in #Seremban who depend on it to go to #KLSentral and back
It used to take about 1⅔ hour to reach KL Sentral from Seremban and vice versa
The early morning express train service with limited stops take about 1⅓ hour
However, as of late, the train services had gone from bad to worse, with journey taking almost 2½ hours
Read more: https://thesun.my/opinion_news/too-much-inconvenience-for-tomorrow-s-comfort-FA11995426
#rail #railway #KTM #KTMB #heavyrail #regionalrail #commuterrail #regionaltrain #commutertrain
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Commuters can enjoy #freerides on #KTMKomuter #train for two days on Jan 24 and 25 for #Thaipusam.
A total of 28 #stations will be operating on a #24hour basis from 23 to 26 Jan, and 72 additional #trains allocated.
Additional train services will also be implemented for #ETS service to ease travels between the north and central peninsula from Jan 24-26.
#rail #railway #commutertrain #commuterrail #regionaltrain #regionalrail #intercitytrain #intercityrail
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Wonder if any #MBTA or #railfain nerds can figure out what’s weird about this #CommuterRail train I happened to photograph yesterday passing Gilman square. I had to do a double take after it went by. Not the greatest photos because I wasn’t set up for it but oh well.
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@tris calling the temporary #Lynn #CommuterRail station the 'Lynnterim'
is an abomination of a #portmanteau, and thus I'm all here for it. #MBTA -
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Now, if we could just get some light rail for the greater #PortlandMaine area (instead of building more highways through woods and farmland)!
Federal funding will allow #Downeaster to explore expansion to Rockland, add Falmouth station
The money comes as ridership from Boston to Brunswick has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
By Eric Russell, December 8, 2023
"The #Amtrak Downeaster will receive a half million dollars under a new initiative from the Biden Administration to improve and expand #PassengerRail service across the country.
"The $500,000 in funding for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster, will explore building a new station in Falmouth and extending train service from Brunswick to Rockland, something that has long been considered.
"The award to the Downeaster, which runs daily from #Boston to #BrunswickMaine with several stops along the way, was part of $8.2 billion in funds announced Friday under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program. It’s the largest federal investment in passenger rail transportation since Amtrak was created in 1971.
"The largest portion of those funds – $3 billion – will help pay for a new rail line from Las Vegas to Los Angeles that is supposed to be finished before the 2028 summer Olympics in LA. The trip will take about two hours, or half the time it takes to drive.
Also receiving funds are a #LosAngeles - to - #SanFrancisco train; a rail expansion between #WashingtonDC, and #RichmondVirginia; and other upgrades in #Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and other states.
“'Passengers from across America will be thrilled to read about the funding agreements announced today,' said Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. 'These grants will support the introduction of daily Amtrak service in regions that currently have to make do with trains that only come through their town three times per week; they will help expand popular Amtrak services in rapidly growing parts of the Southeast; and they’ll plant the seeds for scores of new routes across the nation.'"
#Maine #Massachusetts #NewHampshire #Trains #CommuterRail #MoreTrainsLessCars
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Looking for a good weekend watch? Check out my latest video on a #transit maximized #Cincinnati. #urbanism #brt #lrt #streetcar #CommuterRail
From: @heartlandurbanist
https://urbanists.video/videos/watch/993d0cc1-2a90-4262-8fda-1e9df1566384 -
A little joy ride on the #REM, Montreal's new commuter rail to Brossard. #PublicTransit #LightRail #CommuterRail #UrbanPlanning #Transportation #Montreal #Quebec #Brossard
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Are you telling me #Philadelphia has a #crossrail tunnel for it's regional/commuter rail services, and uses it to have the trains just go to the "other" terminal before ending, and doesn't actually do through-running suburb-to-suburb lines?
#why? #SEPTA #RegionalRail #CommuterRail #trains #transit #RailTransit
