u/kepler1

I don’t know who can tell them, but the brake release that happens when the train pulls into SF final station is ear-splitting and honestly damaging. Who knows why the trains design took no consideration of this problem and was built to let the pressure out directly next to people’s ears walking next to the train. But given the problem exists can they do something to set the brakes before letting people out or soften the release or something?

I don't know that there's any mechanism to give feedback about this and not seem petty, so I just ask here.

Our driver of the train northbound this morning is "timid" on the brakes. He/she is starting braking way early before arriving at a station, and putting the brakes on lightly so that we take forever slowing down to get to the station. This is in contrast to braking at a more appropriate closer distance, allowing us to keep speed to the station.

This is costing us a 15 min delay in getting to the end. I don't know whether this is someone in training or what. But I would wish they wouldn't practice new drivers on the rush hour commute.

On the unpopulated side of Bayshore station platform, I notice there's just an open exit ramp down into what I would just call "up-to-no-good territory". (given what I know about what tends to happen in open unpoliced areas around here, like the meadows around East Palo Alto and the freeway)

I wonder why they just have this exit open to be used? There is nothing to be served in terms of a reasonable walking destination for like 2 miles.

I admit I could've been 30 seconds earlier.

But it is just especially infuriating to be blocked from crossing the tracks to catch the train, by the gates behind the arrived train not opening the whole time it's waiting there, until it has already departed. Of course, the gates in front also did not open, but that's more understandable (although, still not programmed right).

I said this elsewhere previously, but it seems that these gates are quite "dumb" where other rail systems manage to have them act smarter. Some places even allow the gates not to have to close if the train is expected to stop at the station and is slowing down. Either the gates are "dumb", or the driver is purposely holding them down and inconveniencing everyone in the aspiration that the train leaves sooner.

To start off, I know we're not Japan. And the handheld card reader problem hopefully is sometime soon to be improved.

But it doesn't seem a crazy idea that Caltrain should construct a small turnstile/paid fare zone at SF station in front of several of the boarding gates. It doesn't have to be all of them, I know how hard it would be to wall off the entire area. Besides, the times of day it would be most valuable, they could direct the relevant trains to those tracks preferentially, rather than the random gate assignment that happens currently.

Create a small rectangular area spanning half the length and width of the room, with turnstiles exiting left, right, center. Enough ways for people to exit quickly, and enough to approximately hold (or buffer) one train's departure-worth of people.

But this would speed boarding (a dozen turnstiles hard-wired into network) and also raise the amount of fare compliance when people get off at SF. Save conductors the chore of half-heartedly trying to read people's cards. Stop fare evading homeless from getting on the trains without paying. And if there's one place it could be done, it's SF station.

How about they give this a try and slowly try to drag at least one station into the 21st century?

Just wondering, if the wifi is clearly not working, and all your seat neighbors confirm it, can the conductor reset the wifi system if you ask, like they will try to do on planes? Or are they not equipped to do this?

This is a minor vent, mostly because as a commuter, the post baseball game crowds are an annoyance.

But anyway, I observe that around the end of baseball games, Caltrain staff at SF seem to try to adhere to the schedule and get the train out even if they cut off boarding well before the train is actually full. Including the special extra train. (I am not 100% sure but I know that they are not counting passengers. Or, for that matter, really succeeding at making sure that all passengers pay the fare given the crush of people they have to get on the train.)

This, when there are crowds out the door and rather they should be prioritizing filling the trains absolutely full, so that more people are on each train. It's like loading the Titanic lifeboats half full. People will be forced incrementally to overflow and get home later because they have to take the next train.

I don't get why they care about on-time departure in these situations -- the train is usually delayed going down the line anyway. And the obvious point is to provide more capacity to handle the crowds. Maybe the instructions are easiest to "depart on time", rather than "optimally fill those trains".

/rant. Spurred by a recent having to wait in the drizzling rain at 4th/King because of their dumb boarding approach of waiting three minutes before departure to open the gates. And leaving people behind to have to take the next one.

This is more of a question out of idle curiosity as I was riding on the train and I swear I am not a huge train nerd (although I have interestingly seen several groups of such enthusiasts on the train lately)...

I'm not meaning "the train moves in reverse". I'm talking about if the trains' current north ends were reversed to be on the south end and v.v.

I know that the trains are not quite symmetric in their car layout. Would anything break (passenger usage-wise) if it were operating in the wrong "direction"?

Is it even possible for the trains to be in reverse direction on the current track like this? They would have to turn around wouldn't they? There is no place to do so I think?

Hopefully you know what I mean, like how in Japan the Shinkansen head only ever faces one direction and never turns around orientation.