One train per hour intercity rail service between Oakland and Sacramento that is slower than driving is not a reasonable proxy for travel demand between Oakland and San Francisco faster than driving.

We need to stop assuming that the current demand for existing standard gauge rail service pattern, frequency or speed is indicative of what a future service could look like.

Shinbrush

I would watch a Joel Kotkin travel show where he goes to high growth, middle income East Asian metros and then explains why Americans don’t want or can’t have this.

It is pretty funny though that Kotkin has an unparalleled ability to get published consistently in prestigious American outlets by writing the same warmed over sprawl apologia but is only taken seriously in South Korea.

Reforming housing and transportation systems and institutions: Which strategy?

photo of a bus schedule with generally 20 minute headways circled in red are several points per day at which the interval is a couple of minutes off 20

What’s going on here AC Transit?

There are more standard gauge concepts here link21program.org/en/program/c...

Sure but you don’t have to use the existing Caltrain service concept. The point of the 2nd tube infrastructure is to allow new and different services that meet new travel demands.

link21program.org/en/program/s...

A new service doesn’t have to be Caltrain or Amtrak.

It can be a higher frequency shorter service between Milbrae and Richmond/Coliseum.

@eean.dev

If you see this, repost with your model of positive masculinity.

SP’s chief electrical engineer in 1911:

“electrification of all lines around the Bay… is the ultimate purpose is all of the lines on both sides of the Bay. The 1st step is being made now; the other steps will follow as fast as the service conditions will warrant the expenditure of the necessary $."

Southern Pacific’s electrification & modernization of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda suburban rail.

- 29 miles of upgrades
- 21 miles of extensions
- 7 year schedule
- standardized pole spacing and specs
- self built power generation
- budget from conceptual design to final acceptance $4m —> $10.5m

Resources on travel demand from Link21

link21program.org/en/program/m...

Transfers have gotten much better since 2015 and will get even better in 5 days.

Similar to assuming travel demand is limited to current demand for 52 minute bus service from Ocean Beach to Embarcadero.

Regional rail is a tech choice albeit one more conceptual than OCS/3rd rail/gauge.

I'm more interested in understanding the travel demand. 38 Geary runs articulated buses holding 120 people on 7.5 minute frequencies east of 32nd Avenue.

Is the goal to serve that demand faster or something else?

RER and Paris Metro provide different levels of service in terms of travel speeds, frequencies, stops, fares. They also have good transfers that allow people to use both.

Those are important details that will define the viability of improved Westside transit access.

So it’s BART technology or nothing? I don’t think that’s a helpful way to approach service planning.

Perhaps — is regional rail only defined to only be 3rd rail, Indian gauge?

Agree 100 percent on this

No — the first question should be the service concept that meets the travel demand at a good value.

Focusing on the yard or agency or technology is exactly how we’ve ended up with BART to SFO and the like.

Why would we make decisions about service based on who owns or doesn’t own yards? Thats entirely backwards

It’s remarkable — much of East and West Oakland haven’t had access to full service grocery stores for decades and meanwhile people in S.F. neighborhoods with multiple grocery store options nearby are upset they may lose access to one (1) store temporarily.

You don’t need a high operating cost technology with 3 or 4 TPH serving a couple of 700’ long underground stations that cost $800m each to do this.

Everyone else is saying the correct answer which is an underground automated light metro.

> BART down Geary

Stick to food takes

my favourite part of getting a new Marco post is always the inspiringly well-made diagrams