Glad to see the train number on the display with the final destination. I still don’t know how to find it on the older trains so this will make it much easier.
I still don't understand why Caltrain decided to downgrade the side displays, though. The Euro variants have the side displays integrated directly into the side wall between the upper and lower rows of windows. The Caltrain variant has them integrated into the lower windows in a tram-like fashion, which makes the window smaller.
@@RTSRafnex2 I noticed that too. Same with many newer buses here in Switzerland. Most older buses had the side displays above the window, while many new ones eat into the window space. Actually, FLIRTs and most other Stadler trains also have the side displays within the windows.
@@lukasegeling5205 But that is different. FLIRTs are single level trains with huge windows. The only KISS trains that don't have these displays are the russian ones, all the others have them.
I have never liked train numbers. To most people they don't say anything. Just introduce normal route numbers, like R23 and RE4 in Germany (R=regional, RE=regional express). Then you know where it stops or not.
When I first heard that Caltrain was electrifying their line from San Jose to San Fran I was curious about the trainsets they would be using. When I saw the Stadler trainsets, I was unimpressed and thought they were ugly. Every time I see a video of these trains in operation, they grow on me more an more, and they actually began to look quite handsome. I still could do without the buffers, but I understand why they are there. Now I'm thinking that Metrolink should electrify the San Bernardino subdivision!
Well it is by far the ugliest version of stadler kiss i've ever seen, and i'm from central europe, i've seen every possible version there is basically.
In swizerland som operators dont hide them too kinda said but thats the ownly complian i have about somme swiss trains kiss trains could look so much bether without those @@squelchedotter
Good and interesting video. In the area of Hamburg, Germany, Stadler KISS trains have recently been introduced on the line to Lübeck, about 60 km of distance. Those are units with 4 sections. Most time of the day 2 units run together, in off-peak times they run single. Train frequency is a train every 30 minutes during most of the day as the number of passengers on this line has increased with the years.
@@theempirestrikesback2939 there are many crossing in that route, so they are required by the law, Americans seem to rarely build completely grade seperated
@@theempirestrikesback2939 I know, its a joke about how small european countries are. Go 1000 km in california, and you would still be in the same state
@@WildWildWeasel It's to prevent wheelslip due to the tremendous amount of torque the engines tend to have. All the modern trains I have seen have that indicator, although ours are commonly situated near the wheelset at the underside of the train, and consist out of 1 single color shifting window or 2 little light indicators.
@@Dutch3DMaster Uh no... those are not to prevent wheelslip but to prevent rolling backwards after releasing the brakes. The short moment between releasing the brakes and giving traction is short dead-time in traction electronics. Huge currents will flow if traction electronics have to counteract rolling backwards (although I expect modern traction electronics to be well protected against such an event). Wheelslip prevention is done by sensors that compare motorcurrent versus rpm's. If suddenly motorcurrent goes down while rpm's increase like mad, the wheels are slipping. Modern traction electronics enable the driver to throw the throttle lever forwards and let the electronics handle the rest: this means you can accelerate as fast as possible as long as there's no wheelslip. If there is, electronics will try and limit the amount of traction you give until the wheels find their grip again.
Wow riding one of these must make you feel like you're in Europe. Good work Caltrain. Hope to ride it next time I visit SF, would be SOOO nice to replace the diesel trains running under wire here in DC with MARC's Penn Line, though it would certainly be the end of the small fleet of HHP-8s. But I'd rather see these modern trains being implemented here.
@@rotatorcuffs8140 Diesel can do it but not efficiently. Now that it's electric we have benefits such as instant torque. Which can quickly get up to the max speed.
I drive these trains plus other very similar ones from the same manufacturer here in Germany, they are absolutely amazing and reliable, very nice rides. People from California can really look forward riding them. If they do other things right too maybe more people will switch from car to rail. If the rapid transit within the big cities that CalTrain serves is good enough to bring people from the train station to their final destination then there is a good chance.
Flatwheel already eh? Musta been testing their butts off! Glad to see these coming to CalTrain. It been a long time coming. I still remember the early plans for electrification. One of concept drawings was a Amtrak AEM-7 painted in CalTrains's old colors pulling what looked to be the same Bilevel coaches used on the San Joanquin Train.
Here in The Netherlands we have the Stadler Flirt 3 trains as sprinter services. Now these Flirt 3 trains also entered services for the "Drie Landen Punt" (Germany-Netherlands-Belgium) last weekend.
I guess the californian ppl will soon love this train. In Switzerland where the Stadler KISS is also operated by some regional services (BLS, ZVV), most people highly appreciate the smoothness of the ride, the good air conditioning, the bright and inviting light concept and with the rather fast acceleration, these trainsets also contribute to punctuality! Great to see that California really sets a fast pace, dismissing the old diesel -operated caltrain sets and replace them with this modern fleet of trains. 😊 Interesting to see that the USA have such a large lightroom profile for trains that even the upper deck has vertical windowing. This makes the KISS an even more impressive train!
@@WildWildWeasel Tbf, Caltrain isn't a metro, and while it should be fully grade separated, it isn't. So until it is, it's gotta have the bells and whistles. Otherwise, especially with how drivers are on the Peninsula and in San Jose, we could be looking at a Brightline Florida "Train Of Death" situation, and we super don't need that.
@@teuast In the native land of the KISS (Switzerland), trains don't use bells and horns when crossing non-grade separated roads and are doing just fine. The crossings always have proper barriers and signage (and sometimes bells on smaller lines).
I live in the east bay and recently started dating someone who lives on the peninsula. I hope this relationship flourishes so that I have an excuse to keep going to the peninsula once these trains enter revenue service. And also because I really like her, but y'know, trains.
Compared to the KISS sets in Europe this set looks very boxy and heavily build. Stadler definitely modded the design quite a bit to be more like the American standard. Still a great train though and I’m happy they’ll be in service soon
There is a law that states that trains should have some specific minimum weight or whatever, a very significant minimum weight. Some Canadian (I think) UA-camr explained this. I (ofcouse) can't find the video right now...
American crash standards are more robust than Europe’s (for better or worse), so the trains have to be built with more crash energy management systems. That’s why these, just like the Avelia Libertys in the ACELA corridor are bulkier than their Swiss and French counterparts
@@dirt_lot_photography Sadly the acelas many problems come from that law. The idea is in europe HSR is entirely grade seperated and therefor no need to worry about any collisions with vehicles.
I'm really excited for these new trains and love how they look, but I really just can't get over how the bell just sounds like a railroad crossing bell, it just sounds soo off, and I think people might confuse the train bell with the crossing alarm. In my opinion, I feel like using a traditional american locomotive engine bell would fit it more.
Why do rairoads in the US operate their trains as if they were still in the 1880s? Flashing lights and bells, and the endless sounding of the horn do not really contribute to the safety, as the stzatistics of accidents in which trains are involved, prove!
The way US trains operate as a whole is very outdated in comparison to most of the developed world. I assume it's because railroads in the US are mainly for freight, passenger services come second. So they have "developed" in a profit sense. If something isn't profitable to change, they won't change it. These freight companies have a huge influence on how the local governments would regulate the railroads and there wasn't any interest in making changes that the freight companies would disagree with (and possibly damage that local economy). I believe California is wanting to modernize its railways and make more passenger focused tracks (such as these). The safety regulations for trains in the US are *very* old and I believe used to require trains to be extremely heavy for "safety" purposes in order to reduce derailment risks. This just means they take way longer to stop and do more damage to vehicles. I believe this is why many passenger trains are silver in color, because of the metal bodies. In Europe, trains are actively made to weigh less so they can be more energy efficient and accelerate faster (like these new trains). Perhaps local law will soon change to modernize their safety standards one day. But we all know change takes a long time in places like the US.
US having outdated signaling rules for trains, but they could be effective near railway crossings with no lights though. Pointless at the stations tho. Europe has closing door signals instead and the trains' lack of noise (compared to US diesels) is fully demonstrated
This route between San Francisco and San José is playable in Train Sim World 4 game, but I see now this route has been electrified. In the game it's still the diesel trains without the overhead wires.
Ill wait till revenue service till i make a judgement. Anything can look good, but how does it actually perform (classic example being Siemens venuture cars that look better but are way worse)
US clearances are slightly larger, so they used the extra space. That stupid bell needs to go, but electrics are so quiet, and folks out there aren’t used to this yet.
Tends to be a requirement in most of the United States. The only exceptions are the EMUs on SEPTA, NJ Transit, LIRR, MNR and CT Rail. Even on those railroads, loco-hauled trains still have and use bells.
Not only loud, obnoxious and annoying but also completely useless. The people that don't listen to music will hear a whistle perfectly well. And the ones listening to music will maybe hear the horn if it is needed. If not, it's no use anyway.
@@oskarsrode2167 An E-bell is an abbreviation for electronic bell, which is used here as well (and to be honest, I quite like by the sound it produces, some are really, really awful, even here in Europe, but than just on trams and buses to warn people, not to sound it continously)
No longer will Caltrain drivers have to work in a sweatshop, wearing short sleeves in the grueling summer heat. They get to enjoy air con and ever so slightly cleaner air.
Retired, F40’s are being sold instead of scrapped, Gallery Cars are being sold too, MP36PH-3C and Bombardier Cars are going to be used as a shuttle to Gilroy in September 22, and Salinas in 2026 or 2025
Nice to see modern regional trains getting into service in California soon. But why the hell is it necessary to ring the bell and honk literally everywhere. Is it so hard to pay attention to trains? In Europe it's not necessary to do that and it's really loud and disturbing. Especially when you're passing housing areas this has to be fixed.
As long as they sample an actual bell, I’m fine with an e-bell. I can’t stand faux electronic squawks that sound more like a brood of cicadas than trains!
@lalakerspro Actually GO Transit owns quite a bit of their trackage, some lines are nearly 100% owned by GO Transit, and those are the ones being electrified currently
Really nice and I wonder there will be operators in the Northeast that are willing to buy them like Philadelphia Pennsylvania SEPTA. One difference between them and the Caltrain version is that both doors are in use low level outside of Center City high level platforms Center City and selected alter Suburban stations like Wilmington Delaware to Warminster R2 R5 Doylestown to Thorndale R3 Wawa to West Trenton,NJ. Original Terminus was Newark Penn Station sharing Bound Brook with the Raritan Valley Line
@@JBS319 Ok then but they can order the same model and reduce it's height to clear the Northeast tunnels. The Caltrain doors will be copied by NJ Transit and SEPTA and use both
Very interesting how they seemingly preferred having one mast with the catenary for the second track held by a gantry, as opposed to two masts on both sides of the tracks.
It's a whole lot cheaper, easier to align on ground that is not as easy to cut holes in (you need a BIG concrete foundation on both sides, most of which is underground) and tends to do a lot less damage when a train entangles it's pantograph in the overhead wires and pulls it down in a more....ehm, disastrous setting.
Reminiscent of an electric train Stadler Kiss, which began operation in Azerbaijan (Baku) in 2015, and in Russia (Moscow) in 2017. Why use those terrible train whistles from the 19th century? Trains should be quiet and fast, and all people should know that the railway is a dangerous place.
That's the downside of disc-brakes instead of regular brake blocks. As soon as a wheel gets a flat spot, it will easily get worse. I expect these trains to have ABS, but it can't do magic. Once a flat spot is there, it will gradually get worse until a wheel develops a habit of stopping on that particular flat spot.
When will you get rid of those horrible bells? They obviously don't do anything to improve safety, especially for people on headphones. I like the system in some European countries - whistle before stops (also passing) and when starting and passing grade crossings, horn when there is immediate danger.
We only use the horn when there is immediate danger. Whistling (not done by the operator, but by the person checking tickets) is done before departure, to indicate closing doors. It's why typically, especially near a station, if you hear the horn, and you happen to be a standing passenger, start looking for the thing you can grab to hold on to. If you hear the horn again: grab it, it's probably emergency braking time :P .
@@Just_aRand0mPlayer I saw some metro video's from the New York metro system, and they have them too. Yellow/white or green = Safe to board. Red = doors are closing/the train is leaving. I take it that's what it's going to signal.
@@Dutch3DMaster our local train system has something similar as well. Yellow indicates the door is unlocked and can be open by pressing the button on the door. And if the lights are Off that means the doors are locked.
Doors unlocked/locked/malfunction. They are becoming increasingly standard in The Netherlands as well and have even been retrofitted to some carriages that did not have 'em by design. Not that interesting for passengers most of the time, it's an easy way for a conductor to see if there's a door malfunctioning (for example if the door is closed but the amber light at that specificc door stays on, there's a problem)
Well, these trains have really powerful engines (that's why at 10:24 you see the brake indicator showing brakes released when the train is already moving, it prevents wheelspin). And then there can also be a situation in which whatever safety system was not working as intended and forced a full stop using emergency braking. That can cause wheels to lock up depending on the brake systems deployed (Given it's a Stadtler I take it it utilizes recuperation braking, normal disc brakes and big magnets slammed to the rails to cause drag that way as well).
Congratulations to Californians for having the latest electrified railway network in the USA after decades of railway upgrade frozen. The Stadler electric train seems more agile than the diesel-powered locomotive-hauled train.
@@RTSRafnex2 It can make noise, actually. Drawing current from the engines by shunting or whatever the method these days is in order to make them run with a load to produce drag can sound just like acceleration, only in the "opposite direction". This video shows that well: ua-cam.com/video/Oh-3x2zu2yw/v-deo.html The traintype shown is capable of stopping the fastest by utilizing recuperation braking, normal disc brakes and big magnets lowered onto the tracks (which is what causes the sparks). You can hear the motors making a sound, which sounds the same when accelerating. (The driver in the video probably missed a red signal instruction due to sunlight causing a ghost signal, and for failing to respond to this red signal the safety system autobraked the train to a full stop).
@@Dutch3DMaster That was of course a simplified answer, where noise means squeaking, so no need to lecture me. Of course, traction converters make a sound, but not what you would normally call noisy. I thought that was obvious. But since we're at it: Magnetic track brakes are not "lowered" onto the tracks, they are pulled down magnetically. Btw, Stadler still seems to have problems with blending the brakes on the Caltrain KISSes. In almost all the videos I've seen, the brake computer uses way too much EP brake. Much more than necessary. Normally you brake almost completely electrically. Often you can't even hear the EP brake during normal braking.
That is what for many years already has made electric trains much more suitable for commuter services than diesel hauled trains. Nice to see that even Americans finally get that.
@lalakerspro Yes, I know that. Sorry. But you also still have far to many diesel hauled commuter trains even in metropolitan areas. I know why that is so. They run on tracks owned by some freight operator. But that is because of political decisions in the past. Public transportation has not been a priority in the country of cheap cars and fossil fuel. Caltrain could have been electric decades ago. And your compatriots wouldn't be as surprised how fast electric trains accelerate, because they would be more used to them.
@@Nils_Ki I've rode DM'90 stock in The Netherlands quite a lot when those units were still in service, those were diesel-hydrualic units which could accelerate well... VERY WELL. And Arriva's GTW units by Stadler that service the more rural branch lines in the east and north of The Netherlands run on diesel as well. When the conditions are right they can accelerate so well you slightly slide from your seat when you have a backwards facing seat. It's not the fact it's a diesel, it's the weight vs. available power/adhesion that's the biggest problem.
trains from Switzerland to the USA. It’s bad that America can’t make high-quality trains for passengers. But even beautiful trains from Europe are disfigured by terrible train horns!
Great to see EMUs in SF at last. We had 'em in Sydney in 1926, double deck ones since 1970 but hey, it's not like powering stuff with electricity was invented in America.. Oh! The bells! the bells! The decibels. Clearly specified by the car industry😂 Seriously through, isn't it time the good people of the USA started to believe that trains are the things most commonly found on railway tracks and at railway stations?
i think the bells are for safety reasons to warn people of the approaching train and stand back from the platform. As least it isn't horns like the old diesels had
@@LouisChang-le7xo I understand it's a regulation. It's annoying at level crossings in Japan too, though the chimes there are more tuneful, but why at station platforms? A train isn't going to veer off the tracks and hit them, unlike on a roadway, so why don't cars need to sound bells too so that people won't stand too close to the edge of the road?
@z00h He ain't joking, they're gonna introduce high level platiforms on the future. So the two sets of doors is simply a provision for when this happens.
Se pàrecen al CAF Alston 450 y 451 de Renfe, aunque estos llevan desde 1992, si aqui tenemos cables aereos desde los años 70 o antes. ua-cam.com/video/s95IQI0wN-Y/v-deo.htmlsi=MYdFdx6YGFSxDAmO&t=1
With overhead wires. Never thought I’d finally see it. Good on ya California
PG and E A T and T.😷⭐️
It's nice to see these types of trains in the U.S.
Yes. Big improvement for third world country.
@@KandiKlover Agreed.
They could have left the European sounding horn back in Europe though.
@@derrickgoodman8434 Passengers aren't concerned about horns.
@@derrickgoodman8434 Not the first time the US has heard a horn like this on trains
Glad to see the train number on the display with the final destination. I still don’t know how to find it on the older trains so this will make it much easier.
I still don't understand why Caltrain decided to downgrade the side displays, though. The Euro variants have the side displays integrated directly into the side wall between the upper and lower rows of windows. The Caltrain variant has them integrated into the lower windows in a tram-like fashion, which makes the window smaller.
@@RTSRafnex2 I noticed that too. Same with many newer buses here in Switzerland. Most older buses had the side displays above the window, while many new ones eat into the window space.
Actually, FLIRTs and most other Stadler trains also have the side displays within the windows.
@@lukasegeling5205 But that is different. FLIRTs are single level trains with huge windows. The only KISS trains that don't have these displays are the russian ones, all the others have them.
I have never liked train numbers.
To most people they don't say anything.
Just introduce normal route numbers, like R23 and RE4 in Germany (R=regional, RE=regional express).
Then you know where it stops or not.
@@oskarsrode2167 The numbers actually make sense in this case. Starting with 1 is local train, 3 or 4 limited, and 7 express
When I first heard that Caltrain was electrifying their line from San Jose to San Fran I was curious about the trainsets they would be using. When I saw the Stadler trainsets, I was unimpressed and thought they were ugly. Every time I see a video of these trains in operation, they grow on me more an more, and they actually began to look quite handsome. I still could do without the buffers, but I understand why they are there. Now I'm thinking that Metrolink should electrify the San Bernardino subdivision!
That's US crashworthiness standards for you :(
Well it is by far the ugliest version of stadler kiss i've ever seen, and i'm from central europe, i've seen every possible version there is basically.
In swizerland som operators dont hide them too kinda said but thats the ownly complian i have about somme swiss trains kiss trains could look so much bether without those @@squelchedotter
Metrolink is allergic to electrification, the only thing I want to see in Metrolink is them getting rid of the Hyundai Rotems
Good and interesting video. In the area of Hamburg, Germany, Stadler KISS trains have recently been introduced on the line to Lübeck, about 60 km of distance. Those are units with 4 sections. Most time of the day 2 units run together, in off-peak times they run single. Train frequency is a train every 30 minutes during most of the day as the number of passengers on this line has increased with the years.
Luckily we do not have that ridiciolous bells from the time of steam. Seems to be too dangerous to run trains without in America.
@@theempirestrikesback2939 there are many crossing in that route, so they are required by the law, Americans seem to rarely build completely grade seperated
60 km is nothing, this line is more than 150 km. this line probably covers half the size of germany
@@lalakerspro Bad geographic knowledge 😉
From the most northern town of Flensburg to the very south there are 1000 km. And you can use the train.
@@theempirestrikesback2939 I know, its a joke about how small european countries are. Go 1000 km in california, and you would still be in the same state
10:17 Now that's a really unique display.
These sort of brake Indicators are actually fairly standard on trains here in Europe, they're mainly used when the brakes are being tested.
Brakes drag on a bit before fully letting go
@@WildWildWeasel It's to prevent wheelslip due to the tremendous amount of torque the engines tend to have. All the modern trains I have seen have that indicator, although ours are commonly situated near the wheelset at the underside of the train, and consist out of 1 single color shifting window or 2 little light indicators.
@@Dutch3DMaster Uh no... those are not to prevent wheelslip but to prevent rolling backwards after releasing the brakes. The short moment between releasing the brakes and giving traction is short dead-time in traction electronics. Huge currents will flow if traction electronics have to counteract rolling backwards (although I expect modern traction electronics to be well protected against such an event).
Wheelslip prevention is done by sensors that compare motorcurrent versus rpm's. If suddenly motorcurrent goes down while rpm's increase like mad, the wheels are slipping. Modern traction electronics enable the driver to throw the throttle lever forwards and let the electronics handle the rest: this means you can accelerate as fast as possible as long as there's no wheelslip. If there is, electronics will try and limit the amount of traction you give until the wheels find their grip again.
those are common in many other railways as well throughout europe and asia
Wow riding one of these must make you feel like you're in Europe. Good work Caltrain. Hope to ride it next time I visit SF, would be SOOO nice to replace the diesel trains running under wire here in DC with MARC's Penn Line, though it would certainly be the end of the small fleet of HHP-8s. But I'd rather see these modern trains being implemented here.
Wow those trains look really fast! Really awesome video!
it’s a shame 79mph is the limit for the corridor for now, but the quick acceleration should allow for more time spent at that maximum speed!
@@tventures2it’ll get up to 110mph once HSR gets rolling by, maybe even sooner for Caltrain if they build that tunnel to SF downtown by 2034
F40ph replacements!
@@tventures2 Yea what's up with that speed limit? All this new equipment and infrastructure only to run at speeds a diesel can do? I don't get it
@@rotatorcuffs8140 Diesel can do it but not efficiently. Now that it's electric we have benefits such as instant torque. Which can quickly get up to the max speed.
I got to sit in the cab of one of these at the Stadler Open House in Salt Lake City yesterday.
I drive these trains plus other very similar ones from the same manufacturer here in Germany, they are absolutely amazing and reliable, very nice rides. People from California can really look forward riding them. If they do other things right too maybe more people will switch from car to rail. If the rapid transit within the big cities that CalTrain serves is good enough to bring people from the train station to their final destination then there is a good chance.
Wow these trains look very cool! I like the old and the new ones, and these are a great addition to the Caltrain fleet
Flatwheel already eh? Musta been testing their butts off! Glad to see these coming to CalTrain. It been a long time coming. I still remember the early plans for electrification. One of concept drawings was a Amtrak AEM-7 painted in CalTrains's old colors pulling what looked to be the same Bilevel coaches used on the San Joanquin Train.
I think during the testing they brake harder, than later in revenue service. Also the trains are empty, so less weight on the axles
Here in The Netherlands we have the Stadler Flirt 3 trains as sprinter services. Now these Flirt 3 trains also entered services for the "Drie Landen Punt" (Germany-Netherlands-Belgium) last weekend.
Looking forward to riding it tomorrow
I guess the californian ppl will soon love this train. In Switzerland where the Stadler KISS is also operated by some regional services (BLS, ZVV), most people highly appreciate the smoothness of the ride, the good air conditioning, the bright and inviting light concept and with the rather fast acceleration, these trainsets also contribute to punctuality!
Great to see that California really sets a fast pace, dismissing the old diesel -operated caltrain sets and replace them with this modern fleet of trains. 😊
Interesting to see that the USA have such a large lightroom profile for trains that even the upper deck has vertical windowing. This makes the KISS an even more impressive train!
*air conditioning
👏ELEVATE 👏THE 👏PLATFORMS 👏
They will once cahsr gets here
These sets are growing on me but that bell has to go lol
The bell AND the horn
@@WildWildWeasel Tbf, Caltrain isn't a metro, and while it should be fully grade separated, it isn't. So until it is, it's gotta have the bells and whistles. Otherwise, especially with how drivers are on the Peninsula and in San Jose, we could be looking at a Brightline Florida "Train Of Death" situation, and we super don't need that.
Horn is better i think@@WildWildWeasel
@@teuast It needs a better bell that doesnt sound like a crossing bell
@@teuast In the native land of the KISS (Switzerland), trains don't use bells and horns when crossing non-grade separated roads and are doing just fine. The crossings always have proper barriers and signage (and sometimes bells on smaller lines).
I live in the east bay and recently started dating someone who lives on the peninsula. I hope this relationship flourishes so that I have an excuse to keep going to the peninsula once these trains enter revenue service.
And also because I really like her, but y'know, trains.
PERU SE LOS AGRADECE POR DARNOS ESTOS TRENES . BUENA CALTRAIN.
Compared to the KISS sets in Europe this set looks very boxy and heavily build. Stadler definitely modded the design quite a bit to be more like the American standard. Still a great train though and I’m happy they’ll be in service soon
There is a law that states that trains should have some specific minimum weight or whatever, a very significant minimum weight. Some Canadian (I think) UA-camr explained this. I (ofcouse) can't find the video right now...
American crash standards are more robust than Europe’s (for better or worse), so the trains have to be built with more crash energy management systems. That’s why these, just like the Avelia Libertys in the ACELA corridor are bulkier than their Swiss and French counterparts
@@dirt_lot_photography yes, that’s what I said
@@MrJimheeren yes… that’s what I said too
@@dirt_lot_photography Sadly the acelas many problems come from that law. The idea is in europe HSR is entirely grade seperated and therefor no need to worry about any collisions with vehicles.
Excellent video coverage! Kudos, great work.
Hopefully they open soon! i cant wait!
If everything goes to plan they are gonna enter service in September
I'm really excited for these new trains and love how they look, but I really just can't get over how the bell just sounds like a railroad crossing bell, it just sounds soo off, and I think people might confuse the train bell with the crossing alarm. In my opinion, I feel like using a traditional american locomotive engine bell would fit it more.
Why do rairoads in the US operate their trains as if they were still in the 1880s? Flashing lights and bells, and the endless sounding of the horn do not really contribute to the safety, as the stzatistics of accidents in which trains are involved, prove!
The way US trains operate as a whole is very outdated in comparison to most of the developed world. I assume it's because railroads in the US are mainly for freight, passenger services come second. So they have "developed" in a profit sense. If something isn't profitable to change, they won't change it. These freight companies have a huge influence on how the local governments would regulate the railroads and there wasn't any interest in making changes that the freight companies would disagree with (and possibly damage that local economy). I believe California is wanting to modernize its railways and make more passenger focused tracks (such as these). The safety regulations for trains in the US are *very* old and I believe used to require trains to be extremely heavy for "safety" purposes in order to reduce derailment risks. This just means they take way longer to stop and do more damage to vehicles. I believe this is why many passenger trains are silver in color, because of the metal bodies. In Europe, trains are actively made to weigh less so they can be more energy efficient and accelerate faster (like these new trains). Perhaps local law will soon change to modernize their safety standards one day. But we all know change takes a long time in places like the US.
I know. Its absurd how they constantly have to ring a bell. No other country does this.
Transit rail in India also uses a lot of horns during arriving or departing from stations, mostly for clear track warning.
@@suvrakanti like in europe sane use of horns ald bells are not ven installed i think
why such a big massive electric train has some streetcar bells banging around all the time I don't understand
US having outdated signaling rules for trains, but they could be effective near railway crossings with no lights though. Pointless at the stations tho. Europe has closing door signals instead and the trains' lack of noise (compared to US diesels) is fully demonstrated
This route between San Francisco and San José is playable in Train Sim World 4 game, but I see now this route has been electrified. In the game it's still the diesel trains without the overhead wires.
That horn show in the beginning was sick!
Ill wait till revenue service till i make a judgement. Anything can look good, but how does it actually perform (classic example being Siemens venuture cars that look better but are way worse)
I'm still likely sure they may be testing in daylight during weekdays before the launch on September 21st. Great video!
They will. And they will have the electric trains in passenger operations during the summer replacing regular trains over the summer.
@@TohaBgood2 presume that will be random intervals on weekends?
Damn, these trains stop and go real fast 😮
Yes. Most modern EMUs can accelerate like that, not only the Kiss and the Flirt from Stadler, but also similar trains from Siemens, Alstom and others.
@@Nils_Ki Oh, I see
Thanks for the info
now whens the level boarding gonna come arond
Kudos for not settling for the second best.
I really hope similar units can be used to re-expand passenger service in US
Holy crossing bell!
As a European regulary using Stadler Kiss trains the square cabins look very weird to me.
Its for more space, dont want to be cramped like euro trains
US clearances are slightly larger, so they used the extra space.
That stupid bell needs to go, but electrics are so quiet, and folks out there aren’t used to this yet.
I just noticed that these trains don't have a Graham White E bell.
Beautiful Video! Really well done. Thank you so much!
Unless I missed it, I didn’t see any footage of any of the trains traveling at top speed of 79mph on the main line, almost all stations stops etc.
Speaking of which, I haven't saw any pass me in a bit but I did see them.
Glad to see more!
Cant wait to see these things at speed.
Is the bell attached to the Caltrain 300 grahan white ebelle??
(Caltrain 300に付いてるベルってgrahan white e belle ですか??)
whats with all the bell ringing? Are people so stupid they can't notice a train approaching?
Tends to be a requirement in most of the United States. The only exceptions are the EMUs on SEPTA, NJ Transit, LIRR, MNR and CT Rail. Even on those railroads, loco-hauled trains still have and use bells.
US railroads are like US American tourists are experienced in Europe: loud and noisy. Stadler understood and adapted...😉
Not only loud, obnoxious and annoying but also completely useless.
The people that don't listen to music will hear a whistle perfectly well.
And the ones listening to music will maybe hear the horn if it is needed.
If not, it's no use anyway.
yes 😂
Yes, since the early steam traction railroad
Wow. These things accelerate quickly compared to the diesel locomotives!
Love everything about these trains (including the horn), but that bell is awful…I hope they can switch to a regular E-bell in the future
What is an e-bell?
The bells are horrible and annoying in any form, a whistle is much better.
I don't get this american rule... and a streetcar bell on a doubledecker emu....... doesnt fit at all
@@oskarsrode2167 An E-bell is an abbreviation for electronic bell, which is used here as well (and to be honest, I quite like by the sound it produces, some are really, really awful, even here in Europe, but than just on trams and buses to warn people, not to sound it continously)
I hope this is a sign of things to come for the american commuter rails
Awesome footage
No longer will Caltrain drivers have to work in a sweatshop, wearing short sleeves in the grueling summer heat. They get to enjoy air con and ever so slightly cleaner air.
What’s gunna happen to the diesel locomotives and cab cars?
Retired, F40’s are being sold instead of scrapped, Gallery Cars are being sold too, MP36PH-3C and Bombardier Cars are going to be used as a shuttle to Gilroy in September 22, and Salinas in 2026 or 2025
Good video 😅
how to i send this to the mbta ceo
5:56 : damn... that's quite the acceleration for a doubledecker unit...
Nice to see modern regional trains getting into service in California soon. But why the hell is it necessary to ring the bell and honk literally everywhere. Is it so hard to pay attention to trains? In Europe it's not necessary to do that and it's really loud and disturbing. Especially when you're passing housing areas this has to be fixed.
Tell that to the FRA.
Do those actually have a physical bell instead of an electronic one?
They have a E-bell
@@StefanWithTrainsis the e bell different than the ones that Amtrak uses
@@saulrod2087 Yes, they are REALLY different.
@@StefanWithTrains Indeed. Same goes with the crossing bells, which had their bells replaced with e bells. I still prefer the mechanical ones though.
As long as they sample an actual bell, I’m fine with an e-bell. I can’t stand faux electronic squawks that sound more like a brood of cicadas than trains!
Hey, GO Transit, are you watching this?
To be fair they have a lot more lines and track to cover, and i dont believe they own their lines like caltrain
@lalakerspro Actually GO Transit owns quite a bit of their trackage, some lines are nearly 100% owned by GO Transit, and those are the ones being electrified currently
Really nice and I wonder there will be operators in the Northeast that are willing to buy them like Philadelphia Pennsylvania SEPTA. One difference between them and the Caltrain version is that both doors are in use low level outside of Center City high level platforms Center City and selected alter Suburban stations like Wilmington Delaware to Warminster R2 R5 Doylestown to Thorndale R3 Wawa to West Trenton,NJ. Original Terminus was Newark Penn Station sharing Bound Brook with the Raritan Valley Line
These will absolutely not clear any tunnel in the northeast.
@@JBS319 Ok then but they can order the same model and reduce it's height to clear the Northeast tunnels. The Caltrain doors will be copied by NJ Transit and SEPTA and use both
STADLER offers modular trains. The FLIRT, which is the single deck variant of the KISS should do the job
0:55 lots of extra honks😮
Very interesting how they seemingly preferred having one mast with the catenary for the second track held by a gantry, as opposed to two masts on both sides of the tracks.
Very similar to what Germany does a lot of the time.
It's a whole lot cheaper, easier to align on ground that is not as easy to cut holes in (you need a BIG concrete foundation on both sides, most of which is underground) and tends to do a lot less damage when a train entangles it's pantograph in the overhead wires and pulls it down in a more....ehm, disastrous setting.
Excellent video ❤
It's good to see the Americans finally investing more in passenger trains...and it's already better than most trains here in the UK lmao
I love the big train still use bells
Thank American regulations for that
Hopefully Go Transit gets electrified in Canada, I'm very happy to see this in California.
Reminiscent of an electric train Stadler Kiss, which began operation in Azerbaijan (Baku) in 2015, and in Russia (Moscow) in 2017.
Why use those terrible train whistles from the 19th century? Trains should be quiet and fast, and all people should know that the railway is a dangerous place.
US regulations, my friend.
There's already a flat spot on one of the wheels?! For shame
That's the downside of disc-brakes instead of regular brake blocks. As soon as a wheel gets a flat spot, it will easily get worse. I expect these trains to have ABS, but it can't do magic. Once a flat spot is there, it will gradually get worse until a wheel develops a habit of stopping on that particular flat spot.
When will you get rid of those horrible bells?
They obviously don't do anything to improve safety, especially for people on headphones.
I like the system in some European countries - whistle before stops (also passing) and when starting and passing grade crossings, horn when there is immediate danger.
Europeans are such babies, annoyed by every little small thing
We only use the horn when there is immediate danger. Whistling (not done by the operator, but by the person checking tickets) is done before departure, to indicate closing doors.
It's why typically, especially near a station, if you hear the horn, and you happen to be a standing passenger, start looking for the thing you can grab to hold on to. If you hear the horn again: grab it, it's probably emergency braking time :P .
How long do you think it will take before people start stealing the copper wiring?
0:46-1:00 pretty fast acceleration
So is that the only horn and bell option offered in the spec's!!!! It just sounds so light rail like.
I believe I heard rumor from one of the Caltrain conductors August 17 when the first new train goes into service
September is when service fully starts, but august is a soft launch
Are there any plan to raise the platforms for level boarding?
yes, once CAHSR comes. Thats why these have 2 sets of doors
So, how's the new rolling stock?
Hard to know until we actually ride them
@@lalakerspro So they're still in testing?
@@lukethomas.125 Yes. No pasengers have actually ridden them yet, but we've gotten a chance to go inside them to check them out for a tour
@@lukethomas.125still being tested. They will enter service in autumn
@@lukethomas.125yes, until September.
It looks like it’s been there for decades already
I’m shocked only one pantograph
What are the lights on the side of the train for?
Lights indicate that the doors are unlocked I think.
@@Just_aRand0mPlayer I saw some metro video's from the New York metro system, and they have them too. Yellow/white or green = Safe to board. Red = doors are closing/the train is leaving.
I take it that's what it's going to signal.
@@Dutch3DMaster our local train system has something similar as well. Yellow indicates the door is unlocked and can be open by pressing the button on the door. And if the lights are Off that means the doors are locked.
Doors unlocked/locked/malfunction. They are becoming increasingly standard in The Netherlands as well and have even been retrofitted to some carriages that did not have 'em by design. Not that interesting for passengers most of the time, it's an easy way for a conductor to see if there's a door malfunctioning (for example if the door is closed but the amber light at that specificc door stays on, there's a problem)
What happened to the Train Masters?
Metrolink San Bernardino line take some notes…
Flat spots on a new train set is wild! How'd they get them already?
Well, these trains have really powerful engines (that's why at 10:24 you see the brake indicator showing brakes released when the train is already moving, it prevents wheelspin).
And then there can also be a situation in which whatever safety system was not working as intended and forced a full stop using emergency braking.
That can cause wheels to lock up depending on the brake systems deployed (Given it's a Stadtler I take it it utilizes recuperation braking, normal disc brakes and big magnets slammed to the rails to cause drag that way as well).
MBTA needs these
No way, they will choose the lowest bidder Chinese designed one.
@@xraymind which is 10+ years behind schedule!
More american commuter rails need these
Congratulations to Californians for having the latest electrified railway network in the USA after decades of railway upgrade frozen. The Stadler electric train seems more agile than the diesel-powered locomotive-hauled train.
Is this what the ordinary brakes sound like? Or is it the electric motor braking?
Those are the electric motors. They are really quiet.
The squeaking comes from the EP brake. The electric regen brake makes no sound.
@@RTSRafnex2 It can make noise, actually. Drawing current from the engines by shunting or whatever the method these days is in order to make them run with a load to produce drag can sound just like acceleration, only in the "opposite direction".
This video shows that well: ua-cam.com/video/Oh-3x2zu2yw/v-deo.html
The traintype shown is capable of stopping the fastest by utilizing recuperation braking, normal disc brakes and big magnets lowered onto the tracks (which is what causes the sparks).
You can hear the motors making a sound, which sounds the same when accelerating.
(The driver in the video probably missed a red signal instruction due to sunlight causing a ghost signal, and for failing to respond to this red signal the safety system autobraked the train to a full stop).
@@Dutch3DMaster That was of course a simplified answer, where noise means squeaking, so no need to lecture me. Of course, traction converters make a sound, but not what you would normally call noisy. I thought that was obvious.
But since we're at it: Magnetic track brakes are not "lowered" onto the tracks, they are pulled down magnetically.
Btw, Stadler still seems to have problems with blending the brakes on the Caltrain KISSes. In almost all the videos I've seen, the brake computer uses way too much EP brake. Much more than necessary. Normally you brake almost completely electrically. Often you can't even hear the EP brake during normal braking.
You are Roy Export they are staging a ghost town😷⭐️
OMG I almost met SpottingByTheBay 17:10 (i was filming there)
what country is this again
United States of America.
Arew those much faster than old ones, seems to accelerate pretty fast
They can go very fast, but are only up to 80 mph for now. But the acceleration makes the average speed much faster
That is what for many years already has made electric trains much more suitable for commuter services than diesel hauled trains. Nice to see that even Americans finally get that.
@@Nils_Ki what do you mean finally, america has had electric trains for a long while now
@lalakerspro Yes, I know that. Sorry. But you also still have far to many diesel hauled commuter trains even in metropolitan areas. I know why that is so. They run on tracks owned by some freight operator. But that is because of political decisions in the past. Public transportation has not been a priority in the country of cheap cars and fossil fuel. Caltrain could have been electric decades ago. And your compatriots wouldn't be as surprised how fast electric trains accelerate, because they would be more used to them.
@@Nils_Ki I've rode DM'90 stock in The Netherlands quite a lot when those units were still in service, those were diesel-hydrualic units which could accelerate well... VERY WELL. And Arriva's GTW units by Stadler that service the more rural branch lines in the east and north of The Netherlands run on diesel as well. When the conditions are right they can accelerate so well you slightly slide from your seat when you have a backwards facing seat. It's not the fact it's a diesel, it's the weight vs. available power/adhesion that's the biggest problem.
This is looking like the Northeast corridor
Wish we has thes on the surf liner
I live in silicon balayage you don’t ha ha boo padres
trains from Switzerland to the USA. It’s bad that America can’t make high-quality trains for passengers. But even beautiful trains from Europe are disfigured by terrible train horns!
these are european horns. American horns sound much better
@@vedaantvyas466 as a European i can safely say, that I've never heard such a horn in Europe. We usually have dual tone horns
15k+ views calling it rn
We’ll check back in a month.
@@spottingbythebay He was right
It needs Nathan horns. The European horns sound weak.
Well horns are hardly used in Europe, so there is that, a train is loud enough as it is, no need to produce even more noise for the neighborhood
They remind me a lot of Spain's Cercanias Series 450 trains
except americanized to be loud and noisy like american tourists
@@LouisChang-le7xo European tourists in america are annoying as well
Wow 😍
Great to see EMUs in SF at last. We had 'em in Sydney in 1926, double deck ones since 1970 but hey, it's not like powering stuff with electricity was invented in America.. Oh!
The bells! the bells! The decibels. Clearly specified by the car industry😂 Seriously through, isn't it time the good people of the USA started to believe that trains are the things most commonly found on railway tracks and at railway stations?
i think the bells are for safety reasons to warn people of the approaching train and stand back from the platform. As least it isn't horns like the old diesels had
@@LouisChang-le7xo I understand it's a regulation. It's annoying at level crossings in Japan too, though the chimes there are more tuneful, but why at station platforms? A train isn't going to veer off the tracks and hit them, unlike on a roadway, so why don't cars need to sound bells too so that people won't stand too close to the edge of the road?
@@peterelvery but idiots on the platform manage to fall between the platform edge and the train
I wouldnt brag about Australia's crappy rail system
@@lalakerspro Good to know, should you feel the urge to do so.
Interesting video.
Amtrak should get Bi-Mode versions of these
They’re too devoted to Siemens so won’t happen unfortunately
@Whiterose11476 thank god
@@Whiterose11476 But Siemens also builds Bi-Level trains (Desiro HC)
Could hook up an AEM as electric head end and a Baby bullet on the other for the Gilroy extension from Sf. Similar to the old UK high speed trains.
They really made the US version of the KISS uglier as the european version 😔
California and New South Wales
If only someone told them that you can use main doors as emergency exits, without the need for duplication of each door...
It is actually a provision for high platforms that might be introduced.
@@oskarsrode2167you're joking, right?
its for the California Highpspeed sektion on the route. there higer platforms
@z00h He ain't joking, they're gonna introduce high level platiforms on the future. So the two sets of doors is simply a provision for when this happens.
Se pàrecen al CAF Alston 450 y 451 de Renfe, aunque estos llevan desde 1992, si aqui tenemos cables aereos desde los años 70 o antes.
ua-cam.com/video/s95IQI0wN-Y/v-deo.htmlsi=MYdFdx6YGFSxDAmO&t=1
Darn first the new Avelia now these with those European sounding horns.
I live in Europe and horns don't sound like that here. To me that is an American sounding horn 😂
Not much different from the horns that have bern used in LIRR electrics for ages. Nobody out here cares.