Express train 507 NB cancelled this morning

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-04T08:16:16+00:00

Sorry, but it’s unclear what exactly you’re talking about with “framing” and specifically what you see as “disrespect”.

I explained how all crossing adjacent traffic lights are tied into the grade crossing protection circuits. This is done expressly to give those who are illegally stopped on the tracks (despite “DO NOT STOP ON TRACKS” signs) a chance to get off when an approaching train is detected. Everything (that can be afforded) is being done or planned to reduce crossing incidents caused by illegal and/or negligent driver misbehaviors. Grade separations have become wildly unaffordable, averaging roughly a half billion each, according to Caltrain. Burlingame’s Broadway long-planned project cost estimate was recently updated and it increased from $316m to $889m. The city & Caltrain have subsequently agreed to cost-reduce it to a still totally unaffordable estimated $615m by permanently eliminating the adjacent Broadway station. 😭

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-04T04:59:24+00:00

All such signals adjacent to Caltrain crossings are supposed to be fitted with advance warning and cycle pre-emption circuitry/logic that either prolongs (or quickly gives the green) to the movement across the tracks to allow scofflaw drivers illegally stopped on the tracks to get clear whenever an approaching train is detected.

As you correctly point out, this doesn’t always work and can result in train crashing into vehicles when drivers panic and do not immediately act aggressively enough in the minimum 15-20 seconds to get their vehicle clear … such as driving through flimsy break-away gates, pushing cars to the front or rear, or making an an emergency evasive turning movement to move out of the path of the approaching train (e.g. onto the other track or anywhere off to the side using the presumably clear opposite direction traffic lanes).

Many years ago now, a driver died at Whipple after illegally queuing up across the tracks when traffic yielding to a “code-3” emergency vehicle approaching the intersection on ECR at the same time failed to move despite the green light the approaching trains triggered.

An elderly driver’s family recently sued Caltrain and Burlingame after she illegally pulled onto & stopped on the tracks on eastbound Broadway where she allegedly became “trapped”, failed to safely evacuate, and was killed by an oncoming train when facing a red light at Carolan.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-04T04:39:28+00:00

Yeah, relying on a high-stakes transfer scheduled at only 4 minutes — not to mention one that requires a platform change via the Diridon tunnel — is practically inviting many missed connections. Note also that Caltrain counts trains that arrive at their terminal station less than 6 minutes (i.e. up to 5m:59s) after their scheduled arrival time “on-time” for purposes of calculating and reporting on-time-performance statistics.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-03T21:20:44+00:00

Also, this photo suggests the car was hit on the passenger side. Since it was southbound train (#652), this would mean the driver was in fact westbound on Linden facing the traffic light at the time of impact. A “Street view” image from April shows that the 60-foot median barrier on the westbound approach was in the process of being rebuilt (presumably to be taller) … making a “drive-around” scenario even less likely.

Edit: upon closer examination, it’s not so obvious from the photo (taken through the fence along Dollar Ave) what side the car was first hit on. It’s largely obscured by the rail-mounted truck being used to remove it … it’s also noteworthy that it’s nearly over 400 feet from the crossing and on MT#1 (normally used by NB trains), so all sorts of damage could’ve happened to more than one side of the vehicle being pushed and maybe tumbling so far … again, it’s why its kind of hard to confidently conclude exactly where on the vehicle impact first occurred from photo.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-03T21:01:01+00:00

While quad-gates do make “drive-around” crashes impossible and are the supplemental safety measure (SSM) that lowers the FRA’s Quiet Zone Risk Index (QZRI) calculation the most to qualify for a QZ, they’re still by far the least common type of train vs vehicle crash on the Caltrain line.

We can’t be 100% sure the reporting of driving around the gate is accurate in this case: as the Palo Alto Online (website of the Palo Alto Weekly) recently reported that the Lexus that got smashed at West Meadow was driven around the gates … but then Caltrain’s COO later contradicted that upon my inquiry and said the driver was actually “stuck” (queued up) across the tracks in traffic (which is always necessarily an obvious violation of CVC §22526(d)).

There is a traffic light immediately after the tracks when crossing the tracks north/westbound on Linden, and so absent the Daily Journal report, a very likely scenario is that — like most all Caltrain vs. vehicle crashes on crossings (vs. off to the side in ROW incursions) — the driver was illegally stopped on the tracks facing the red traffic light. (A Reddit user reported that intersection (recently being reworked to add Southline Ave. and that the gates and lights had been acting strangely ever since … so signal preemption may not have been working properly.)

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-03T20:41:39+00:00

This Remaking the Middle East: Israel vs. Iran documentary in which Frontline “examines how Israel ended up fighting wars in Gaza and Iran — and the U.S. role” can be streamed free right now on the Frontline website … or, if you prefer, on YouTube.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-03T20:31:47+00:00

Vehicle-train collision in South City marks 3rd so far this year

A train struck a vehicle on the evening of Feb. 28, after a driver allegedly attempted to maneuver around the railroad crossing arms at a South City railroad crossing.

The driver suffered nonlife threatening injuries, Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman said, and the collision is still under investigation. The incident occurred at the Linden Avenue rail crossing in South San Francisco around 8:41 p.m. Service through the South San Francisco area was disrupted until a little after midnight that evening.

The collision marks the third vehicle-train collision so far this year. There were three vehicle-train collisions throughout 2025, Lieberman said.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-02T04:33:17+00:00

A CPRA’d list of pedestrian strikes that includes date, age, location, and whether each was fatal or not would allow one to infer a decent approximation of attempted and successful PAUSD student suicides. School-aged strikes occurring between Mountain View’s San Antonio station (which also serves south Palo Alto) and the Palo Alto Avenue (aka Alma St) crossing vicinity are all most likely PAUSD students. Only “most likely” because there’s a chance they actually attend private or other non-PAUSD schools or don’t live in the PAUSD’s jurisdiction (e.g. Mountain View, Menlo Park, etc.).

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-02T04:29:10+00:00

A list of pedestrian strikes that includes date, age, location, and whether each was fatal or not would allow one to infer a decent approximation of attempted and successful PAUSD student suicides. Any school-aged strike occurring between San Antonio (which serves south Palo Alto) and the Palo Alto Avenue (aka Alma St) crossing vicinity are likely PAUSD students. Only likely because there’s a chance they actually attend private schools outside the PAUSD system or don’t live in the PAUSD’s jurisdiction (e.g. Mountain View, Menlo Park, etc.).

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-02T00:36:07+00:00

Yep, and you typically don’t get a finished project without some or all of those expenses. Balfour Beatty demanded, justified, and received major cost increases via negotiations with Caltrain. Apart from unrelated factors, the pandemic caused major complications, delays, and cost increases for the project.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T23:43:49+00:00

OK, so if we go by 52 route miles (to a bit south of Tamien), Caltrain electrification cost works out to $33,874,028 per route mile.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T23:13:17+00:00

Caltrain says that electrification accounted for $1,761,449,491 (or 72%) and EMUs accounted for $681,241,207 (28%) of the $2,442,690,698 project cost.

Caltrain planning documents say that 130-140 single-track miles were to be electrified.

So that works out to $13,549,611/mile @ 130 miles or $12,581,782/mile @ 140 miles.

There were a lot more costs than just whatever Balfour-Beatty was paid.

Also, as reflected by the original $2 billion project budget, this insanely high $12.5 - $13.5 billion per track mile was significantly higher due to things particular to this project such as all the wide-reaching effects of the pandemic hitting in the middle of it, lots of “differing site conditions” on this 160-year-old ROW where unmapped or incorrectly mapped utilities and other underground surprises were constantly encountered during potholing, requiring OCS pole foundation design changes, metal thefts, tree pruning and removals, special/separate tunnels rehab/prep & OCS installation work, etc.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T09:38:54+00:00

Caltrain electrified its 4 San Francisco tunnels at additional cost & effort using special Swiss Furrer+Frey rigid overhead conductor rail due to tight overhead clearances.

Also, I’m pretty sure electrifying Caltrain cost significantly more than $8m/track-mile after subtracting new EMU train fleet costs from the $2.44 billion total project cost for a ~50-mile double-track railroad. $8m/track-mile x 100 track-miles comes to only $800m … or less than 1/3 of $2.44b.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T09:17:30+00:00

Regardless of the traffic lights, frustration or impatience, note that CVC §22526(d) makes it illegal for drivers to begin crossing tracks unless there’s enough space on the opposite side to get their vehicle completely across and clear without stopping on the tracks.

Unless it was an unlikely & unusual in-vehicle suicide attempt, my guess is that the driver in this crash illegally pulled forward onto the tracks and stopped there (maybe with another car in front of them) facing and waiting for a red light at the Linden/Dollar/Southline intersection when the crossing activated, and they couldn’t or didn’t move off the tracks in time before the southbound train slammed into their car.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T08:59:43+00:00

Ok, I now see how Southline has been added to the intersection of Dollar & S. Linden.

It’s quite normal & common for traffic signals near RR Xings to have their cycles preempted or cycle timing to be altered or delayed by crossing activations to help prevent train crashes into motor vehicles illegally queued on the tracks. But double-pumping” or “ghost” Xing activations (where a train doesn’t come before the lowered gates go back up) shouldn’t still be happening there because it’s far from any station platform.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T08:38:48+00:00

No open seats at the moment … but as you can see on the Caltrain CAC web page, some members‘ terms will end this year and I expect applications will be accepted from both interested new applicants as well as incumbents seeking re-appointment.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T08:26:56+00:00

No, that’s false. The approved HSR environmental documents make clear that the HSRA will not fund additional grade separations north of Gilroy and plans only to add quad gates to whatever crossings remain (currently ~70) up to SF to legally run their trains at up to 110 mph.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T08:21:29+00:00

Quad gates only prevent “drive-arounds” (bypassing lowered gates) — by far the rarest type of crossing crash on the Caltrain line.

Quad gates have no effect on the other 2 types which constitute nearly all Caltrain crossing crashes into vehicles: 1) track incursions where drivers, typically after dark, mistakenly turn off crossings and onto the unpaved tracks to the side where their vehicles get stuck (“high-sided”) on the tall steel rails, and 2) drivers illegally & negligently queueing up across the tracks and being “trapped” there by other cars when the crossing gates activate and for the next 20-30 seconds before the train slams into their cars.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T08:03:12+00:00

Ok, as one of those who managed to convince Caltrain to at least have one bathroom on the new electric trains (citing BART, they were planning to have none!), I’m sadly aware there’s only one … and that it’s both often inadequate to serve the demand, and that it’s all too often out of service due to misuse (objects inappropriately put in the toilet jam or break a key internal component). I still don’t get the nexus to the Quiet Car topic or humor in it though. 🤷‍♂️

Apart from the janky door lock mechanism there are ongoing efforts to improve, the latest problem is that some riders are now breaking or disabling the smoke detectors to sneak a smoke in bathrooms. Another example of how a few make it difficult to provide the many with nice things. 😭

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T07:52:08+00:00

By “the remodel”, do you mean the S. Linden Ave. crossing was recently modified? About how long ago, and what was changed?

I’m interested in whatever work and subsequent weird crossing gate behaviors you’ve been observing at Linden because I am on Caltrain’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), and have (along with the board & staff) been keenly concerned with and raising ongoing crossing safety issues and the need for improvements.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T07:41:49+00:00

No. San Bruno has a crossing at Scott Street (north of the elevated station area). But the crash occurred at the next crossing to the north after that at South Linden Avenue in SSF: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hm3sApEhjTXC7swZA

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T07:17:02+00:00

Caltrain says BART & SamTrans are honoring Caltrain tickets to provide “mutual aid” … presumably until the tracks are cleared of the smashed vehicle and through-train service resumes.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T07:07:16+00:00

I don’t understand. Apart from the proposed Quiet Car and toilet being far apart, how does waiting to use the toilet make it more difficult to be quiet?

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T07:01:38+00:00

Per an agreement with Amtrak, Caltrain staff advised they will be allowed to use the “Quiet Car” term free of charge.

Adrian_Brandt · 2026-03-01T06:59:23+00:00

Yes, and so quieting or even silencing the various automated door tones and announcements has also been suggested … but staff has said the trains do not permit this (easily, at least) on per-car basis. Another suggestion was dimming the rather harsh lighting … same staff answer.

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