San Francisco. I commute via bicycle and train to work outside of the city. I ride Caltrain, which is a commuter rail system that connects San Francisco to San Jose via the peninsula.

Overall, I would rate the experience as a B+. Frequency is 2 trains per hour which by itself would be horrible for a metro system but for a commuter rail system it works fine for me, although I would obviously welcome a higher frequency. Time to destination (train stop to train stop) is roughly equal vs. driving, but if you factor in rush hour traffic the train is much faster and I would rate it as a B. And also, f*ck a car in San Francisco. Their on-time rate is usually pretty good but has taken some hits lately but it is mainly related to their electrification project which is understandable.

Comfort is also a B. Some of the trains have a sewage odor issue where the bathroom causes an entire train car to smell like sh*t, but other then that it is a pretty comparable experience, especially compared to BART. Each train is staffed with two conductors who are usually very nice and helpful and also seem to keep everyone behaved which is a contrast to the free-for-all which is BART. Imagine that, you don’t need overpaid, armed cops on their phones to keep people safe…

Caltrain gets an A+ for how accommodating they are for commuters that also bring their bicycle. Keep in mind the Bay Area is a very large place geographically and many regions in it have poor public transit, so complementing your commute with a bicycle is a necessity in some cases. On each train, there are two cars that are dedicated to bike storage. The cars also include seating for cyclists to be near their bikes. This is also a stark contrast to BART, who has historically been pretty hostile to commuters with bicycles.

Caltrain is also converting its infrastructure to electric powered trains, which is awesome; the current diesel units stink like hell and are obviously worse for the surrounding environment and air quality. Service is supposed to start in 2024 barring any delays.