Caltrain
We knew we wanted to
continue carrying bikes
but we faced a decision on
how to manage the tradeoff
between bike storage
and passenger space
Casey Fromson, Caltrain
ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 Railway Interiors International 57
Every seat
on the new
service will
have its own
power socket
organised by Caltrain that
has involved online polls,
social media input and station
activities. “There are some areas where
we’re constrained by regulations for things
like safety, but wherever possible we’ve tried
to get customer feedback on the proposed
designs,” explains Fromson.
Model railway
As part of this programme, a 1/50th scale model
has been displayed at stations. Meanwhile,
customers with disabilities were invited to give
their views on a full-size mock-up of the toilet,
which was developed in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“The outreach project with the ADA
community was really exciting and it gave
us a lot of feedback on what changes would
make the trains more functional for these
passengers,” notes Fromson.
PROJECT TIMELINE
1999 Caltrain’s strategic plan makes
electrification a priority
2013 Environmental work begins
2015 Environmental work completed; riders
provide feedback on global design
2017 Riders provide feedback on the interior and
exterior design; contract awarded to Stadler
2018 Rolling stock enters production
2019
Riders provide additional feedback on the bicycle
car; first train assembled and first test runs;
display model goes on a roadshow
2020 Riders to try out a virtual reality experience
2022 Trains expected to enter service
There was a strong desire to give the interior
a more contemporary high-tech feel, Bouchard
says. Every seat will have a power socket,
while customer information will be handled
by electronic signage and a new audio
system. There will also be public-facing wi-fi
on board, as well as outward communication
to the railroad infrastructure, raising the
option of real-time fault diagnosis and
maintenance scheduling.
This all adds up to a far more complex
electrical architecture than the existing trains.
ABOVE: Foldable scooters can
be tucked underneath seats
LEFT: Customers will be kept
informed by electronic signage