#ace train

American commuter rail systems have long been wedded to the 9-to-5 work schedule, but as the 21st-century economy demands more flexible hours regional rail systems have not kept pace with those changes.

The gist is the United States has a large network of commuter rail lines but typically run a limited number of trains, often only during peak weekday commute hours.

That leaves a lot of trains sitting idle off-peak when they could be carrying commuters, students, shoppers, and anyone who doesn't have a 9-5 workday.

Toronto increased rail service by 50% and grown ridership by 4.1% over that last year. That looks like a very small return on investment, especially since some of the increase is attributable to lowering fares, but it translates to taking tens of thousands of cars off the road.

Caltrain is similarly looking to increase service once the electrification project is finished.

Electrified service should give passengers six trains an hour during rush hour and Caltrain’s long-term plan, which the board will consider next week, could increase service to eight trains an hour during peak times and four trains per hour throughout the day, a Caltrain spokesman said.

Caltrain wants to offer "show up and go" service, like BART, which will let a lot of riders forget about a "schedule" knowing they'll have a 15-minute wait at most.

The $2.26 billion in upgrades, which could be completed by April 2022, can’t come quickly enough with 1.2 million more people estimated to live along the route by 2040.

“There’s pent-up demand, all day long all week long for much more frequent service,” Friends of Caltrain Executive Director Adina Levin told Streetsblog. “Having trains every 15 minutes as opposed to more regular service can enable better connections with feeder buses and other regional services.”

In an ironic twist, East Bay state Sen. Steve Glazer’s “no” vote on the governor’s mega-transportation tax may have paved the way for the biggest commuter line the Bay Area has seen since BART.

In order to secure the two-thirds majority needed to approve a $52 state transportation bill, and losing Senate Glazer’s vote Governor Jerry Brown and Democratic leaders needed to woo over at least one Republican State Senator.

Glazer’s refusal to go along with fellow Democrats meant that the governor needed to get a “yes” vote from a Republican. In this case, the Republican was Anthony Cannella of Ceres in Stanislaus County. Cannella asked Brown for $400 million to extend the 86-mile-long Altamont Commuter Express, or ACE, rail line, which runs from San Jose to Stockton, another 72 miles to Ceres and Merced in the Central Valley. And he got it.

Fremont: Ace Train Derailment in Niles Canyon Injures, Search Underway

At 7:30 pm, an Ace Train derailed in Nice Canyon between Fremont and Sunol which sent a train car into the creek near Palomares Rd. According to Alameda a County Fire Dispatch, at least one train entered the creek where 5 ambulances were requested along with a boat rescue. Fremont Police and CHP were requested to assist with traffic and crowd control. By 8:22 pm, dispatch stated there were 10…