Transportation, like most of life, is more complex than one might first think. If a problem were easy to fix, most likely it would have been fixed long ago. Usually there are socio-political obstacles (and not just of the bureaucratic type) in the way.
We've compiled a list of questions and answers to frequently asked questions and misconceptions that we've come across. If you don't find your question here and it's not answered elsewhere on our site, please contact us.
Subject
ACE
Amtrak Capitol Corridor
BART
BART extensions we don't support
BART extensions we support
Caltrain
Caltrain Metro East
Caltrain Electrification
Downtown Extension
Dumbarton Rail
Electrification
Funding for Transit
High Speed Rail
Level Boarding
Neighborhood Design
Rail 101
Regional Rail Plan Study
SMART
Salinas/Monterey Extension
Transbay Terminal
VTA Reform
Freight
Q. What problems are encountered when a passenger rail train uses tracks owned by freight rail companies?
Q. Why can't Caltrain run solar or hydrogen fuel cell-powered trains instead of electrifying the line?
A. Trains must be able to carry a load of 600 or more people and their belongings, repeatedly accelerate them from 0 - 60 mph in under a minute, and travel hundreds of miles without needing to spend more than a few minutes to refuel. Within existing laws of physics, it's not possible to power a train that can meet those requirements by coating it with solar panels; nor are any hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles currently able to meet those requirements. If you know of any, please let us know. The technology still has a ways to go to advance beyond prototype stage; read about the results of VTA's hydrogen fuel cell bus demonstration program (pdf, 1.3 MB, June 2006). Alternative power sources can power Caltrain; just not directly. Solar panels or fuel cells can feed power into the general electrical grid that powers the electrified trains through an overhead catenary.
