Electric Caltrain

For Giants weekday games, I usually take Caltrain from Redwood City, where my office is, to the City. Last week, I felt a surge of curiosity while standing on the platform at the Redwood City station - I spotted an incoming train, and it was one of the new electric ones. To be honest, my expectations weren’t that high. After all, you know, it's Caltrain; my excitement was similar to seeing a new gadget. But the moment I stepped onto the train, that excitement took just one second to turn into a genuine thrill.

The train was clean and featured monitors displaying information like the next and remaining stops. For the first time on the US train, I didn’t feel the need to constantly check my location on Apple Maps, worrying about missing my stop. Although I got used to these days, catching the train staff's live announcements on the train was challenging. The ride was so smooth and comfortable that it was a world apart from the old diesel trains. It felt almost like I was on a high-speed train in Korea or Japan. That realization brought a touch of sadness because it reminded me of how train travel should be — something I had forgotten after getting used to the less-than-ideal train experiences we've had for so long.

I’ve heard that the new trains can start and stop faster, potentially reducing overall travel time by 20%. That’s impressive. If I could get from Palo Alto to San Francisco in 45 minutes, commuting to the City could become a viable option, not to mention making trips to the ballpark even more convenient.

It turns out I'm not the only one excited about the new trains. Numerous news outlets and YouTubers have been talking about it. I hope these new trains spark more interest in high-speed rail across the US. We deserve a better transportation infrastructure.