Although Caltrain has worked to eliminate grade-crossing over the years, the effort can be expensive and controversial. As a result, there are still 71 grade crossings on the Peninsula Corridor. And that leads to wrecks when drivers go around crossing gates.
The agency is turning to Artificial Intelligence to try and reduce the risk. From a Caltrain release:
Caltrain began installing a LiDAR and camera-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution, called RailSentry, at its Churchill Avenue Crossing in Palo Alto as part of its ongoing commitment to safety improvements. This new technology, developed by Herzog, uses a combination of LiDAR and cameras to observe an area and alert railroad operations groups of lingering vehicles or other objects to mitigate collisions between trains and vehicles, people or other objects. The deployment of this technology follows its successful installation at the Broadway Crossing in Burlingame.
In addition to alerting train operations about potential collisions, the agency is using the technology to guide marking improvements and lighting to try and help drivers not turn onto the tracks in the first place. "Prior to these enhancements at the Broadway Burlingame Crossing, Caltrain removed one vehicle every three months from the tracks. RailSentry’s technology revealed that three vehicles per week attempted to turn onto the tracks and ultimately left on their own. Since the installation of the markers in January, there have been zero attempts by vehicles to turn onto the tracks."
Of course, it would be nice if the California Department of Motor Vehicles would do its job and stop licensing drivers who go around crossing gates in the first place. That might save lives both on and off the tracks.
Have a pint at the parade. But take the train home.
Speaking of safety, Caltrain is encouraging Peninsula people attending the St. Patrick's Day Parade in San Francisco on Monday to ride the train and leave the car at home. From another release:
There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and a St. Patrick’s Day Parade at the end of the Caltrain line in San Francisco on Saturday, March 15. The parade starts at 11:30 a.m. at Second and Market Streets and is expected to run until 2 p.m. Caltrain will be running trains every half hour as part of its regular weekend service.
To save time on the return trip, passengers are encouraged to buy a Day Pass or utilize the Caltrain mobile app available on the App Store or Google Play. Clipper card users are reminded to tap on and tap off. Visit caltrain.com/Clipper for more details.
Caltrain is a proof-of-payment system; tickets are not sold onboard trains. Day Passes purchased through the mobile app are valid on the day of purchase through the end of the service day. Clipper START riders can ride for 50% off a standard fare. Youth Fares are also $1 one way or $2 day passes for passengers 18 and under.
If Caltrain gets some new riders out of this effort, Streetsblog hopes they will notice the shiny new, modern, high-performance electric trains and keep on riding. Maybe more people also realize that California's rail modernization efforts aren't just going on in the Central Valley, they're happening right here in the Bay Area too.
