Fun fact: during its first few months of operation, its horn sounded like a car horn. But this resulted in more accidents since people would go onto tracks to escape what they thought was an oncoming car, so they had to change it to sound like a train horn later on.
The line has not been abandoned, there are freight trains that use it in the middle of the night. As to why more of us locals do not use the Sprinter it is because of time. It takes an hour to go from Escondido to Oceanside by rail but only 20 minutes to drive if there is light traffic plus if we go to the beach we have a LOT of stuff to take and it is not convenient to haul on the train. There is a proposed transit plan to add more workspaces and homes along the line but until that happens the train will continue to be lightly used. I am glad we have it but most travel from Escondido goes north to LA or south to San Diego rather than east/west. Thank you for the review.
A fancier way to say it is that population density isn't high enough to generate heavy ridership. Beyond that, the physical layout of the local area isn't supportive of rail corridors. Business and shopping areas are spread out along the highway network in ways that favor using cars. Maybe in a generation or two...
@@dlshearer777 The blanket goes on the sand. Sit on that. I live in Brooklyn, and we can buy food and drink at the beach. I guess Californ-i-a is missing amenities at its beaches.
By running twice an hour during most of the week, the Sprinter serves as a super bus that doesn't get caught in traffic. It connects well with the MTS 235 route to San Diego, so often going through Escondido gets you from Oceanside to San Diego quicker than waiting for a less frequent Coaster or paying the $18 or so Amtrak fare.
This is right from my area (Vista). So cool to see a video of a train that I literally see on my way to work ever day! And being from the area I can speak a little more to the numbers game. So a lot of the movement for commuters in the area is north and south along the 5 and 15 highways and not east to west as this train primarily runs. The sprinter connects Oceanside - Vista - Carlsbad when people from those cities commute north or south for work. That being said in the summer or for leisure the train gets used more often for that rather than commuters. NCTD will often run 2 sets coupled together during peak hours during the summer to get those going to the beach, I have used it multiple times for that reason.
The Desiro Classic has always been one of my favourite DMUs! They’re very reliable and also quite comfortable (at least here in Germany) and I always loved the BIG windows. Hopefully the Desiro HC will see service in America too one day.
@@scanida5070 There are Desiro Classic EMUs in Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia. They never caught on in bigger countries though. Besides them there is the quite successful Desiro Main Line fleet of EMUs that operate in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Belgium. Finally, there is the Desiro UK family of EMUs including the classes 350, 360, 450, 444 and the UK Desiro City family of classes 700, 707 and 717.
Riding that train is always a fun experience as I would often ride it to college. I have always loved the design of the couplers on this system and the Oceanside station is close to the beach but more like a couple of blocks. It is also just south of the main drag (most popular strech of road) of Oceanside by about 2 blocks. In my opinion, the low ridership of the train is due to the common abundance of cars along it's route and it's competition with California highway 78. The line really holds it's own when the highway has heavy traffic. The line is loved by it's riders.
This is a very interesting rail service that I've been on once for fun, although I can see why it's not very frequently used. It basically connects a few large suburban residential areas in the north of the city, which means that it's not very helpful for commuting to work (usually further south). Another rail service, the San Diego Trolley, is about to open a new extension that will connect a major office/university area of the city to the rest of the network. Hopefully this will be a lot more popular with commuters or university students.
I really love the Desiro Classic, this train has such a unique driving experience. Because it was from the same Era and came from the same Manufacturer as the ICE 3 i always say as a joke this is the ICE 3 as a Commuter train. What I can recommend is the route from Reutte in Tyrol to Kempten. You can expect an incredible view with these windows.
The only train I know that has such large windows as single panes of glass (as opposed to multi-segment). Truly unique for a commuter product. Too bad they discontinued them. The ICE3 era was the best! (Also the love the EuroSprinter locomotives from around that time).
Desiros are great trains but I would rather avoid seeing them on journeys over 30-40 minutes. 😀 And I have a first hand experience from Prague. For a city line, great.. but for a longer intercity line it's suffering on these seats.
Right, avoid coming to Belgium then. We bought tons of desiros for our city lines but now they're all replacing the lines through the entire country :p speed seems more important than comfort
Tbh, I think the best Desiros are in England from the 00s. They've got very different seats and they're known for their reliability. However, the new Desiro City's in England have the "ironing board" seats and they are awful.
@@dmrr7739 Welcome to belgium, where people only complain to their friends and train companies try to cut costs wherever they can. So no better seats for us :p
@@amiibo7063 Same with Bulgarian State Railways - they take those poor Desiros on 3-4 hour journeys when a mainline train is not available due to technical problems.
I am a southern california railfan and love your reviews so I watched this one to see what you thought of it... I live about half hour east of Escondido and I've ridden this *once.* The issue is the speed... it's just way too slow. If I need to catch a coaster, metrolink, or amtrak in oceanside (depending on where I'm going) it it much easier for me to drive 1hr from my home to oceanside transit center than to drive 30 minutes to escondido, park, catch the sprinter which them takes almost an hour to get to oceanside, plus the connection time in oceanside. Even with 30 minute headways that's a 2 hour trip using sprinter vs just driving all the way to Oceanside. Even if it was free it wouldn't be worth the extra time to me. They have to make the speed comparable to driving if they want to get people out of their cars.
Service never really peaked by 2018 due to the brake scandal of 2013. All units were equipped with defective brake rotors, forcing service to shut down for over 2 months, while all passengers had to be bussed. After that, the public lost confidence in the Sprinter and ridership has been slow to recover.
Can't wait for your report on the Superliner Refresh (official name for the refurbished Superliner II) cars! The images look great and I can't wait to try them myself when I get the chance
5:57 most of the Desiro's in Europe, they have sliding doors in the passage between the carriages (but I like the open area of Coaster Desiro, it's interesting). In Greece, all trains have toilets, except the narrow gauge DMU's of Stadler, based in Peloponnese network.
Interesting, what's I Europe a local train is classifeid in the US as an light rail train. I also like the way the foors do fit with the railing at the station, almost like Asia.
It's probably due to the safety regulations in the US. Their trains have more restrictive crash tests etc., so a regular regional mainline train is light rail :P
@@naruciakk Correct... Any train that does NOT meet the heavy trains federal safety standards are considered LIGHT in the USA. Since this is not a mainline corridor if there are any freight trains using this track, they are doing so at night when the light rail train is not running...
Oh lordy, I used to live in Carlsbad & the Oceanside station was my second home while waiting to jump on the Coaster to get to work! Sounds campy, but I love that station (and the surrounding area). :)
I'm writing in 2024. The immense expansion of San Diego State University/San Marcos in the recent few years has surely expanded the numbers of users. Would be interesting to see the numbers now. Enjoyed your video. I live in Escondido and have used the Sprinter many times. Love it.
The government has choices. In the USA less than 2 percent have ever rode a intercity Amtrak train, over 80 percent have flown at least once, and 100 percent use a highway one way or another either driving or riding any vehicle... Where would you invest to please the most voters when everyone complains of potholes?
Used to take this to college when I was younger and I loved it. It’s current issue is the time between trains and it doesn’t service many useful areas. I was looking for a job at Carlsbad and wanted to avoid driving on the garbage 78 highway but the transit just isn’t there. It would take me more time to take the bus then the sprinter makes it a deal breaker. Hope they expand a line down through Palomar Airport to Del Mar.
Interesting. Wikipedia says, "The passenger trains are not FRA-compliant for operation in association with freight trains; therefore freight operations on the route are not permitted during passenger operations. For this reason some publications, including the American Public Transportation Association, refer to this line as light rail but it does not conform with the usual understanding of that term."
The Ottawa Trillium line also uses European DMUs. Originally it used Bombardier Talents, and now it uses Alstom LINT and Stadler FLIRT. It's considered light rail because it's operated by the City public transport operator OC Transpo.
I used to live in San Marcos at the time the line was being constructed. It was quite difficult because they had to run freight trains at the same time as construction. The service was repeatedly delayed, there were frequent news articles of testing being delayed repeatedly. The "final" timeline we were given was late 2007; it eventually opened in March 2008 to...reduced fanfare due to the onset of the recession. We were on a service in 2008 and it was quite full, however, with a dual-unit coupled train operating the route.
I like the Sprinter, I use it a lot. I use the tap on and off card which I top off from time to time. The card can be used on the Coaster or busses as well. It is slower but you plan accordingly. Americans are not used to that if they have a car to get around with. Especially Southern California. I use it to get to the airport via the coaster, up to LA and beyond. My car stays at home unless it’s a longer trip. I cycle my ebike to and from, hop on the train and arrive way less stressed not having to deal with traffic.
@2:57: Back in the 60s (when sunscreen actually enhanced the burning process) Oceanside's motto was "Tan your hide in Oceanside". I bet the city would be happy to have day-trippers arrive by Sprinter or Coaster...just use an appropriate SPF product! Nice report!
While many in California may enjoy a day at the beach, many Americans spend a weekend or a week at the beach... Grills, coolers, tents, blankets, if not a camper... You can't pack all of that gear on a DMU...
I swear every form of rail in the US is called light rail unless it uses a bombardier bi-level carriage. Also I love that station at the start, its very airy and similar to whats built in Australia.
I have ridden a Siemens Desiro in Denmark when I had a trip there in 2013. Then that Desiro was only 3 years old. A quite good regional DMU. I liked it alot. Odd to see it in the US :) another awesome video btw 🥳
Great video on a european diesel train operating in America. I do like the interior and it seems like a good option for some rural regional services with not many passangers
These trains, the ones used by Texrail, and the new ones Caltrain is getting are lighter than what the Federal Transit Administration allows for crashworthiness standards with regular trains. This means that they either have to be scheduled or signaled so they don't run along regular size trains.
I wish Los Angeles County could use this equipment on its Green Line. The green line has Siemens equipment but it’s moch clunkier and noisier. The Sprinter seems so smooth.
An other issue for the lack of use is that you need transportation from your home to the station and the same at your destination. Unless there is a convenient bus available, an incentive would be to sell some Uber or Lift vouchers at a discount rate. I never used Uber or Lift before but recently when my car was at the shop for warranty check and I got a day voucher instead of a loaner.
They look very similar to the original seats of ÖBB and DBAG but don't have a toilet. Meanwhile ÖBB has modernized the trains and improved the seats (headrests, some seats replaced). ÖBB 5022 also have a ticket machine inside, no wifi though.
In the short term, the pandemic doesn't help ridership. Overall, and more so in Southern California, "Car Culture" is a real thing. The other issue is connectivity. Can a person ride their bike or walk to a station, go to their final destination or work without having to connect to many different transit systems over a period of time to reach the final goal. If the systems matures with time, and the highways and city streets get further congested, maybe folks will ride.
Good point re: connectivity. Technically, I can take the train to my office, but I have to connect with a bus or taxi/rideshare at either end. Those connections are spotty, and I calculated that a one-way commute would take nearly 3 hours, versus 45 minutes door-to-door in my car. And unless I can find a taxi/Uber driver willing to give me a discount as a regular like a co-worker did, that fare would add up pretty quickly.
@@SarahRenz59 Nor do all of us Americans live in a urban city or area. The closest urban city near me is two hours, 150 miles away... While urbanites complain about train services, my rural town does NOT even have a bus, except for the yellow school buses... However, I can book a chartered flight with the small airplane airline from the rural airport... Uber air?
@@ronclark9724 I've just returned from a roadtrip to northern Europe, with two countries with low population density and still wide-spread public transportation networks, even in the most rural areas far far away from cities. Some of these places are very car-centric, however people there actually don't depend on cars. Even more awesome was to experience rush hour in the Norwegian capital: it felt like Sunday, but on a weekday at 4 PM there was hardly individual car traffic going on in the streets ... all due to buses, trams, subway/lightrail, trains, e-scooters and bicycles
Greetings from Hungary! These DMUs can speed up to 120km/h (74 mph) and in Europe they are used as regional services between counties. it is possible, the US variant has higher comfort level, than the European version
I doubt it. It’s most likely due to a lack of connectivity. Busses aren’t timed well with the trains creating long wait times. That’s typically the problem in the US.
@@scottyerkes1867 Dinah Shore sold a lot of Chevrolets.... This jingle was seen often on American television back in the days when there were just three major networks....th-cam.com/video/boertpylK0M/w-d-xo.html
@@ronclark9724 Thanks Ron Clark. Yes I remember Dinah Shore's "See the USA in your Chevrolet". I've never owned a car; having grown up in a very convenient Philadelphia neighborhood.
As I live about 70 miles north this service in the Los Angeles metropolitan region, I can shed some light on its low ridership. One is its use of that old line to Escondido takes it down just one of the major transit corridors in that burgeoning region of San Diego county. Those are suburbs built, like so much of Southern California since WWII ended, with the automobile in mind. It just no longer goes where population densities are high enough. That attempt to revisit the past has not created enough rail transit adjacent housing apartments as the more crowded Los Angeles urban sprawl has begun to do. Two, it was done on the cheap, much like the original San Diego Trolley lines and the Blue line IN LA. Using existing European and Japanese rolling stock on standard gauge those lines could not be integrated into the regular rail system their routes followed, for safety reasons. That need to change trains in all cases meant no single seat services to the suburbs was going to be allowed, despite the standard European or other rail lines that they were originally built to use. Japan does have two different standard gauges but that country built new standard gauge rail lines the same way that the U.S built interstate highways in the same post-war period. So the "Light Rail" standard gauge stock they sold LA Metrorail was considered not so light back in Japan. LA abandoned all its narrow gauge streetcar lines before the modern renaissance of Southern California city rail services begun in San Diego with the two lines I mentioned beginning in 1981. Siemens provided those EMU units too. The awkward cross platform connections to the Coaster, and Amtrak at grade is a remnant of the low budgets San Diego taxpayers would allow.
The old streetcars and interurbans that were owned and operated by just a handful of companies nationwide were one of the first victims of federal anti-trust legislation...
Safety requierment are differents in north america and europe so europeans rolling stock don't comply with north america safety regulation. I'm not absolutly sure if it's the same in the US, but I know that in Canada, europeans DMU aren't allowed to run unless it's on a dedicated track that it's not share with any other kind of trains. The only two lines that use europeans dmu at my knowledge in Canada are the Otrain in Ottawa on an abandoned freight line and the train de Charlevoix between Chutes Montmorency near Québec City and la malbaie, also on an adandoned line.
I know these trains from Germany - they can be great but sometimes they're a bit too small. There's an easy solution for that problem - couple 2 trains together and it's better for rush-hour service
Unfortunately, the line got the attention of a Grand Jury around 2016 or 2017, as the bicycle area is also the disabled seating area. Unfortunately, from the Response NCTD gave to the Grand Jury report, they have no plans to fix or address the problem in the near future.
These lightweight DMUS do not meet US crashworthiness requirements and cannot mix it up with Amtrak, commuter or freight trains. Iirc, the Sprinter line was budgeted for $68 mln but ballooned to $350 mln, 5 times the original cost.
@@AVeryRandomPerson Much of the costs had to do with upgrading the track as well from non mainline slow freight track to suitable passenger speeds... This corridor is not and was not the mainline for either UP or BNSF...
@@EnjoyFirefighting They had to add folding gangways to each station along the Santa Fe rail. They get folded vertically at night, because Santa Fe still uses it for freight trains and they need the room for conductors to work outside the train without being knocked overboard on them.
@@boisegameshowguy not sure why they didn't go for the approach of steps which extend out of the train to cover the gap between the train and platform then...
@@karegnal before that i think it is fair to include them on the list, most of their factories are in Europe, the headquarters are in Berlin and most of their product lines were inherited from smaller European Companies that they bought up. It was a (mostly) European Manufacturer in Canadian hands, that is what i would have called it.
Thats not the same type of train. The one you are talking about is the Alstom Coradia Lint 41, also know as DB BR/VT 648. Those are build by Alstom, but are not the same.
Great Video, but since they are used by my local train operator here in Germany, this was funny to see that siemens build them almost the same like over here
Ich habe die Desiros immer "Gräfenbergbahn" genannt, da in Franken Desiros damals nur auf dieser Nebenbahn fuhren. Später stellte ich fest, dass sie überall auf Nebenbahnen zum Einsatz kommen. Wie ich sehe, hat es die "Gräfenbergbahn" nun sogar nach Kalifornien geschafft und begeistert dort die Leute.
the much hated Desiro from Europe ... Yes the Desiro IS good for rail lines running only few trains per day and low ridership numbers on tracks which aren't electrified. In Germany the Desiro is kind of the flagship for regional trains running on old sidetracks, with low speeds and long travel times. Small regional train lines have their place, but they are far from the prefered mode of rail travel over here ...
@Eskel the Trainspotter & Roblox Well yes, I was only listing examples (e.g. TPE also use 350s). Though Bedford or Cambridge to Brighton (for example) is hardly "city transportation".
First time ever seeing side view mirrors on a train. My thought was wh to do that.en do trains need mirrors to change lanes. Then it hit me, the drive needs to see what is happening on the platform because there are no station or train personnel to do it.
Even the beeping sound while the Doors can be opened can be heard lol 😂 I hear them every day when I use the Berlin S-Bahn Class 483/484, the newest Model in the Berlin Commuter Train Fleet. While the Doors are open or can be opened, you hear a quiet "Boop Beep" like in the video when you enter the Desiro. Unfortunately for me, the other 2 Beeping noises (when the Door Opens and when they Close) their Beeping Noises are SO FUCKING LOUD. and imagine this; have these beeping noise not per wagon (unit), BUT PER DOOR. And one unit has 3 Doors per side, so having these Beeping doors for a 2 Unit or 4 Unit train with the minimum of 12 doors (4 unit small trainset in service), 18 doors (6 unit trainset) or even 24 Doors (8 units full train set in service) beeping the hell of the Platform can be fucking annoying.
@@banksrail the overall company of Bombardier was Canadian, Bombardier transportation was German, though. However, they have a seperate North American division that produces those bulky bi-level cars typical of NA.
You need to get a polarizing filter for your camera, or a lens from a pair of polarizing sunglasses. Put it front of your lens and turn it, the reflections from the window will go away.
It's fairly common for urban commuter trains (under 1h travel) to not have toilets, as it's deemed unnecessary for the time given since you can just go BEFORE getting on the train or after. Additionally if you really need to stop for the loo, most good commuter systems have a frequency of 5-20 mins depending on if it's rush hour or not, so really you wouldn't be that late if you caught the next train, this one is 30min though so I can see the appeal of an on board bathroom.
It's always interesting to see public transit in other places. What I cannot imagine as a european is a departure board literally saying "tomorrow". I like that there are fences at the platforms with gaps where the doors come to a halt. Its a good compromise between having nothing - like in Europe - and the expensive and impractical "platform screen doors".
Sorry guys... NO TOILETS TIME :'(
I don’t think they have toilets
@@chicagonorthwesternrailfan5043obviously not that's why he didn't do toliets time
I have to say, I was wondering about that in advance.
Is it a "real" Simply Railway video without Toilets Time? :)
You should try the dresiro form Cfr (you can take it form the airport)
I think you should try the Empire Builder which runs between Chicago and Seattle
Fun fact: during its first few months of operation, its horn sounded like a car horn. But this resulted in more accidents since people would go onto tracks to escape what they thought was an oncoming car, so they had to change it to sound like a train horn later on.
The line has not been abandoned, there are freight trains that use it in the middle of the night. As to why more of us locals do not use the Sprinter it is because of time. It takes an hour to go from Escondido to Oceanside by rail but only 20 minutes to drive if there is light traffic plus if we go to the beach we have a LOT of stuff to take and it is not convenient to haul on the train. There is a proposed transit plan to add more workspaces and homes along the line but until that happens the train will continue to be lightly used. I am glad we have it but most travel from Escondido goes north to LA or south to San Diego rather than east/west. Thank you for the review.
You took the words of another local :) All very valid points.
How much "stuff" does one need for a day at the beach? Everything should fit in a tote bag or a backpack. Ugh, California!
A fancier way to say it is that population density isn't high enough to generate heavy ridership. Beyond that, the physical layout of the local area isn't supportive of rail corridors. Business and shopping areas are spread out along the highway network in ways that favor using cars. Maybe in a generation or two...
@@nelsonricardo3729 How much stuff? Folding chairs, blankets, umbrellas, towels, cooler with food. You must have a very big backpack.
@@dlshearer777 The blanket goes on the sand. Sit on that. I live in Brooklyn, and we can buy food and drink at the beach. I guess Californ-i-a is missing amenities at its beaches.
By running twice an hour during most of the week, the Sprinter serves as a super bus that doesn't get caught in traffic. It connects well with the MTS 235 route to San Diego, so often going through Escondido gets you from Oceanside to San Diego quicker than waiting for a less frequent Coaster or paying the $18 or so Amtrak fare.
This is right from my area (Vista). So cool to see a video of a train that I literally see on my way to work ever day! And being from the area I can speak a little more to the numbers game. So a lot of the movement for commuters in the area is north and south along the 5 and 15 highways and not east to west as this train primarily runs. The sprinter connects Oceanside - Vista - Carlsbad when people from those cities commute north or south for work. That being said in the summer or for leisure the train gets used more often for that rather than commuters. NCTD will often run 2 sets coupled together during peak hours during the summer to get those going to the beach, I have used it multiple times for that reason.
They also run dual trains during peak hours when school is in session. Lots of CSUSM and Palomar students use it as well.
It allows a two seat ride to LA and San Diego…
The Desiro Classic has always been one of my favourite DMUs! They’re very reliable and also quite comfortable (at least here in Germany) and I always loved the BIG windows. Hopefully the Desiro HC will see service in America too one day.
Desiro have EMUs too, right?
Very. I saw one with black smoke and still ran! Such legends!
@@dbclass4075 If you‘re talking about the Desiro HC, then yes. If you mean the Desiro Classic, I have no clue...
@@scanida5070 There are Desiro Classic EMUs in Greece, Bulgaria and Slovenia. They never caught on in bigger countries though. Besides them there is the quite successful Desiro Main Line fleet of EMUs that operate in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Belgium. Finally, there is the Desiro UK family of EMUs including the classes 350, 360, 450, 444 and the UK Desiro City family of classes 700, 707 and 717.
The HC is so amazing 👌
Riding that train is always a fun experience as I would often ride it to college. I have always loved the design of the couplers on this system and the Oceanside station is close to the beach but more like a couple of blocks. It is also just south of the main drag (most popular strech of road) of Oceanside by about 2 blocks.
In my opinion, the low ridership of the train is due to the common abundance of cars along it's route and it's competition with California highway 78. The line really holds it's own when the highway has heavy traffic. The line is loved by it's riders.
Waking up by watching videos from Simply Railway is literally an enjoyment 😄
This is a very interesting rail service that I've been on once for fun, although I can see why it's not very frequently used. It basically connects a few large suburban residential areas in the north of the city, which means that it's not very helpful for commuting to work (usually further south).
Another rail service, the San Diego Trolley, is about to open a new extension that will connect a major office/university area of the city to the rest of the network. Hopefully this will be a lot more popular with commuters or university students.
I really love the Desiro Classic, this train has such a unique driving experience. Because it was from the same Era and came from the same Manufacturer as the ICE 3 i always say as a joke this is the ICE 3 as a Commuter train. What I can recommend is the route from Reutte in Tyrol to Kempten. You can expect an incredible view with these windows.
The only train I know that has such large windows as single panes of glass (as opposed to multi-segment). Truly unique for a commuter product. Too bad they discontinued them. The ICE3 era was the best! (Also the love the EuroSprinter locomotives from around that time).
This train isn't used between Reutte to Kempten anymore.
@@janv777 oh that's sad and thank you for the Information.
Is it not the Talent that has that joke going?
Yeah that‘s right, the ICE 3 is still the best i think, it’s from Siemens and Bombardier
Desiros are great trains but I would rather avoid seeing them on journeys over 30-40 minutes. 😀 And I have a first hand experience from Prague. For a city line, great.. but for a longer intercity line it's suffering on these seats.
Right, avoid coming to Belgium then. We bought tons of desiros for our city lines but now they're all replacing the lines through the entire country :p speed seems more important than comfort
Tbh, I think the best Desiros are in England from the 00s. They've got very different seats and they're known for their reliability. However, the new Desiro City's in England have the "ironing board" seats and they are awful.
@@amiibo7063 it seems like the seats could be upgraded fairly easily if enough people complain.
@@dmrr7739 Welcome to belgium, where people only complain to their friends and train companies try to cut costs wherever they can. So no better seats for us :p
@@amiibo7063 Same with Bulgarian State Railways - they take those poor Desiros on 3-4 hour journeys when a mainline train is not available due to technical problems.
I am a southern california railfan and love your reviews so I watched this one to see what you thought of it... I live about half hour east of Escondido and I've ridden this *once.* The issue is the speed... it's just way too slow. If I need to catch a coaster, metrolink, or amtrak in oceanside (depending on where I'm going) it it much easier for me to drive 1hr from my home to oceanside transit center than to drive 30 minutes to escondido, park, catch the sprinter which them takes almost an hour to get to oceanside, plus the connection time in oceanside. Even with 30 minute headways that's a 2 hour trip using sprinter vs just driving all the way to Oceanside. Even if it was free it wouldn't be worth the extra time to me. They have to make the speed comparable to driving if they want to get people out of their cars.
Nice little trip report, something different. Wish there were more of these types of trains over here.
Service never really peaked by 2018 due to the brake scandal of 2013. All units were equipped with defective brake rotors, forcing service to shut down for over 2 months, while all passengers had to be bussed. After that, the public lost confidence in the Sprinter and ridership has been slow to recover.
Can't wait for your report on the Superliner Refresh (official name for the refurbished Superliner II) cars! The images look great and I can't wait to try them myself when I get the chance
5:57 most of the Desiro's in Europe, they have sliding doors in the passage between the carriages (but I like the open area of Coaster Desiro, it's interesting). In Greece, all trains have toilets, except the narrow gauge DMU's of Stadler, based in Peloponnese network.
Interesting, what's I Europe a local train is classifeid in the US as an light rail train. I also like the way the foors do fit with the railing at the station, almost like Asia.
There is also the river line in new Jersey
It's probably due to the safety regulations in the US. Their trains have more restrictive crash tests etc., so a regular regional mainline train is light rail :P
@@naruciakk Correct... Any train that does NOT meet the heavy trains federal safety standards are considered LIGHT in the USA. Since this is not a mainline corridor if there are any freight trains using this track, they are doing so at night when the light rail train is not running...
Oh lordy, I used to live in Carlsbad & the Oceanside station was my second home while waiting to jump on the Coaster to get to work! Sounds campy, but I love that station (and the surrounding area). :)
The sprinter is an amazing train that should totally be appreciated for sure!
Also worth noting this was filmed in June 2020, many people were still avoiding public transit because of Covid
This is great! Grew up here and see the Sprinter all the time!
I'm writing in 2024. The immense expansion of San Diego State University/San Marcos in the recent few years has surely expanded the numbers of users. Would be interesting to see the numbers now. Enjoyed your video. I live in Escondido and have used the Sprinter many times. Love it.
Driving is MASSIVELY subsidized in the U.S. That's why few take trains outside of the largest cities.
@@DouglassES Well, as we saw in the 2016 election, most Americans are wrong!
@@DouglassES So are highways, and airports. Transportation is a public need, not something to be chopped up and removed by private companies
@@DouglassES How does my statement conflict with yours?
The government has choices. In the USA less than 2 percent have ever rode a intercity Amtrak train, over 80 percent have flown at least once, and 100 percent use a highway one way or another either driving or riding any vehicle... Where would you invest to please the most voters when everyone complains of potholes?
@@ronclark9724 ...and government was dominated by the auto industry. That's the cause of all of this.
So, like a modern (comfortable, clean) version of the old Buddliner.
Used to take this to college when I was younger and I loved it. It’s current issue is the time between trains and it doesn’t service many useful areas.
I was looking for a job at Carlsbad and wanted to avoid driving on the garbage 78 highway but the transit just isn’t there. It would take me more time to take the bus then the sprinter makes it a deal breaker. Hope they expand a line down through Palomar Airport to Del Mar.
In United States, this line is officially a light rail!
Interesting. Wikipedia says, "The passenger trains are not FRA-compliant for operation in association with freight trains; therefore freight operations on the route are not permitted during passenger operations. For this reason some publications, including the American Public Transportation Association, refer to this line as light rail but it does not conform with the usual understanding of that term."
USA has had light rail
Which is a stupid thing to call it, it is Not by any means a true light rail system
The Ottawa Trillium line also uses European DMUs. Originally it used Bombardier Talents, and now it uses Alstom LINT and Stadler FLIRT. It's considered light rail because it's operated by the City public transport operator OC Transpo.
I used to live in San Marcos at the time the line was being constructed. It was quite difficult because they had to run freight trains at the same time as construction. The service was repeatedly delayed, there were frequent news articles of testing being delayed repeatedly. The "final" timeline we were given was late 2007; it eventually opened in March 2008 to...reduced fanfare due to the onset of the recession.
We were on a service in 2008 and it was quite full, however, with a dual-unit coupled train operating the route.
Some have singles, however most are still in pairs
I like the Sprinter, I use it a lot. I use the tap on and off card which I top off from time to time. The card can be used on the Coaster or busses as well. It is slower but you plan accordingly. Americans are not used to that if they have a car to get around with. Especially Southern California. I use it to get to the airport via the coaster, up to LA and beyond. My car stays at home unless it’s a longer trip. I cycle my ebike to and from, hop on the train and arrive way less stressed not having to deal with traffic.
You should do a Salt Lake City light rail review. I saw it there last time I went, but never had the chance to ride it.
wow the engine shifting sounds are really awesome!
Romania is full of this Siemens Desiros.They even had them build under licence in Arad.
Didn’t have these growing up in Escondido/San Marcos in 60’s & 70’s !!
They didn't exist then
Watching this video while riding the Sprinter right now!
@2:57: Back in the 60s (when sunscreen actually enhanced the burning process) Oceanside's motto was "Tan your hide in Oceanside". I bet the city would be happy to have day-trippers arrive by Sprinter or Coaster...just use an appropriate SPF product! Nice report!
While many in California may enjoy a day at the beach, many Americans spend a weekend or a week at the beach... Grills, coolers, tents, blankets, if not a camper... You can't pack all of that gear on a DMU...
I swear every form of rail in the US is called light rail unless it uses a bombardier bi-level carriage.
Also I love that station at the start, its very airy and similar to whats built in Australia.
Not the case, Commuter Trains like SMART, WES, Tex Rail, Denver's Electric Commuter Rail, and Arrow are all not considered Light Rail
I have ridden a Siemens Desiro in Denmark when I had a trip there in 2013. Then that Desiro was only 3 years old. A quite good regional DMU. I liked it alot. Odd to see it in the US :) another awesome video btw 🥳
I Get Desiros On My Local Line All The Time In The UK.
These Are Quite Good Trains!
These Desiros That I Have Are EMUs And Are The Class 450/4DES.
Great video on a european diesel train operating in America. I do like the interior and it seems like a good option for some rural regional services with not many passangers
Have you reviewed the South Shore Line in the Chicagoland area?
You should try the SMART train in Northern California, north of San Francisco bay, it is also DMU, please do video on that
I do hope he returns to the US soon but I'm looking forward to some more European train reviews!
These trains, the ones used by Texrail, and the new ones Caltrain is getting are lighter than what the Federal Transit Administration allows for crashworthiness standards with regular trains. This means that they either have to be scheduled or signaled so they don't run along regular size trains.
very interesting! I love the sound of Desiro, but the 315 or 350KW version has better sound as 275 :D
I wish Los Angeles County could use this equipment on its Green Line. The green line has Siemens equipment but it’s moch clunkier and noisier. The Sprinter seems so smooth.
We have Desiro trains here in Greece too (they are used on the suburban railway).
Really nice looking train :D
An other issue for the lack of use is that you need transportation from your home to the station and the same at your destination.
Unless there is a convenient bus available, an incentive would be to sell some Uber or Lift vouchers at a discount rate.
I never used Uber or Lift before but recently when my car was at the shop for warranty check and I got a day voucher instead of a loaner.
The reason why there are no power outlets is because they have been engineered a decade ago. Even in Germany they don't have this :/
They look very similar to the original seats of ÖBB and DBAG but don't have a toilet. Meanwhile ÖBB has modernized the trains and improved the seats (headrests, some seats replaced). ÖBB 5022 also have a ticket machine inside, no wifi though.
They need to extend this further east to temecula for it to be useful. They should extend it to the South Perris Metrolink.
🤔 very interesting light rail line i enjoyed watching this. Nice video.
Nice videos & content, keep it up although we're from Filipinas I love to see this kind of videos specifically in train.. 👍👍👍
Fun fact: it's the only diesel light rail system in the US that doesn't use Stadler vehicles
In the short term, the pandemic doesn't help ridership. Overall, and more so in Southern California, "Car Culture" is a real thing. The other issue is connectivity. Can a person ride their bike or walk to a station, go to their final destination or work without having to connect to many different transit systems over a period of time to reach the final goal. If the systems matures with time, and the highways and city streets get further congested, maybe folks will ride.
Good point re: connectivity. Technically, I can take the train to my office, but I have to connect with a bus or taxi/rideshare at either end. Those connections are spotty, and I calculated that a one-way commute would take nearly 3 hours, versus 45 minutes door-to-door in my car. And unless I can find a taxi/Uber driver willing to give me a discount as a regular like a co-worker did, that fare would add up pretty quickly.
@@SarahRenz59 Nor do all of us Americans live in a urban city or area. The closest urban city near me is two hours, 150 miles away... While urbanites complain about train services, my rural town does NOT even have a bus, except for the yellow school buses... However, I can book a chartered flight with the small airplane airline from the rural airport... Uber air?
@@ronclark9724 I've just returned from a roadtrip to northern Europe, with two countries with low population density and still wide-spread public transportation networks, even in the most rural areas far far away from cities. Some of these places are very car-centric, however people there actually don't depend on cars. Even more awesome was to experience rush hour in the Norwegian capital: it felt like Sunday, but on a weekday at 4 PM there was hardly individual car traffic going on in the streets ... all due to buses, trams, subway/lightrail, trains, e-scooters and bicycles
California is the last place on earth where people take the train instead of their car.
Car Culture is a fake culture!! the roots of America being built are Railroads, people are just sadly too ignorant to realize that
Greetings from Hungary! These DMUs can speed up to 120km/h (74 mph) and in Europe they are used as regional services between counties. it is possible, the US variant has higher comfort level, than the European version
I don't think it does. It's just a standard Desiro Classic DMU with no changes.
Thank you Thibault for a good review. I think the lower than expected ridership is due to Californians' love of cars.
I doubt it. It’s most likely due to a lack of connectivity. Busses aren’t timed well with the trains creating long wait times. That’s typically the problem in the US.
@@banksrail Absolutely!! A combination of connectivity and love of cars
@@scottyerkes1867 Dinah Shore sold a lot of Chevrolets.... This jingle was seen often on American television back in the days when there were just three major networks....th-cam.com/video/boertpylK0M/w-d-xo.html
@@ronclark9724 Thanks Ron Clark. Yes I remember Dinah Shore's "See the USA in your Chevrolet". I've never owned a car; having grown up in a very convenient Philadelphia neighborhood.
To my knowledge these Desiros were actually owned by DB at one point. They sold them off.
We use them in Romania how cool is to see them in america far away from us.
great catch
As I live about 70 miles north this service in the Los Angeles metropolitan region, I can shed some light on its low ridership. One is its use of that old line to Escondido takes it down just one of the major transit corridors in that burgeoning region of San Diego county. Those are suburbs built, like so much of Southern California since WWII ended, with the automobile in mind. It just no longer goes where population densities are high enough. That attempt to revisit the past has not created enough rail transit adjacent housing apartments as the more crowded Los Angeles urban sprawl has begun to do.
Two, it was done on the cheap, much like the original San Diego Trolley lines and the Blue line IN LA. Using existing European and Japanese rolling stock on standard gauge those lines could not be integrated into the regular rail system their routes followed, for safety reasons. That need to change trains in all cases meant no single seat services to the suburbs was going to be allowed, despite the standard European or other rail lines that they were originally built to use. Japan does have two different standard gauges but that country built new standard gauge rail lines the same way that the U.S built interstate highways in the same post-war period. So the "Light Rail" standard gauge stock they sold LA Metrorail was considered not so light back in Japan. LA abandoned all its narrow gauge streetcar lines before the modern renaissance of Southern California city rail services begun in San Diego with the two lines I mentioned beginning in 1981. Siemens provided those EMU units too. The awkward cross platform connections to the Coaster, and Amtrak at grade is a remnant of the low budgets San Diego taxpayers would allow.
The old streetcars and interurbans that were owned and operated by just a handful of companies nationwide were one of the first victims of federal anti-trust legislation...
These aren't bad units, but in Europe they can be used on four hour journeys! 🙈
Well.. maybe in Romania. 😅
@@jmsmilfajt Six hours in hungary.... atleast it has AC
All trains should have windows that size, i love em
Safety requierment are differents in north america and europe so europeans rolling stock don't comply with north america safety regulation.
I'm not absolutly sure if it's the same in the US, but I know that in Canada, europeans DMU aren't allowed to run unless it's on a dedicated track that it's not share with any other kind of trains.
The only two lines that use europeans dmu at my knowledge in Canada are the Otrain in Ottawa on an abandoned freight line and the train de Charlevoix between Chutes Montmorency near Québec City and la malbaie, also on an adandoned line.
Or have the freight trains running on the same tracks when the unsafe standard passenger trains are not running....
Guess it would be pretty much the same issue if a European rail company would purchase American rolling stock.
I was of the planners who work on i that work on I’m glad it is doing well
I know these trains from Germany - they can be great but sometimes they're a bit too small. There's an easy solution for that problem - couple 2 trains together and it's better for rush-hour service
been waiting for this one
Unfortunately, the line got the attention of a Grand Jury around 2016 or 2017, as the bicycle area is also the disabled seating area. Unfortunately, from the Response NCTD gave to the Grand Jury report, they have no plans to fix or address the problem in the near future.
Reminds me of the Regional I used to ride between Zirndorf and Fuerth in Bavaria in 1the 1979's
Awesome video!
There's something very similar to this in Ottawa, Canada. It's a transit line.
These lightweight DMUS do not meet US crashworthiness requirements and cannot mix it up with Amtrak, commuter or freight trains.
Iirc, the Sprinter line was budgeted for $68 mln but ballooned to $350 mln, 5 times the original cost.
And most of that cost was for all the infrastructure they had to build such as moving platforms
@@AVeryRandomPerson Much of the costs had to do with upgrading the track as well from non mainline slow freight track to suitable passenger speeds... This corridor is not and was not the mainline for either UP or BNSF...
@@AVeryRandomPerson moving platforms? can you explain that?
@@EnjoyFirefighting They had to add folding gangways to each station along the Santa Fe rail. They get folded vertically at night, because Santa Fe still uses it for freight trains and they need the room for conductors to work outside the train without being knocked overboard on them.
@@boisegameshowguy not sure why they didn't go for the approach of steps which extend out of the train to cover the gap between the train and platform then...
Siemens Desiro are in Romania too! 🙂👍
Belle vidéo (comme d'habitude)
J'ai l'impression que la configuration des sièges est assez similaire à celle des Stadler RABe 522 (FLIRT)
Great video !!
Amazing Trains in Germany has many Rail Companies the ,, Desiro'' in electric versions ! The newst version is the ,, Desiro'' HC
Europe's largest train manufacturer companies:
Stadler
Siemens
Škoda
Alstom
Bombardier is Canadian
@@AVeryRandomPerson Yep, Bombardier is Canadian. But they sold Bombardier Transportation, headquartered in Berlin, to Alstom last January.
@@karegnal before that i think it is fair to include them on the list, most of their factories are in Europe, the headquarters are in Berlin and most of their product lines were inherited from smaller European Companies that they bought up. It was a (mostly) European Manufacturer in Canadian hands, that is what i would have called it.
These trains are in Ottawa, Canada! (But made by Alstom!)
Thats not the same type of train. The one you are talking about is the Alstom Coradia Lint 41, also know as DB BR/VT 648. Those are build by Alstom, but are not the same.
Great Video, but since they are used by my local train operator here in Germany, this was funny to see that siemens build them almost the same like over here
Ich habe die Desiros immer "Gräfenbergbahn" genannt, da in Franken Desiros damals nur auf dieser Nebenbahn fuhren. Später stellte ich fest, dass sie überall auf Nebenbahnen zum Einsatz kommen. Wie ich sehe, hat es die "Gräfenbergbahn" nun sogar nach Kalifornien geschafft und begeistert dort die Leute.
@@offichannelnurnberg5894 ja, bei uns auf Tauberbahn und der Maintalbahn Fahren die auch. Zwischen Aschaffenburg und Crailsheim
Sprinter, huh? The amount of times I took a journey on this train is so ridiculous I can time my railfan shots perfectly.
will you make a trip report on Coaster train too?
When will you post a video on the mbta
Good video for morning exercise
the much hated Desiro from Europe ...
Yes the Desiro IS good for rail lines running only few trains per day and low ridership numbers on tracks which aren't electrified. In Germany the Desiro is kind of the flagship for regional trains running on old sidetracks, with low speeds and long travel times. Small regional train lines have their place, but they are far from the prefered mode of rail travel over here ...
Funnily enough, in the UK I think of Desiros as quite heavy trains (e.g. the class 185s on Transpennine, or even the class 700s on Thameslink).
@Eskel the Trainspotter & Roblox Well yes, I was only listing examples (e.g. TPE also use 350s).
Though Bedford or Cambridge to Brighton (for example) is hardly "city transportation".
First time ever seeing side view mirrors on a train. My thought was wh to do that.en do trains need mirrors to change lanes. Then it hit me, the drive needs to see what is happening on the platform because there are no station or train personnel to do it.
Even the beeping sound while the Doors can be opened can be heard lol 😂
I hear them every day when I use the Berlin S-Bahn Class 483/484, the newest Model in the Berlin Commuter Train Fleet. While the Doors are open or can be opened, you hear a quiet "Boop Beep" like in the video when you enter the Desiro. Unfortunately for me, the other 2 Beeping noises (when the Door Opens and when they Close) their Beeping Noises are SO FUCKING LOUD. and imagine this; have these beeping noise not per wagon (unit), BUT PER DOOR.
And one unit has 3 Doors per side, so having these Beeping doors for a 2 Unit or 4 Unit train with the minimum of 12 doors (4 unit small trainset in service), 18 doors (6 unit trainset) or even 24 Doors (8 units full train set in service) beeping the hell of the Platform can be fucking annoying.
Also...That Siemens Diesro Is from Romania
It need to have more frequency than 30 mins, and it seems it's used as a shorter commuter rail, so maybe they felt it doesnt need outlets.
Is it rolling stock similar with the NJ transit Riverline?
You cam try those trains în romania on route from București Nord to Craiova via Pitești
I think coaster now has an entirely European style fleet now. Just Bombardier Multi-levels and Siemens Desiro and Charger family products.
Bombardier is Canadian. But again, they are owned be Alstom so, who knows.
Bombardier is Canadian, and they were built ever in Thunder Bay, Ontario or Barre, Vermont
@@banksrail the overall company of Bombardier was Canadian, Bombardier transportation was German, though. However, they have a seperate North American division that produces those bulky bi-level cars typical of NA.
Maybe European owner, not style
@@MTobias The Bi-Levels were designed by Hawker-Siddeley Canada, and were purchased by Bombardier along with UTDC, Pullman, and Budd's assets
Interesting how you did a video for the sprinter, but not the coaster
I was there during the week end! Coaster doesn’t run on week end :(
You need to get a polarizing filter for your camera, or a lens from a pair of polarizing sunglasses. Put it front of your lens and turn it, the reflections from the window will go away.
Great train. There should be a toilet though
It's fairly common for urban commuter trains (under 1h travel) to not have toilets, as it's deemed unnecessary for the time given since you can just go BEFORE getting on the train or after.
Additionally if you really need to stop for the loo, most good commuter systems have a frequency of 5-20 mins depending on if it's rush hour or not, so really you wouldn't be that late if you caught the next train, this one is 30min though so I can see the appeal of an on board bathroom.
The "ONLY" Siemens Desiro units in the USA. Never thought of Siemens who built trains in the USA. They mostly manufacture Desiro trains in Europe.
Everything Siemens produces in Florin is designed for the North American market
Yep. And Siemens have manufactured the Desiro DMU Class 185 for Transpennine Express.
The Austrian version has a 4 speed automatic gearbox for both directions.
It's always interesting to see public transit in other places. What I cannot imagine as a european is a departure board literally saying "tomorrow". I like that there are fences at the platforms with gaps where the doors come to a halt. Its a good compromise between having nothing - like in Europe - and the expensive and impractical "platform screen doors".
Trem de da Califórnia boa viagem ai simply 🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅🚅
I love sleek trains
Yes finally thank you