Oh this is just awesome. I remember looking at the shuttle map inside of Google and thinking "Wow this is like a real bus company or something."
40% of Caltrain's daily passengers. Makes you wonder what Caltrain could do with that money (I know, probably not invest it as efficiently as private companies do) But at what point does it become cost effective to build a people mover at this scale?
And something joked about but never implemented inside Google was the idea that the busses in SF load up on a hovercraft ferry in SF and then jet down the bay to the 'plex. Figured they could come ashore near the Palo Alto Airport and disgorge busses that would take the Frontage road down to Charleston.
Agreed, its a significant fraction. I recall the discussions about how 'slow' it was to use CalTrain from the city to the Googleplex, the shuttles are faster of course, and they have WiFi which the train doesn't (still) so I don't know if Google could pay for a 'bullet' between SF and Mtn view (the 332 train[1] is closest). But the piece I'm missing is how much traffic is into San Jose to/from the suburbs. Or is that traffic mostly serviced by the VTA lines.
The 'smart trains' envisioned as the original people movers were a much better solution (dynamically adapting to traffic they would auto-exit at your chosen stop and ride on the through traffic center rail while expressing) but building that even on the existing right of way would be expensive.
(oh and the hovercraft could come up at Crittendon but it would have to go over the sanctuary and that would cause some resistance to its arrival)
40% of Caltrain's daily passengers. Makes you wonder what Caltrain could do with that money (I know, probably not invest it as efficiently as private companies do) But at what point does it become cost effective to build a people mover at this scale?
And something joked about but never implemented inside Google was the idea that the busses in SF load up on a hovercraft ferry in SF and then jet down the bay to the 'plex. Figured they could come ashore near the Palo Alto Airport and disgorge busses that would take the Frontage road down to Charleston.