Light Rail

Sad & Pathetic To Be Trapped In A Light Rail Car
SITREP
Sacramento Regional Transit has been supplementing it’s constantly breaking down trains with some *new* (used) train-​car purchases from San Jose (SJ). But guess what? These cars have their OWN issues.
THE SETUP
* So pulling into both the 11^th St. station and subsequently the 8^th St. station (my stop), the doors on the right side were breaking down.
* By the time we reached my stop, with the two (2) cars, six (6) out of the eight (8) doors on the right side of the train AREN’T WORKING!
* Passengers are bustling to get out, but the driver is too absorbed with the passenger-​ramp traffic to even know the rest of the doors aren’t working, until ANOTHER RT employee is yelling at her because she is trying to get out too.
* Sadly, the doors do NOT open and so we have to run to the back of the train to catch the last door — which thankfully IS working — in order to disembark before she rudely pulls away almost tripping up the last passenger trying to get, and as if we were the problem.
THE LOWDOWN
Maybe before you pull the trigger on buying «surplus train cars» from San Jose (or any other city for that matter), you should walk around the car and «kick-​the-​tires» (and see why these other cities are so quick & eager to sell these cars to you).

Pretty reliable timewise.
Also — always filthy with frequent mentally ill riders who often make one uneasy, and sometimes are physically threatening. Today there was a crazy man in the 3:30 train who manically paced from front to back of the car — making threatening gestures to passengers and spitting all over the train car.
The only security I’ve ever seen are occasional RT workers who ask to see tickets. I have rarely seen an RT or security person aboard in the afternoon hours, when all the crazies ride. He got up and came over to me quickly when I got up to leave at my stop and I thought for a minute I wasn’t going to make it home.
I wouldn’t use it if I could afford downtown parking. As it is, I’m going to sit next to the tallest, biggest, SANE Mother*$#*#ucker I can find on the train from now on.

To be honest I rarely take public transportation due to all the negative reasons pointed out so accurately by other Unilocalers: limited service, too much $$$, no/​little security, criminal element, etc. but I decided to take Light Rail today and yesterday to see if anything has improved since my last horrible experience two years ago.
Well, I’m very safe in saying that the Suckramento Loser Rail experience lived down to it’s despicable reputation.
Yesterday: Was able to buy overpriced ticket at kiosk using ATM card and train was on time. But that’s where the positives end. The rest of my riding experience consisted of a good dose of the «saggy pants crowd», the cursing mentally ill guy, the punk wannabe tough guy, and topped off with a big helping of foul-​smelling, filthy train car. I’ve never been so happy to see the Folsom Stage bus waiting in historic Folsom.
Today: Kiosk would not take ATM card for payment. Good thing I had the cash the P.O.S. demanded. Hey look, the same crowd from yesterday are joining me today for another round of «let’s test my immunity system!» While waiting in 105 degree heat for the f**king train that was late, I see a young lady sitting on a bench talking on her cell phone. The call concerned her childcare. Now, I’m a pretty big guy and I chose not to sit on the bench next to her but instead sit away on a concrete block to give her space to deal with one of life’s most important issues. But did weird homeless guy give her that much consideration? Hell no, he walked over, plopped his smelly carcass next to her and «hey, are you single?» I felt so bad for her. She was polite to the scud, her parents would have been proud.
Now the train finally arrives. Packed. Get to the end of the line in Folsom and of course no Folsom Stage bus. It had to leave to keep it’s schedule. So, another 45 minutes of waiting in the aforementioned 105 degree heat and the next bus shows. Two hours to get from Mather station to my house in Folsom.
So, today I’ll be in my polluting, gas guzzling SUV creeping along on one of the only three area freeways to get to work thanks to my experience with Shitramento’s Lame Rail.

«Well, at least they have light rail» — this gets you 3 stars in America
Only rode a few times at this point, this is an effective though not pleasant way of getting about. If they don’t turn the AC on or it’s broken in the summer it’s a sweaty cattle car, and someone always takes it upon themselves to make the experience even better by blasting shitty rap loud as hell out of their phone. Cars also have random seating configurations — some have normal seats with an adequate amount, others only have a handful of seats and they all awkwardly face each other.
Signs at the stops don’t list the color of the train (blue, green, gold) … you have to know their terminus points to know which one is coming … in my case even that wasn’t enough as I didn’t know the Richards stop was referred to on the board as «T9» for some reason … thankfully the actual display on the front of the trains is more helpful.
$ 2.50 gets you unlimited transfer for two hours which is OK … for some reason you can’t use that pass on the buses though … buses are $ 2.50 a ride with no transfers whatsoever. Told by a local that the crappy bus fares are the way of compensating for the poorly thought-​out rail fare collection/​enforcement scheme … half the passengers are riding free at any given time so they take their costs out of the buses instead!

For the most part it’s reliable, but I had a few bad experiences. 100 times better than the buses themselves. Lots of creepy people probably going to try talking to you or staring at you, but on a good day it should be pretty okay!

What keeps me coming back? Well. That I have to. Otherwise I wouldn’t.
Efficient? Sometimes. Cost-​effective? Always. Mysterious smells? Very likely. If you like to smell smells, here you will find a plethora of odoriferous experiences.
Trusty SacRT light rail took me to and from CSUS when I was a broke student working long weeks to put myself through college. I would ride it all the way from Folsom to University/​65^th Street most days that I had class. Free transit passes every semester were definitely something to be positive about as a struggling student. These days, in my old age, I use it to get from my apartment to the office when I don’t wear reasonable footwear that would allow me to walk all the way there.
I’m really not a fan of how many stops on the grid have two separate platforms depending on train end destination. I’ve finally got it down pat, but explaining it to others is kind of difficult. I’m definitely glad that we have google maps now to map public transit routes for us.
Not all ticket machines take cards, give exact change, or work properly depending on the day of the week, weather, or daily stock market fluctuation.
Bottom line: disorganized, in need of an upgrade that perhaps might come with the impending opening of the Golden One Center, dirty, but also convenient and a great way to save yourself a drive during a night on the town, daily commute, or even a fun trip to the Royal Oaks Post Office.

I was taking the Folsom bound train towards downtown and this ride guy screamed at me while I took the steps up to the train and he has the bike. Bitch ass! You are so rude and a scum!

I was on the light-​rail today and they seemed to have re upholstered the seats on some of the trains. Enjoy it while it lasts, it will probably be a day or two before peoples children spill things on them, a homeless guy urinates on them or a very drunk guy throws up on them.
I also realized that the RT has been closed for construction a lot lately and they have been using transport buses to get people from point A to point B. Hope they are making more renovations that will make a difference.

Only ride these as a last resort. I swear every time I’m on one of these, I get sick from the smell of alcohol and marijuana. I’ve seen assaults on here quite a bit as well. And the rules about these pre-​paid tickets are not easy to understand for someone who isn’t from the area. Occasionally, they have cops on them, checking for light rail passes, but their aggressiveness and unwillingness to listen to you if you have a legitimate concern is unbelievable.

It s Friday and it’s funky smelly on here today dam! Phooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooochila

Dangerous! Ridding a train or waiting at a station is like being in an episode of Cops. I’m new to the system taking the crazy train into the city maybe once a week and I’m seriously considering driving for my own safety.
Stations look like homeless camps with filth, debris, graffiti and vandalism. They don’t offer the very basics like benches or restrooms because the rift raft Sacramento tolerates abuse it. I find paying very difficult. I don’t always have ones or loose coin. In this day and age, every station should take a card or at least except payment over a phone application. Sometimes the machine is out of service and you have to use the machine on opposite tracks.
Very diverse crowd riding the train from corporate America wearing badges to psychotic behavior from rift raft that clearly didn’t pay a fare. Why doesn’t someone check for a ticket before getting on to reduce the craziness? Trains smell like dirty laundry, marijuana and canned vienna sausages someone was enjoying for breakfast.
I’ll listen to my coworkers and find alternative options. I don’t feel safe and these issues are out of control. Such a shame as this light rail has so much potential if it wasn’t taken over by thugs, craziness and filth. I don’t blame Elk Grove and Roseville for not wanting these problems in their nice communities.

Wow, riding on this thing is definitely an experience you won’t forget. Its a little bit scary, but otherwise reliable. At least it doesn’t go underground.

Honesty, need I say more?

This light rail stop is about as average as it gets. there is only one bench on each side, and chances are you won’t find any seating, but it IS right across from a little coffee shop, and so you can wait there if you wish. This stop is close to the Co-​op, and is clean enough, and pretty enough for a light rail stop. There is no shade in case of rain, and usually there are homeless people hanging about. I have to say, however, that I have never felt unsafe at this stop, and for me, that is ALWAYS a good thing!

How can you really review public transportation, I’ll give it a shot:
1. The light rail arrived on schedule.
2. The smell (s) was/​were neutral/​inoffensive.
3. I got to my destination in a timely manner.
4. No one died or peed.
Soooooo…THUMBS UP!!!

Have you ever been reading reviews for a company on Unilocal and wonder why some people are giving a business 4 and 5 stars while the majority are giving 3 stars and below… and you just scratch your head like «Um what are you blind and deaf?». I have taken the light rails for years and stopped 3 years ago b/​c it was so bad.
I will make this short and sweet.
* Sexual harassment
* Loud Music
* Sexual Harassment
* Expensive fair b/​c you get no transfer
* Sexual Harassment
* No transfer
* Sexual Harassment
* Doesn’t run past 9pm
* Sexual Harassment
* Only runs once every half an hour
* MORE SEXUAL HARASSMENT
I hope this helped, I put a lot of thought into this review :)

There isn’t a lot to say that hasn’t already been said about the Light Rail. People have already written highly entertaining blogs on the subject. It’s a necessary evil, but most public transportation falls under that category. Fact is, the light rail is one of the better public transportation systems I’ve encountered in a major city. Now if it didn’t attract so many weirdos…
Like most, I’m tempted to talk less about the cheap fares, punctual trains and conveniently located rail lines and focus more on the people who harass you while waiting for your train or the selfish, socially inept passengers who act as if their own personal issues entitle them make everyone else’s life miserable by screaming into their phones, blaring music or any other equivalent to standing up in a crowd and spinning a crap-​filled diaper over your head. But I won’t. Instead, I’ll just say it is what it is, and until someone finds away to create affordable public transportation without attracting the crazies, I’ll deal with it if it means I can avoid hoofing it seventeen blocks.

9:15 There’s practically nobody in the car at the 8^th and 0 stop.
Next stop… A few peeps starts pouring in.
(Don’t make eye contact, shit no. Don’t make eye contact!)
Too late, there she was brimming in all her blue eyed glory.
She smiles, a few loose teeth, some missing, but nothing a good orthodontist can’t fix!
(Oh God, there’s plenty of other seats, for the love of God don’t sit there!)
Plunks herself to the adjacent seat in front of me, a lingering smell of whiskey permeates…
«Yer, drassed purty nice. Wer ya goin’»
(Oh F*#&*K me, don’t talk, don’t talk! Leave me be! Go back to the crack house!)
«I’m going to work…»
She stares at me blankly with those hazy blue eyes. Probably walked the streets a few times too many, and then with a voluptuous voice says:
«Ya smell rael gooood.»
(…and, that’s all she wrote folks!)
Here’s my future wife.
And we lived happily every after…
(Good F#$King grief, why did I wreck my Jeep… why oh why did I wreck my Jeep!)

It has no clever names or acronyms. People call it «the light rail» or «the train.»
There are two lines. Because only one county bought into the project, it doesn’t go as many places as it should. There is service that is shaped like a boomerang through downtown. The lower, and longer, tentacle goes to historic Folsom, and the upper tentacle goes to the junction of two freeways, where there is one giant parking lot and not much else. The second line goes south from downtown to the tune of about 6 or 7 stations.
There are a lot of political issues, too. On the upper part of the blue line, Roseville and its sister cities didn’t opt for it, so it doesn’t hook up this rapidly growing area to Sacto. On the lower part of the gold line, the city of Folsom, with a historic center and nicer homes, cut off the hours at which it goes that far. Therefore, it stops in Rancho Cordova, from which there is no way to get to Folsom (pop. ~ 75,000). On the south end, the blue line doesn’t go into growing Elk Grove, the south end’s most popular area, which is STILL within Sacramento County.
Riding the light rail doesn’t feel that great, either. Outside of rush hour, it is not a pleasant experience and, in addition to a ticket, the machine should also dispense an anti-​depressant. A large portion of the route is not in the greatest of areas. And, at odd hours, the crowd on board can be animated, perhaps too much so.

I know people hate on the light rail, and sometimes I understand why. Yes, there’s a lot of 420 activity, and a lot of those less fortunate on the ride, and at times an over abundance of hormone driven teenagers, but all in all, I like it. I’ve never had any problems and enjoy the people watching and chatting with random strangers.
We use the light rail frequently to go out to dinner– its cheaper than a cab when my heels look great, but aren’t meant for the 1 – 2 mile walk to a restaurant. I use it to go to the outlet mall in Folsom on the weekends, and when I lived in EDH rode it from Folsom to downtown every day. Cheaper than driving and I could read or catch up on emails while commuting.
It’s also great to load your bike on at the weekend, head out to Folsom and ride the bike trail back to midtown.
I am so looking forward to the green rail to the airport. The Yolo bus is sufficient for now, but the light rail stop is closer to home.