The NCTD board of directors recently approved the purchase of new locomotives for the Coaster commuter rail service in San Diego County. In addition to the new diesel-electric Siemens Charger locomotives being painted with an updated design, the current fleet of coach and cab cars may also receive an updated paint job to match the selected design. The new locomotives will enhance the customer experience and will support potential service expansion including additional commuter rail trips. The new locomotives with the chosen paint scheme are scheduled to start arriving in 2021.
The agency is also working on the development of a new website with ongoing input from staff, Board members, and disability advocates. The new site will replace both desktop and mobile versions of the website with one, responsive site across all devices. While the public will have an opportunity in the future to assist with beta testing before the site goes live, NCTD will soon be seeking input on a creative layout for the all-in-one website. The new site is currently scheduled to be launched in early 2019.
To complement the innovative, modern designs that NCTD will be showcasing with the new locomotives and redesigned website, the agency is also looking for the public’s opinion on a new logo. The agency is looking forward to the public’s opinion on freshening up the current look and rebranding the agency with a more modern, versatile logo.
–From a North County Transit District press release
I vote for #3. Jim Jones and John Degges, you’ve expressed the reasons for my choice.
How will a jazzier paint job enhance the experience? The current fleet of cars is getting worn and tacky inside, with the maintenance seemingly falling behind the needs. How they can add more trains isn’t clear. We are constantly told that the LOSSAN corridor, and especially the stretch in San Diego County, is at saturation. More double tracking is being done, but a few stretches cannot be double tracked at this time.
About two days ago I watched a Coaster consist pass through Carlsbad, first headed north and a while later going back south. Uh, guys, have you thought of washing the cars? Those I saw showed grime from bottom to top. And, yes, I know plain old dirt when I see it. If they cannot be bothered to keep the equipment clean, no new paint scheme will look good. I think I noticed a washing facility at the Stuart Mesa facility north of Oceanside, where the Coaster equipment is parked; if there is one there, it isn’t being used.
How will the “new locomotives enhance the customer experience”? :^)
The first two made me think of waves tossing a ship.
The first two look like something out of a cheap traveling carnival.
I like version two.
Shiny stainless steel with a little color on the number boards would look great and be far less costly to produce and maintain as the flashy colored version.