Rail Fanning
METROLINK LAUNCHES NEW ARROW SERVICE
Metrolink riders in the Inland Empire can use the new Arrow passenger rail service to travel between the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands. The Arrow service adds four train stations in the two cities and introduces brand new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains to Metrolink’s cleaner-operating fleet.
Last Updated on July 3, 2024 by Daily News Staff
New service extends Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line to Redlands, adding four new stations and extending daily express trains
LOS ANGELES – Metrolink riders in the Inland Empire can use the new Arrow passenger rail service to travel between the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands. The Arrow service adds four train stations in the two cities and introduces brand new Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains to Metrolink’s cleaner-operating fleet.
Planned and constructed by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), Arrow will initially operate up to 42 weekday trains between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., with service also available on Saturdays and Sundays. Connections between Arrow trains and Metrolink San Bernardino Line trains are available seven days a week at the San Bernardino-Downtown Station. There are also connections to Metrolink’s Inland Empire-Orange County Line.
“It’s an exciting day for Metrolink and our partners at SBCTA as we take another step toward greater regional train travel throughout Southern California,” Metrolink Board Chairman Ara Najarian said. “Metrolink continues to be a pioneer in environmentally responsible, safe and efficient travel.”
The two San Bernardino Line Express trains will also be extended to the Redlands-Downtown Station connecting Redlands to Los Angeles Union Station.
“We are thrilled to open the highly anticipated new Arrow service for our riders in Redlands and San Bernardino,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said. “The Arrow service adds nine miles of new track, giving riders more options for cleaner, efficient travel in the area, connecting to Los Angeles, Orange County and beyond.”
The new DMU trains being used for the Arrow service feature a sleek, modern design and are powered by lower-emission diesel engines for a quieter and more energy-efficient ride. Other amenities include level boarding at the station platforms, capacity for 120 passengers, space for up to eight wheelchairs, storage hooks for up to 12 bicycles and USB chargers at most seats.
“The launch of Arrow is monumental for both San Bernardino County and the Southern California region,” Metrolink Board Vice-Chair and SBCTA Board Member Larry McCallon said. “The effort of SBCTA and Metrolink to complete a project of this magnitude is tremendous. By extending passenger rail service to Redlands with new, modern and eco-friendly trains, the agencies are fulfilling commitments to not only provide Southern California residents with greater regional rail connectivity, but also meet California’s aggressive climate-improvement goals.”
Arrow trains serve the existing San Bernardino-Downtown Station, 140 S. E St., San Bernardino, as well as four new stations: San Bernardino-Tippecanoe Station, 1498 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino; Redlands-Esri Station, 601 New York St., Redlands; Redlands-Downtown Station, 351 North Orange St., Redlands; and Redlands-University Station at the University of Redlands, 1100 East Park Ave., Redlands.
For more information on the Arrow Line visit www.metrolinktrains/arrow.
Source: Metrolink
https://stmdailynews.com/category/the-bridge/urbanism
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Last Updated on April 4, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Few transportation systems in the world are as instantly recognizable as the cable cars of San Francisco. Climbing steep hills with a steady hum and a nostalgic charm, these moving landmarks are more than just a tourist attraction—they’re a triumph of innovation born out of necessity.
🐎 A Problem on the Hills
In the mid-1800s, San Francisco was growing rapidly, but its geography posed a serious challenge. The city’s steep inclines made travel difficult, especially for horse-drawn streetcars, which were the primary form of public transportation at the time.
Horses often struggled to pull heavy loads uphill, and accidents were common. In some cases, animals collapsed under the strain. This dangerous and inefficient system needed a solution.
💡 The Vision of Andrew Hallidie
That solution came from Andrew Smith Hallidie, an engineer and entrepreneur who envisioned a safer, more reliable way to move people through the city.
Hallidie developed a system in which streetcars would be pulled by a continuously moving cable running beneath the street—eliminating the need for horses altogether.
⚙️ The First Cable Car Line
On August 2, 1873, Hallidie launched the world’s first cable car system: the Clay Street Hill Railroad.
This groundbreaking line proved that cable-powered transit could successfully navigate San Francisco’s steep terrain. Instead of relying on animal power, cars used a mechanical grip to latch onto a moving cable underground, allowing them to glide smoothly up and down hills.
The innovation quickly captured public attention—and demand.
🚀 A City Transformed
Following the success of the Clay Street line, cable car systems spread rapidly across San Francisco.
By the late 19th century:
- Dozens of routes crisscrossed the city
- Cable cars became the backbone of urban transportation
- The system helped shape the city’s growth and accessibility
For a time, San Francisco operated the largest and most advanced cable car network in the world.
⚡ The Rise of Electric Streetcars
Despite their success, cable cars faced competition from emerging electric streetcar systems in the early 20th century. Electric trolleys were cheaper to build and operate, and they didn’t require the complex underground cable infrastructure.
The turning point came after the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which destroyed much of the city—including large portions of the cable car network.
When rebuilding began, many lines were converted to electric systems instead of restoring the older cable technology.
San Francisco’s cable car system, first launched in 1873, remains the last manually operated system of its kind. According to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) , the system was designed to safely navigate the city’s steep terrain.
The cable cars are now designated as a National Historic Landmark, recognized for their cultural and engineering significance by the National Park Service .
Visitors can explore the history and mechanics of the system at the San Francisco Cable Car Museum , which preserves original equipment and archives.
🛑 Saving a Symbol
By the 1940s, cable cars were on the brink of extinction.
That’s when Friedel Klussmann stepped in. A passionate preservationist, Klussmann led a public campaign to protect the remaining lines from being dismantled.
Her efforts culminated in a successful 1947 voter referendum that ensured the survival of San Francisco’s cable cars—transforming them from everyday transit into a preserved cultural landmark.
🌉 Cable Cars Today
Today, San Francisco’s cable cars are:
- The last manually operated cable car system in the world
- A National Historic Landmark
- One of the most visited attractions in California
Three lines remain in operation:
- Powell–Hyde Line
- Powell–Mason Line
- California Street Line
While they still function as public transit, they now serve as a moving museum—connecting modern riders with the city’s past.
🎯 Why It Matters
San Francisco’s cable cars represent more than a mode of transportation. They tell a story of innovation, resilience, and community action.
From solving a practical problem to becoming a global icon, the cable car system reflects how cities adapt—and how people fight to preserve what makes them unique.
📌 “Now You Know”
San Francisco’s cable cars weren’t built for tourism—they were invented to solve a life-and-death problem on steep city streets. Today, they remain the last system of their kind anywhere in the world.
🔗 External Sources & Related Links
- SFMTA – Cable Cars Overview
- San Francisco Cable Car Museum
- National Park Service – Historic Landmark Info
- Britannica – Cable Car History
- History.com – Invention of Cable Cars
Explore the latest in innovation, AI, gadgets, startups, and digital trends in STM Daily News’ Techsection.
The Knowledge
Beneath the Waves: The Global Push to Build Undersea Railways
Undersea railways are transforming transportation, turning oceans from barriers into gateways. Proven by tunnels like the Channel and Seikan, these innovations offer cleaner, reliable connections for passengers and freight. Ongoing projects in China and Europe, alongside future proposals, signal a new era of global mobility beneath the waves.
For most of modern history, oceans have acted as natural barriers—dividing nations, slowing trade, and shaping how cities grow. But beneath the waves, a quiet transportation revolution is underway. Infrastructure once limited by geography is now being reimagined through undersea railways.
Undersea rail tunnels—like the Channel Tunnel and Japan’s Seikan Tunnel—proved decades ago that trains could reliably travel beneath the ocean floor. Today, new projects are expanding that vision even further.
Around the world, engineers and governments are investing in undersea railways—tunnels that allow high-speed trains to travel beneath oceans and seas. Once considered science fiction, these projects are now operational, under construction, or actively being planned.
Undersea Rail Is Already a Reality
Japan’s Seikan Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France proved decades ago that undersea railways are not only possible, but reliable. These tunnels carry passengers and freight beneath the sea every day, reshaping regional connectivity.
Undersea railways are cleaner than short-haul flights, more resilient than bridges, and capable of lasting more than a century. As climate pressures and congestion increase, rail beneath the sea is emerging as a practical solution for future mobility.
What’s Being Built Right Now
China is currently constructing the Jintang Undersea Railway Tunnel as part of the Ningbo–Zhoushan high-speed rail line, while Europe’s Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will soon connect Denmark and Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. These projects highlight how transportation and technology are converging to solve modern mobility challenges.
The Mega-Projects Still on the Drawing Board
Looking ahead, proposals such as the Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel and the long-studied Strait of Gibraltar rail tunnel could reshape global affairs by linking regions—and even continents—once separated by water.
Why Undersea Rail Matters
The future of transportation may not rise above the ocean—but run quietly beneath it.
STM Blog
Why I Want to Take the Train from Phoenix to Los Angeles—Even If It’s Not Easy
The author expresses a deep love for train travel, particularly the Amtrak routes. Despite Phoenix lacking direct Amtrak service, the longing for a train journey from Phoenix to Los Angeles remains strong. The experience of transitioning from desert landscapes to the California coast symbolizes the possibilities of enhancing passenger rail connectivity in the region.
I’ve always loved trains.
Not just as transportation, but as an idea: the rhythm of the rails, the slow reveal of landscapes you’d never notice from 35,000 feet, the sense that the journey itself actually matters. That’s why every time I read about Amtrak’s Sunset Limited, especially its long sweep across the Southwest, I can’t help but think the same thing:
I wish I could take the train from Phoenix to Los Angeles—and then ride the Pacific Surfliner.
The Arizona Reality: Close, But Not Quite
Here’s the catch that every Arizona rail fan knows too well: Phoenix doesn’t have direct Amtrak service. https://stories-this-moment.castos.com/episodes/why-i-want-to-take-the-train-from-phoenix-to-los-angeles
The Sunset Limited does cross southern Arizona, stopping in places like Yuma, Tucson, Benson, and Maricopa. Maricopa is technically the closest Amtrak station serving the Phoenix metro area—but it’s about 30 miles south of downtown, meaning a car ride or bus connection is still required.
It’s a small detail, but it matters. Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the United States, yet if I want to ride Amtrak west to Los Angeles, I first have to leave the city by road just to board the train.
Still, even with that inconvenience, the idea is hard to shake.
Boarding the Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is one of Amtrak’s most historic long-distance routes, running from Los Angeles to New Orleans. In Arizona, it cuts through desert landscapes that feel timeless—wide skies, distant mountains, and towns that grew up alongside the railroad itself.
This isn’t high-speed rail. It’s not flashy. It’s slow, deliberate travel, the kind that lets you sit back, watch the desert roll by, and remember that the Southwest was built on rail long before interstates and budget airlines.
From Maricopa or Tucson, the train heads west toward California, crossing into the Imperial Valley before arriving in Los Angeles.
The Real Dream: Connecting to the Surfliner
For me, Los Angeles isn’t the end of the line—it’s the gateway.
Once in LA, I’d love to step off the Sunset Limited and transfer to the Pacific Surfliner, one of the most scenic passenger rail routes in the country. From there, the journey hugs the coastline through Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange County, and San Diego, offering ocean views that feel almost unreal from a train window.
That connection—from Arizona desert to California coastline—feels like the perfect expression of what passenger rail does best. You don’t just arrive somewhere. You experience the transition.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just about nostalgia or being a train enthusiast.
It’s about options.
Rail travel offers something planes and highways don’t: accessibility, comfort, and a sense of continuity between communities. The fact that Phoenix still lacks direct passenger rail service feels like a missed opportunity—not just for travelers like me, but for the region as a whole.
Every time stories circulate about the Sunset Limited or long-distance Amtrak routes, they remind me that the bones of a better rail network already exist. What’s missing is the will to connect major cities like Phoenix directly into that system.
Someday Soon?
I still hope that one day, taking the train from Phoenix to Los Angeles won’t require a workaround. Until then, the Sunset Limited remains both a real option—and a symbol of what could be.
Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this:
If I ever get the chance to roll out of Arizona by rail, connect in LA, and ride the Surfliner along the Pacific, I’ll be on that train—camera ready, coffee in hand, watching the country unfold exactly the way it’s meant to be seen.
Coming Soon: Travel Stories from STM Daily News
Travel is more than getting from one place to another—it’s about how we experience the journey. In the weeks ahead, STM Daily News will be sharing new travel stories that explore rail routes, regional history, overlooked connections, and the human side of movement across the Southwest and beyond.
From passenger rail reflections and historic routes to modern transit challenges and scenic journeys worth slowing down for, our upcoming coverage looks at travel as culture, infrastructure, and lived experience.
Coming Soon: Travel Stories from STM Daily News
Travel is more than getting from one place to another—it’s about how we experience the journey. In the weeks ahead, STM Daily News will be sharing new travel stories that explore rail routes, regional history, overlooked connections, and the human side of movement across the Southwest and beyond.
From passenger rail reflections and historic routes to modern transit challenges and scenic journeys worth slowing down for, our upcoming coverage looks at travel as culture, infrastructure, and lived experience.
Follow along at STM Travels as we continue to explore the roads—and rails—that shape how we move.
