For the residents that live nearby the Caltrain station at 4th at King, many of us appreciate having access to a train system that takes us around the Bay Area, so we can commute to the Peninsula / South Bay without having to drive. Many of us also view Caltrain as a public good, allowing people to not have to rely on cars and contribute to traffic jams (pre-COVID-19).

However, because of the current shelter-in-place order, many of us that are fortunate to have the ability to work from home are staying at home the entire day. During this time, partially due to the reduced schedule, Caltrain constantly has trains idling at the station for hours on end, even though my correspondence with Caltrain indicated that trains should only be idling for an hour max. I've written to Caltrain multiple times, and even though they indicated they would address the issue, I can still hear the low drone of idling trains throughout my apartment, even with all windows closed.

I understand that the current Caltrain diesel engines cannot be turned on / off like a conventional car engine, but the station has wayside power capabilities detailed here: https://www.caltrain.com/about/Sustainability/SustainabilityInAction.html - which would allow for trains to be plugged in during long layovers / maintenance activities. 

I sincerely hope that Caltrain will limit the amount of idling that goes on during the day, because there are times where the idling is still audible past 1 AM. A reduction in excess idling can help Caltrain save on fuel / operating costs, reduce noise / air pollution, and help those that live around the station stay home so we can do our part in beating COVID-19.

-Raymond