The state owned Oakland maintenance Facility could work and during the day it should be fairly emptyNowhere to really park the train for a long time in Oakland. I guess Emeryville is the next best location, plus it has the bus connections to SF proper. Sacramento was the final northern stop for the Spirit of California, so that is an option.
UP is going to be diesel under wire for nowDirect to SF could be an issue once Caltrain electrifies the corridor, and especially if/when HSR starts running through. Would Caltrain allow them to run diesel under the wire, or are they going to be required to run a dual-mode loco?
Unlikely caltrian will let them. If they go north of SJ they get to deal with a congested Coast line or get routed east via Milpitas. there is no connection track allowing them to go via the Niles sub towards Oakland. That will change with south bay connect but that is 3+ years away.Even better - would Caltrain even allow them to run San Jose - SF during peak morning commute? Would they have the slot available?