|
|
| Re: American Railcar gone (1005748) | |||
 |
|||
| Home > SubChat | |||
|
[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ] |
|
||
|
Re: American Railcar gone |
|
|
Posted by WillD on Mon Nov 22 02:07:41 2010, in response to Re: American Railcar gone, posted by Jersey Mike on Sun Nov 21 11:51:28 2010. You are forgetting one major problem with the lack of passthrough. EVERY station has to have platforms as long as the longest train.No, it only needs to be as long as the first door of the rear pair of cars. If we cannot afford to build a 160-175 foot platform, then why are we bothering to spend the money for a train in the first place? The platform is such a marginal cost of building a rail line that it is utterly ridiculous to build a line if you cannot afford proper platforms. Instead of having a short SEPTA style platform and letting passengers walk back you have to have one 2 or 3 MU's long. Not only does this raise construction costs and hinder demand based expansion, it completely eliminate the ability for surge capacity for special events. What system has been built anywhere in the US in the past 25 years which features platforms that are shorter than the longest operated train? Even Metra, which frequently discharged passengers onto the ballast and grade crossings next to stations has gone to full length platforms for their extensions. Take the Baltimore Light Rail. Or consider Pittsburgh, But those are light rails and exceptionally poorly designed light rail lines, not commuter operations. Were we to introduce FRA compliant DMUs, especially with an organization like MARC or NJT, they'd simply be able to substitute diesel push-pull equipment for the DMUs. It does not make economic sense to operate a DMU longer than 4 cars anyway, so if we want five or six cars, then just roll out a diesel locomotive and the appropriate number of cars. Also re safety I don't want my rail vehicle to crush at all. I want my rail vehicle to crush what it hits. In the unlikely that two crush resistant vehicles hit any resulting injury would be compensated by the reduced cost and increased efficiency of the vehicle. Way to learn all the wrong lessons from Metrolink's bumpertrain accidents. Thankfully the NTSB strenuously disagrees with you and Metrolink is now taking delivery of railcars which feature crash energy management technologies. Energy must be dissipated in a crash, and a completely rigid railcar only ensures it will be dissipated in the most catastrophic manner possible, either through buckling or jackknifing. |
|
|
|