It took a day, but CT Transit ultimately brought out extra trains (and collaborated with intercity buses) to handle all the demand on opening weekend--and it STILL wasn't sufficient:http://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/ctrail-harford-line-adds-additional-services-sunday-due-to-demand/1244889748?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_TamaraSach …
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According to Gov Malloy, about 10,300 trips were made on the new line on opening day. This is just over 2,000 fewer trips than are made every day at Davis Square, a single station on the Red Line in Boston--but the Hartford Line could barely process the load, and turned many away
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Now granted, the Hartford Line was *free* when it experienced its overloads--ridership will certainly be lower during regular service, when only "necessary" trips are being made. From top to bottom, the line was designed with only what is "necessary" in mind--nothing more.
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But people have *all kinds* of reasons for traveling, and a great deal of travel (certainly any ENJOYABLE travel) is done just for fun. Not all trips are commutes (and not all commutes are for 9-5 office jobs), and thank God for that!
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CTDOT planned and built the rail line to be *incapable* of carrying many more passengers than they expected would "need" to use it--and for that matter, *incapable* of actually carrying enough riders to earn a profit, EVEN IF THE RIDERS ARE THERE AND WANT TO USE IT!
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What has to change? Higher capacity could be accomplished by adding cars onto existing trains--but then you run into problems with platform lengths at stations (already, trains are too long for some stations on the line), and you do nothing about the long waits between trains...
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...so rather than this approach--or the similar one of converting to double-deck passenger cars--you need to focus, first and foremost, on adding FREQUENCY. Run trains twice as often, instead of running trains that are twice as long or high! This cuts wait time, encouraging rides
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Next: you want a seating configuration which favors STANDING passengers, rather than seated ones--mostly longitudinal seats, as pictured. As much as passengers may prefer to sit than to stand, they would rather stand than be told to wait for the next train, esp with long waits!pic.twitter.com/opsSzoptxy
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A seating configuration which favors standing room means it's much easier to move around within the train--combine that with more doors per car (instead of just one on each end) and wider doors, and you can ensure that even huge crowds don't slow the train down at stations.
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There's nothing sillier than seeing a long line of people slowly filing out of a train, one at a time, and then waiting just as long for all the people on the platform to slowly board, one at a time. Wide doors + more doors = everyone is on and off within a few seconds.
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What else? Abandon locomotives in favor of multiple units! This means you either: - fit existing 2~4 car trains better onto platforms (because no more engine), or - replace engine with another passenger car, and run 3~5 car trains the same length as the loco-hauled 2~4s
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Moreover, switching to MUs means less wear on tracks, much shorter braking distances (good for safety!), and much better acceleration = shorter travel times = higher potential frequency!
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Now, one last point...the high ridership this past weekend, as I already said, was because all trips were free. When fares are actually charged, ridership is bound to be lower. Why worry about "fareless" crowding levels if the line will normally charge fares? Well...
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...the fact is that there are TWO ways passengers are "charged" to use the line. One is in money, of course, but the other is TIME--specifically, wait time! The reason ridership will be lower when fares are being charged is because *the waiting time is rarely worth the price*
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It works like this: Long waits + no fares = high ridership potential Long waits + fares = low ridership potential Short waits + fares = high ridership potential
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But accepting this reality, and planning for it, means taking for granted that PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL, that travel is something you are trying to encourage more of, whether for "necessary" purposes or not. It means thinking WAY bigger than 10k daily riders--don't limit yourselves!
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Induced demand is very real: where you make a desirable thing easier to access, you get more people using it. For highways, this is a problem, because *highways slow down as they approach capacity.* But trains--if they have good doors and interiors, lol--don't have this problem!
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Increase frequency. Increase capacity. See just how many people really DO want to use trains! We already know they love traveling--our clogged highways speak to that! How will they like a mode which stays on schedule even when it's packed?
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One thing is clear, at least: the assumption that Americans just aren't interested in taking trains is dead. Give us the smallest incentive and we're all over them! What Americans hate are BAD trains: make them great and they will ride!
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All told, I'm very glad that the
@hartfordline was built at all. It's a wonderful step forward from the paltry Amtrak service that previously existed. But it remains a small step, too timid for the demands of the people who want to use it, and handicapped by outdated assumptions!Show this thread -
It's time now to start thinking about how to further develop the line--time to start thinking about a future, not very far off at all, when daily ridership at Hartford Station alone exceeds the 10,000 that the entire line carried on opening day! This is the
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BE AMBITIOUS - SEEK EXCELLENCE Overturn people's idea of what "commuter rail" is! THIS COULD BE US!pic.twitter.com/OQJI4a7yR2
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End of conversation
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