11-05-2023, 07:25 PM
(11-01-2023, 11:36 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:(10-31-2023, 04:57 PM)tomh009 Wrote: At the moment, the complete return trip takes about 100 minutes, from the Conestoga departure until the train leaves the same station again. With 10-minute headways, that's ten trains. They would be able to run eight-minute headways without any additional trains--and eight-minute headways would be better for passengers than double trains. With eight (or so) more trains they would be able to run five-minute headways, with the same capacity as double trains, but greater passenger convenience.
Increased frequency > increased train length
They really should be able to get the 100 minutes down to 90 minutes by being smarter about speed limits and refining signalling. That would also make a lot of headways work more naturally: 3 vehicles could maintain a 30 minute headway overnight, for example, or just 6 could provide 15 minute service.
I think about five minutes of that 100-minute total is spent at the final station, waiting for departure. Getting to 90 minutes really requires finding only 5-6 minutes of savings en route.