In a tantalizing glimpse of what could be, New York City transit unrolled an 11-car train along the F line last week. With the F not set to receive communications-based train control for a few years, the Long Train is but one way to alleviate overcrowding along one of the most densely-populated subway lines, but don’t expect to see those trains on a regular basis anytime soon. It’s just too costly.
Pete Donohue reported on this train last week. He writes:
NYC Transit Wednesday added an 11th subway car to a regular 10-car train to test how it navigates the series of signals and stations along the F line. Transit managers – who see a potential to increase the number of riders ferried during peak rush hours – were scheduled to launch the “Long Train” test before midnight Wednesday night at the Church Ave. station in Brooklyn…
The test train wasn’t going to pick up passengers – and for good reason. In some stations, the train wasn’t expected to fit completely. Eleven-car express trains ran along the E and F lines for approximately seven years in the 1950s.
Along one stretch in Brooklyn, the last car was closed off because the stations platforms were 600 feet long while the trains were 660 feet in length.
Alas. It is not to be though. “We obviously neither have the capital nor operating funding to implement anything like this in the foreseeable future,” NYC Transit President Howard Roberts said to Donohue.
Meanwhile, SubChat is alive with buzz about this test. Some commentators called this something of an April Fools’ joke perpetrated by MTA officials. They knew this 11-car train wasn’t a viable option, but they test-ran it anyway.
Others noted that the BMT used to run 34 trains an hour over the F tracks and that Transit should look to increase line capacity that way. The MTA, however, maintains that the antiquated signal system cannot safely handle that many trains per hour anymore.
Overcrowding remains a real problem with the subway system. Commuters tell stories of letting multiple peak-hour trains go by before one with a modicum of room arrives. With service cuts on the horizon, it will only get worse.
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Others noted that the BMT used to run 34 trains an hour over the F tracks and that Transit should look to increase line capacity that way.
I saw a very old map somewhere (from the 30s or 40s I think) that showed the average frequency for route segment–it was quite eye-opening to see how far we’ve fallen. Today’s trains are vastly heavier and slower than yesterday’s, too.
Nevertheless I agree that the solution lies in somehow increasing frequency. If both options were equally available, increasing frequency rather than train size would be the better option anyway.
The trains have gotten longer, though. Headways represent distance between the head of a train and the head of the next train, but are limited by the distance between the rear of a train and the head of the next train. Therefore, shorter trains allow you to shorten headways – for instance, one line in Tokyo runs 6-car trains at intervals of 1:50.
The trains have gotten much slower, for sure, but the real problem is dwell times at the stations, mostly due to door holding. And the way to fix that is to make doors that close faster, so there’s less opportunity for someone to stick a hand in and hold it, delaying the whole line. Speeding up the trains themselves would help to. Remember, a train that goes faster can complete more runs per unit time, and transport more passengers for the same labor cost.
They should replace the rubber door edges with knife blades. Sure, SOMEBODY’S going to lose an arm, but after that, no one will try to hold the doors again.
Back in the old days, the doors were pneumatic rather than electric. The longer you hold it, the harder it will eventually slam on your hand.
So why have trains gotten slower? Is it that we’re saving workers’ lives? Saving electricity? Saving wear and tear on the tracks?
Whenever there is an incident, such as a derailment or an injury, rules or speed restrictions are put in place to prevent it from happening again. It is not about saving electricity or wear & tear, but about operating the system more safely.
Adding on to what Marc said, trains have gotten heavier and longer since the original opening of the subway, and longer trains run more slowly. A 5-car train will run faster than a 10-car train.