At the Lakeline Station on the Red Line there are signs at the north and south end of the platform that state, "Block Delay". What do these signs mean?
There is some good news and some not so good news regarding the Red Line. A doubling of the average number of daily passengers from this time last year is the good news. It is approximately 887 passengers per day.
The bad news is two fold. The average load factor is 29% of the seated capacity of the trains or 16% of the total capacity (seated and standing). Several of the rush hour trains are standing room only, but the average load factor for the mid day trains appears to be less than 10%.
The other piece of bad news is the cost. Part of the increase in the number of passengers is a result of implementing all day service. As a result the operating costs jumped from approximately $6 million to $9.5 million per year. Moreover, a significant percentage of the passengers, especially those riding the trains during the day, are UT students. They ride on a discount fare. Thus, although it has dropped somewhat, the average daily subsidy per passenger is approximately $65 or $1.02 per passenger mile.
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