Why aren’t subway cars aerodynamic?

[aegrotatio]

Warren J

Here in Washington DC, METRO's new 7000-series cars are "paired" as four-car sets and cannot be operated as even two-car sets UNLESS METRO determines it will separate those four-car sets to create six-car trainsets, great for no-rush hour service but horrific for traffic planners at METRO.  We're keeping those train sets as mulitples of four-cars.

 

 

No, the 7000-series cars are not "paired as four-car sets," and they absolutely can be operated as two-car, four-car, six-car, and eight-car consists.

 

These cars can be operated in any combination of cars from one-car to eight-car.  Every 7000-series car is able to operate independently because the cars that don't have cabs have hostler stands. Theorectically, you can operate a one-car train, even with a car that doesn't have a cab, because every 7000-series car has either a cab or a hostler stand and they don't share anything with other cars, unlike the 6000-series and earlier that share things with their "married pairs" like HVAC controls and propulsion.

 

[ThamasTehTrain]

Heard the Rohr A2 units Are being retired by BART, hopefully one gets preserved, instead of what happened to the Turboliners

[Warren J]

ThamasTehTrain

 

I mean, they could have done what BART did, and make there cars streamlined.

 

 

The NEWEST BART cars are stub-ended and not "aerodynamic" in appearance as  interchangeability is not easy when "aerodynamic" cars are not at the ends where they need to be.  In a perfect world, I would agree but it is not to be for financial or safety reasons.

 

Here in Washington DC, METRO's new 7000-series cars are "paired" as four-car sets and cannot be operated as even two-car sets UNLESS METRO determines it will separate those four-car sets to create six-car trainsets, great for no-rush hour service but horrific for traffic planners at METRO.  We're keeping those train sets as mulitples of four-cars.

[NorthWest]

The New York City Subway tried with the R40s, and they found out two problems:

1. Aerodynamic fronts on married pairs leave large gaps between cars that passengers can fall through when passing between cars.

2. Aerodynamic fronts create spaces for passengers on platforms to be pushed into in crowded conditions.

Neither is conducive to safe operation, and the R40s recieved ugly gate modifications to fix them (and revised fronts on later cars).

These can be avoided by doing something like BART did and only putting them on end cars, but this limits where certain cars can be in trains, which married pairs on other systems do not suffer.

There's also nowhere but forward to push the air in a tunnel, anyway.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Most rapid transit equipment doesn't operate at a high enough speed for streamlining to make a real difference.  Those fancy noses also inhibit flexibility in car assignments.

[ThamasTehTrain]

 

I mean, they could have done what BART did, and make there cars streamlined.