schlimm In Europe, the platform heights are either 550 mm or 760 mm., thus passengers must manage at most one low-rise step in embarking and debarking.
In Europe, the platform heights are either 550 mm or 760 mm., thus passengers must manage at most one low-rise step in embarking and debarking.
Right, and much new equipment is built to provide for level boarding, even on intercity trains. Or if a step or two are needed, they are built into the train. Newer designs may have automatic folding steps.
Here is the US, on a station like Little Rock or Omaha (and many others) with typical low platforms, it's still necessary to provide that little yellow step stool to make boarding convenient. That just doesn't promote short dwell times at the station.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Just because the track platform is accessed via stairs/escalator, doesn't follow that there must be a single file approach. Many stations in Europe have the same arrangement and passengers simply get themselves down or up to the platform and board the train on their own.
Dwell time at a station is certainly something that Amtrak can do something about. The idea that a passenger can't open the train door him/herself and just get on or off is archaic. Most intercity trains in Europe have had station dwell times of 2-3 minutes for decades, even in large stations, such as Cologne. As the train is approaching the station, passengers know to get ready to debark and position themselves near an exit door. As the train stops, doors are released and can be opened by the passenger with a handle or push of a button. Debarking passengers get off, embarking passengers get on and the train is on its way in minutes.
Of course in a situation where the passenger can't/isn't allowed to open the door and that little step stool is required to get off onto the platform, dwell time is going to be drastically longer. Add to that the time to check tickets at that one door and give directions to the assigned seat. As a passenger, I may not understand or care about the need for leisurely schedules to make up for routing around too many freight trains, but passengers do notice station dwell time and see that things could be done faster and smoother.
But to get shorter dwell times in the US, might include modifications on rolling stock, longer platforms, higher platforms (even if just high enough to match the low boarding height of Superliners) in addition to just a plain willingness to do it a new way. So if congress wants it done faster, they need to pony up some funds to make it possible to do it faster.
Whether at a large urban station like DC or Chicago Union or NYC Penn, boarding should not require first being checked at a gate, unless such a procedure incorporated a required security scan. At intermediate stops, boarding and alighting should occur the length of the platform, with all car doors open. If the platform is too short, passengers should be informed which car to use. Ticketing should be electronically scanned onboard. These methods are used elsewhere in places with much greater passenger loads. It reduces the dwell time at stops. This really is not rocket science.
Well on this subject at least, I think Amtrak should find a solution to the two stop method it uses on Long Distance trains at most stations on the Texas Eagle route. It's just ridiculous and if I were a host railroad I would be beotching about the time and track capacity it takes.
petitnj Unfortunately, this is the way most of the government micromanagement comes about. Note that the law tells them to study the boarding procedures of other modes and streamline Amtrak's. The study then makes rules that were totally unintended by the lawmakers. And boarding of trains? Is that really something that Congress needs to mandate? As an interesting aside, the Empire Builder now only carries one Conductor and that has significantly slowed boarding in St. Paul. The personnel cuts recently have made the EB much less pleasant a ride.
Unfortunately, this is the way most of the government micromanagement comes about. Note that the law tells them to study the boarding procedures of other modes and streamline Amtrak's. The study then makes rules that were totally unintended by the lawmakers. And boarding of trains? Is that really something that Congress needs to mandate?
As an interesting aside, the Empire Builder now only carries one Conductor and that has significantly slowed boarding in St. Paul. The personnel cuts recently have made the EB much less pleasant a ride.
oltmannd It's completely ridiculous that Congress would write something like this in legislation. It's just as ridiculous that they'd feel compelled to. Most of the time they meddle it's because Amtrak is inert. Should they change boarding procedures? Maybe. The issue is if you want to open platforms up and allow people to queue there. If there is good signage and ample platform space and security, why not? They do it that way lots of places in Europe. But, Penn Station might be a problem. The platforms are tight and you might need a gate keeper for crowd control. If you are going to line people up and check tickets, why not lift them there instead of on board? Wasted labor...
It's completely ridiculous that Congress would write something like this in legislation.
It's just as ridiculous that they'd feel compelled to. Most of the time they meddle it's because Amtrak is inert.
Should they change boarding procedures? Maybe.
The issue is if you want to open platforms up and allow people to queue there. If there is good signage and ample platform space and security, why not? They do it that way lots of places in Europe.
But, Penn Station might be a problem. The platforms are tight and you might need a gate keeper for crowd control.
If you are going to line people up and check tickets, why not lift them there instead of on board? Wasted labor...
Don: As you've pointed out before, Amtrak does things because "that's the way we've always done it."
The boarding procedures they need to fix are on the eastern LD trains. Even in Atlanta, they only open one trap and shoehorn everyone in, handling out seat assignments on the fly at the door. It takes 15-20 minutes to get the 80 or so folk on and seated. That's just dumb. That's work that could be done in the station and they could open more doors - with all hands on deck.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
FWIW, if the Pacific Surfliners used single file boarding, the schedule times would need at least a half hour increase from San Diego to L.A.
The layout of Central Station made it almost impossible to use any other method. The station's main floor was above track level and passengers had to go down stairs to get to the platforms.
dakotafred I think Congress should just butt out of this and other minutiae of Amtrak's business. It has far, far bigger fish to fry.
I think Congress should just butt out of this and other minutiae of Amtrak's business. It has far, far bigger fish to fry.
Leaving aside your views of Congress, what do you think about the single file boarding procedures? Is it possible there is a better way?
BTW, at the old Central Station in Chicago, 50 years ago the IC also used this method.
ATK exists only because Congress is willing to fund it. They have "medlin' rights".
Buried in the Amtrak funding section from the House of Representatives is a provision for Amtrak to open its boarding procedures.
http://www.vox.com/2014/9/11/6138123/amtrak-boarding-bill
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