07-10-2023, 02:11 PM
(07-10-2023, 06:50 AM)nms Wrote: I can't remember, are there sections of the Ion route where the LRVs can be sped up without any engineering changes? Or would it result in uncomfortable speed changes for passengers whenever the LRV hits a tight curve?
How easily could GRT achieve 15-minute service on all of its routes? What kind of a budget increase would that represent?
There are three classes of places where the ION could speed up:
1) Near Hayward the limit for no reason goes down to 15 km/h for like 300 meters (over one minute). This is an off road segment, with no road conflicts, no bridges, nothing...I have seen no technical reason for this slow down...it seems...insane.
2) The segments where the LRV runs in the median could be faster, it is sometimes the car limit (but I think it could be higher still given the extra separation) and on Northfield it is below the car limit (50km/h instead of 60km/h and traffic speeds are 70-90km/h) for no reason (except possibly over the bridge where it was suggested there were engineering limits on the speed on the bridge...that should be fixed if there are however.
This could arguably increase the risk, these segments are very prone to crashes, with 100% of crashes being the result of a driver disobeying a traffic signal. Still, vehicle occupants would be in more danger being hit by an LRV going faster.
3) The side running segments, the trains go extremely slowly here, often 30km/h. This is because of the safety risk to pedestrians who are nearby. FWIW I would trade some low impact fencing (or shrubbery) here in order to improve the margins of safety so that the trains can go faster on these segments...of course that would take some space, which we should take from drivers...except that ship has sailed.
As for 15 minute service, I have no idea...it's pretty easy to determine the extra cost...I'd surmise it would be a significant increase in costs say 50-100% more (as well as massive capital expenses, it might not even be possible immediately because we'd have to buy new buses and build places to park them).
But the bigger problem is knowing what effect that would have on ridership...this is hard to predict and is likely to be highly inaccuarate...despite how confidently staff will put a number on it.