03-12-2021, 01:25 PM
(03-12-2021, 11:19 AM)Bytor Wrote:(03-11-2021, 11:52 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: It doesn’t need to be twinned all the way anyhow.
Not twinning, however, makes it logistically very difficult to attain 30 minutes heads in both directions at the same time, as #2WADGO promised.
(03-11-2021, 11:52 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: In particular, the last 1/2 of headway of any route can generally be single-tracked without imposing significant operational difficulties. For an hourly service, this means the last 30 minutes of the route. The track distance from King St. in Kitchener to Gordon St. in Guelph, where the track is doubled around the station, is less than 23km.
The Kitchener to Guelph time is 22 minutes, according to the schedule. That means if you have a train leaving Kitchener for Guelph at XX:00, the opposite direction cannot leave Guelph until XX:22, and then that means a second train cannot leave Kitchener until XX:44, which is well below the promised half-hourly peak service for #2WADGO to Kitchener. Guelph→Acton and Acton→Georgetown are 16 minute trips, which means that they can't be run at 30 minute schedules, either.
(03-11-2021, 11:52 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: So as long as the trains are scheduled so that opposing trains meet in Guelph, no double-tracking is required between here and Guelph; and for that matter the first 30 minutes the other side of Guelph could be single-tracked as well, which gets all the way to Georgetown.
It's not really the "last 1/2 of headway" that is the issue, it's the length of the length of the scheduling blocks and whether you require them to be uni- or bi-directional that is the logistical hurdle. And as shown above, it's impossible for the Kitchener→Guelph block to reach it's stated peak target for #2WADGO.
(03-11-2021, 11:52 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: I’m ignoring freight here; those would have to be slotted in as well, meaning that hourly passenger service may require double-tracking. But every 2 hours passenger service definitely does not and depending on how flexible the timing of freight activity is it might be possible to move it to lower frequency periods of time.
And every two hours is also well below the off-peak service promised by #2WADGO to Kitchener. 30 minute peak, 60 minute off-peak.
I think their proposal was to put a few 2 track segments (basically sidings right), which in theory allows trains to pass, but significantly increases the travel time and limits schedule flexibility (meaning delays will cascade) because trains must wait on the siding for the oncoming train.
Ultimately, I think we're in agreement. Frankly, I just don't believe the claim that CN will just let us run frequent service through their mainline track.
We've seen with the 413, if the government wanted to move on something quickly, it could...but the right people aren't being paid off for this to happen.
Yeah, I'm absolutely blunt here, this is an issue of monied interests.