4 ms·

Just looked up an example to compare: Östertälje-Uppsala C, a large part of a Stockholm commuter train line, is 102 km long, and takes 1:32h for an average spee

by snaily 8y ago

Just looked up an example to compare: Östertälje-Uppsala C, a large part of a Stockholm commuter train line, is 102 km long, and takes 1:32h for an average speed of 66km/h, or 41mph, below the 45mph quoted in the article. The acceleration and waiting at stations really hits the average.

masklinn 8y ago
This is a regional train not commuter. According to the official website there is no stop between Miami and Ft Lauredale: https://gobrightline.com/fort-lauderdale/ https://gobrightline.com/fort-lauderdale/
- gsnedders 8y ago
  A better comparison is the Stockholm C – Uppsala C SJ-operated non-stop services, which like the Miami to Ft Lauredale services take exactly 30 minutes. This is 63 km (39 mi) as the crow flies (66 km by track), so an average speed of 126 km/h (78 mph), substantially quicker than the Miami to Ft Lauredale service.
  - tssva 8y ago
    Taking a look at Google maps that is not really comparable either. Much of the area between them appears to be rural with a low population density where as Miami to Ft Lauderdale is high population density the entire route. Train speeds are limited in high density areas for safety.
    - gsnedders 8y ago
      > Train speeds are limited in high density areas for safety. There are plenty of places in Europe where 100mph+ running through urban areas is common. Urban v. rural isn't really a consideration for line speeds here. Heck, most of the mainlines north and west out of London reach their 125mph top speeds while still within Greater London. The question here is more about the presence and type of at-grade crossings, and there's a fair number on lines with 125mph running.
picsao 8y ago
I always wondered why does that have to be this way? why not have parts at the end of the train decoupled and decallerating and a new carriage with new passengers following the speeding through train. Any engine needed for that could drop and return to station autonomously.
geezerjay 8y ago
> The acceleration and waiting at stations really hits the average. Actually, having to wait about 1 or 2 minutes at each stop is what really drags down the commercial speed. A train only takes a fraction of that time to go from 100km/h to zero.

by snaily 8y ago

masklinn 8y ago

This is a regional train not commuter. According to the official website there is no stop between Miami and Ft Lauredale: https://gobrightline.com/fort-lauderdale/ https://gobrightline.com/fort-lauderdale/

gsnedders 8y ago
A better comparison is the Stockholm C – Uppsala C SJ-operated non-stop services, which like the Miami to Ft Lauredale services take exactly 30 minutes. This is 63 km (39 mi) as the crow flies (66 km by track), so an average speed of 126 km/h (78 mph), substantially quicker than the Miami to Ft Lauredale service.
- tssva 8y ago
  Taking a look at Google maps that is not really comparable either. Much of the area between them appears to be rural with a low population density where as Miami to Ft Lauderdale is high population density the entire route. Train speeds are limited in high density areas for safety.
  - gsnedders 8y ago
    > Train speeds are limited in high density areas for safety. There are plenty of places in Europe where 100mph+ running through urban areas is common. Urban v. rural isn't really a consideration for line speeds here. Heck, most of the mainlines north and west out of London reach their 125mph top speeds while still within Greater London. The question here is more about the presence and type of at-grade crossings, and there's a fair number on lines with 125mph running.

picsao 8y ago

I always wondered why does that have to be this way? why not have parts at the end of the train decoupled and decallerating and a new carriage with new passengers following the speeding through train. Any engine needed for that could drop and return to station autonomously.

geezerjay 8y ago

> The acceleration and waiting at stations really hits the average. Actually, having to wait about 1 or 2 minutes at each stop is what really drags down the commercial speed. A train only takes a fraction of that time to go from 100km/h to zero.