4 ms·

They're explaining that cost-per-stop is much lower for a train than an airplane. A stop might cost an airplane an hour or more added to the duration of the ful

They're explaining that cost-per-stop is much lower for a train than an airplane. A stop might cost an airplane an hour or more added to the duration of the full multi-stop route (slowing down, losing altitude, landing, taxiing, boarding, taxiing, take-off, gaining speed and climbing) even if we allow for some pretty serious optimization of processes. It might cost a train anywhere from 1-15 minutes. A train can make four stops between two points and, despite traveling at a much lower top speed, finish the whole route much faster than an airplane would, doing the same thing. That is, it's friendlier to multiple stops over medium-distance routes than an airplane. If you're going point-to-point and it's a very long distance, you may as well just take a plane. If you have a 250 mile route and want a stop every 50 miles, then a train's (way) better than an airplane. Multi-stop (not to be confused with excessive stops) routes are exactly where trains shine.

bluGill 5y ago
A HSR train stop and go - without opening the door is about 1.5 minutes added to the total trip time (depending on how fast the train goes of course). It is possible to get the time the doors remain open down to under a minute (this is done for airport trains), but I think 1.5 minutes is a more reasonable floor just because people need some time to get their bags on the train and around other people. This puts the time loss to stopping a train at 3-17 minutes.
- moshmosh 5y ago
  Sure, HSR is gonna have it worse than a minute, I was thinking of, say, subways and light commuter rail, with the 1 minute lower bound. Some of those don't spend more than about a minute not at full speed for some stations, including door-open time and de-/ac-cellerating. No train where people aren't traveling very light and prepared to get off fast is going to get quite that low a stop time, though, true.

bluGill 5y ago

A HSR train stop and go - without opening the door is about 1.5 minutes added to the total trip time (depending on how fast the train goes of course). It is possible to get the time the doors remain open down to under a minute (this is done for airport trains), but I think 1.5 minutes is a more reasonable floor just because people need some time to get their bags on the train and around other people. This puts the time loss to stopping a train at 3-17 minutes.

moshmosh 5y ago
Sure, HSR is gonna have it worse than a minute, I was thinking of, say, subways and light commuter rail, with the 1 minute lower bound. Some of those don't spend more than about a minute not at full speed for some stations, including door-open time and de-/ac-cellerating. No train where people aren't traveling very light and prepared to get off fast is going to get quite that low a stop time, though, true.