You might look at Metro North or the LIRR for examples of what I speak they do well with 15 minute or less intervals as a RR. We could have that too.
Arborwayfan wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:45 ambut more people would probably oppose electrification because the wire are ugly (they are)What? Ok, the OG New Haven electrification is a bit of a acquired taste, but on the Shore Line the electrification is a thing of beauty, and that's absurdly over-engineered and would work fine with half of the catenary poles removed, further reducing any actual visual impact.
Also, people are stupid and need to be edumacated since distribution primaries today often carry up to 23kV and in some cases up to 34.5kV phase to phase on bare wire, which isn't THAT different than railroads carrying 25kV phase to ground on a much better maintained, much better supported system.
BandA wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 5:46 pmAnalysis should be on cost, "total cost of ownership" over the lifespan of the equipment. Stop worrying about "carbon footprint" and worry about the cost (or availability) of energy sources & equipment.Carbon footprint is pretty much the most important thing. It just happens that there is no conflict, as lowest TCO, best operating characteristics, and lowest localized impacts all bring you back to 25kV/60 overhead wire. It's basically an evolution of the 1914 New Haven Railroad autotransformer system and it's still the gold standard for railroads today.
mbrproductions wrote: ↑Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:34 pmThe reason the Commuter Rail doesn't do this is because it is designed to bring people from further suburbs into the city, which is why lower frequency makes sense on Commuter Rail. The problem isn't that the Commuter Rail isn't doing something it wasn't designed to do, the problem is that our Rapid Transit system is failing to meet current demands for service, and we need to focus on investing in and expanding them if we want to bring people who live within Route 128 into the cities more efficiently.Commuter rail shouldn't be trying to replace rapid transit, and we should absolutely invest in rapid transit, but commuter rail can provide much more rapid-transit like service when giant fuel-guzzling diesel locomotives that can't get out of their own way (even the best-in-class HSP46s are slow) are replaced with electrics and EMUs that can run small trains with rapid transit-like acceleration rates.
For weekend destinations, trains need 30-minute or less headways so that you don't have to plan your train like catching a flight, you just go whenever and there will be a train within 30 minutes or less. That's possible with EMUs where you can run 4-car or even 2-car sets on weekends.