Express service

[Politburo]

WMATA has done some trial runs with express service on the Orange line for Nationals games this year. See http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0406/318573.html and http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/04/1 ... p#comments.

I was wondering if anyone, specifically Sand Box John since he has such an intimate knowledge of the system, has information about turnoffs, passing sidings, tail tracks, etc. that would facilitate express service. There don't seem to be any indicated on John's diagram, http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... ic_ars.gif, but I'm not sure if that's because they don't exist or because that diagram simply omits them.

[Sand Box John]

"Politburo"
WMATA has done some trial runs with express service on the Orange line for Nationals games this year. See http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0406/318573.html and http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/04/1 ... p#comments.

I was wondering if anyone, specifically Sand Box John since he has such an intimate knowledge of the system, has information about turnoffs, passing sidings, tail tracks, etc. that would facilitate express service. There don't seem to be any indicated on John's diagram, http://www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wma ... ic_ars.gif, but I'm not sure if that's because they don't exist or because that diagram simply omits them.

Nothing is omitted from that schematic. All of the switches in all of the non junctions mainline interlockings are AAR #10. The equilateral Y switches used in most of the pocket tracks are AAR #6. The junction turnouts are AAR #14.

I don’t know exactly how WMATA implemented that express service. I am assuming what WMATA did was let the local rabbit ahead of the express then sent the express down the same track eventually catching with the local when it cleared the Stadium-Armory Platform.

[octr202]

It can't be express service in the New York model -- its really just limited stop service.

For an idea of how it works on a two-track line, see the SEPTA schedule for the P&W (Route 100):

http://www.septa.org/service/sched/100_wk.html

They run limiteds, expresses, locals, and short-turn locals all on a two track line. If you look at, for example, weekday morning departures from 69th St. northbound, you'll see how the three different types of trains depart in waves a mintue or two apart:

6:02 AM Norristown Limited (makes just a few stops)
6:04 AM Norristown express making most stops (arrives 8 mintues later than the Limited)
6:06 AM Bryn Mawr local short turn.

After that wave, the next departure is the next Limited at 6:16.

With the Metro, it seems like inbound service is easy to do this with. Have an express leave, then a local leaves the outer terminal a minute or two later making all stops. I guess the trick is where to start making "all stops" when you get closer to downtown, and how to space the outbounds so that they reasonably even out. I would imagine that you would then run AM outbounds all as locals, although I guess if there's sufficient reverse-direction traffic you could express there too.

Staging the evening outbound expresses might be a lot more difficult, although I'd think that with its computer control systems the Metro is a lot more able to pull it off than older systems. The trains that would become expresses would have to be timed properly to arrive at the start of their express portions just ahead of a following local, so that might produce uneven intervals on the inbound legs of their trips unless one of the two is a downtown short-turn.

Would be an interesting puzzle to try to figure out if I had the time.

[Sand Box John]

"octr202"
With the Metro, it seems like inbound service is easy to do this with. Have an express leave, then a local leaves the outer terminal a minute or two later making all stops. I guess the trick is where to start making "all stops" when you get closer to downtown, and how to space the outbounds so that they reasonably even out. I would imagine that you would then run AM outbounds all as locals, although I guess if there's sufficient reverse-direction traffic you could express there too.

Staging the evening outbound expresses might be a lot more difficult, although I'd think that with its computer control systems the Metro is a lot more able to pull it off than older systems. The trains that would become expresses would have to be timed properly to arrive at the start of their express portions just ahead of a following local, so that might produce uneven intervals on the inbound legs of their trips unless one of the two is a downtown short-turn.

Their is one problem with the example you describe. None of the trains on the routes that WMATA ran the express on terminate in town. Service on 4 of the 5 line terminate all their runs at a suburban terminal. Their is only 2 locations in or near downtown where short turns can terminate. The east west C D route Blue and Orange lines have no facilities for downtown short turns.

[octr202]

"octr202"
With the Metro, it seems like inbound service is easy to do this with. Have an express leave, then a local leaves the outer terminal a minute or two later making all stops. I guess the trick is where to start making "all stops" when you get closer to downtown, and how to space the outbounds so that they reasonably even out. I would imagine that you would then run AM outbounds all as locals, although I guess if there's sufficient reverse-direction traffic you could express there too.

Staging the evening outbound expresses might be a lot more difficult, although I'd think that with its computer control systems the Metro is a lot more able to pull it off than older systems. The trains that would become expresses would have to be timed properly to arrive at the start of their express portions just ahead of a following local, so that might produce uneven intervals on the inbound legs of their trips unless one of the two is a downtown short-turn.

Their is one problem with the example you describe. None of the trains on the routes that WMATA ran the express on terminate in town. Service on 4 of the 5 line terminate all their runs at a suburban terminal. Their is only 2 locations in or near downtown where short turns can terminate. The east west C D route Blue and Orange lines have no faculties for downtown short turns.

Yes, I suspected that (I have to confess I didn't look up your track chart before writing the above) as I was writing it. Now having done the right research, I can see how there's limited (just three locations) where downtown turnbacks exist . I would guess that there are relatively few areas where these could easily be put in (although perhaps somewhere in the Red Line outbound of Union Station above ground -- or use Brentwood yard) which would allow the Red Line to turn back trains in either direction. I don't know the ridership statistics by line, but given the Red Line's long runs, it might be a good candidate for trying express service if the track configuartions support it.

[Sand Box John]

"octr202"
Yes, I suspected that (I have to confess I didn't look up your track chart before writing the above) as I was writing it. Now having done the right research, I can see how there's limited (just three locations) where downtown turnbacks exist . I would guess that there are relatively few areas where these could easily be put in (although perhaps somewhere in the Red Line outbound of Union Station above ground -- or use Brentwood yard) which would allow the Red Line to turn back trains in either direction. I don't know the ridership statistics by line, but given the Red Line's long runs, it might be a good candidate for trying express service if the track configuartions support it.

Technically speaking there are only two location downtown for short turning trains. The pocket track north of Farragut North and the pocket track north of Mount Vernon Square.

One of the original plans was to use the now abandon original track B1 at the New York Avenue station as a passing siding and or pocket track for short turning trains.

[octr202]

"octr202"
Yes, I suspected that (I have to confess I didn't look up your track chart before writing the above) as I was writing it. Now having done the right research, I can see how there's limited (just three locations) where downtown turnbacks exist . I would guess that there are relatively few areas where these could easily be put in (although perhaps somewhere in the Red Line outbound of Union Station above ground -- or use Brentwood yard) which would allow the Red Line to turn back trains in either direction. I don't know the ridership statistics by line, but given the Red Line's long runs, it might be a good candidate for trying express service if the track configuartions support it.

Technically speaking there are only two location downtown for short turning trains. The pocket track north of Farragut North and the pocket track north of Mount Vernon Square.

One of the original plans was to use the now abandon original track B1 at the New York Avenue station as a passing siding and or pocket track for short turning trains.

Is the center track at D&G Junction (now I'm really using your maps ) not long enough to use as a turnback point? I was assuming that's where the baseball expresses were turning back...

[Sand Box John]

"octr202"
Is the center track at D&G Junction (now I'm really using your maps) not long enough to use as a turnback point?

All of the pocket tracks can hold 8 cars, with the exception of the pocket track at West Falls Church. It can hold 16 cars. The D&G junction pocket track is in fact there to be used as a turn back point and a staging location for gap trains and stadium events.

I don’t consider the D&G junction pocket track to be a downtown turn back point, I put it in the same category Silver Spring, Grosvenor, National Airport and West Falls Church

"octr202"
I was assuming that's where the baseball expresses were turning back...

I kind of doubt WMATA turned the baseball express at D&G junction. I think they ran it the rest of the way to New Carrollton as a local.

[Politburo]

Now I'm confused on the pocket track north of Mt. V. From my observations, the Yellow does not use that track to turn back and instead proceeds up to U st. and uses the xover there (I've witnessed this move while waiting for Green @ U). If the pocket track can hold 8, I don't see why it isn't used. Perhaps it is just easier to use U due to timing issues?

[Sand Box John]

"Politburo"
Now I'm confused on the pocket track north of Mt. V. From my observations, the Yellow does not use that track to turn back and instead proceeds up to U st. and uses the xover there (I've witnessed this move while waiting for Green @ U). If the pocket track can hold 8, I don't see why it isn't used. Perhaps it is just easier to use U due to timing issues?

What you saw may have been an anomaly as the result of the pocket track being out of service or for some other reason. I spent roughly 30 minutes during PM peek on 03 27 2006 at Mount Vernon Square. (As I recall there was a train in the pocket when that picture was taken.) Of the 8 trains that passed through the station during the time I was there, all of the Yellow line trains relayed in the pocket track.

The operational procedure during peek service is, the operator from the previous Yellow line train will board the rear of the train before operator up front moves the train into the pocket track. After the northbound operator removes his key from the consol the operator on the opposite end will move the train southbound to the opposite side of the platform. The operator that is on the northbound end of the train will do the same procedure on the next Yellow line train.

Things can get a little interesting in Mount Vernon Square during peek service time. When I was there I could see a total of 4 trains at the same time when standing near the north end of the platform. A train in the tunnel north of the station on it‘s way to Shaw, a train in the tunnel south of the station coming from Gallery Place, a train in pocket track and a train dwelling on the opposite side of the platform.

Because headways are longer during off peek the second operator in not necessary. The one operator will simply walk the length of the train when parked in the pocket track then move the train southbound into the station on the opposite side of the platform.

[gprimr1]

I have lived in the DC area all my life and I consider the lack of express service a major design flaw in the system. It seems they had enough control over it to build a 3rd track or more passing tracks.

My dad refuses to take Metro rail because of the lack of express service from the end of the line into the city. Also, I feel that lack of express service may severly hurt the new Dulles light rail they want to build in terms of feeding people to it.

[Sand Box John]

"gprimr1"
Also, I feel that lack of express service may severly hurt the new Dulles light rail they want to build in terms of feeding people to it.

First off The Tysons, Dulles Loudon County route is not “light rail”.

The primary purpose of the route is to serve the Tysons Corner area from the traffic commuting in the Dulles corridor.

The station spacing does not justify express service. The 2 longest runs between station are 4.5 miles between West Falls Church and Tysons East (Colshire Drive) and 5.0 miles between Tysons West (Spring Hill Road) and Wiehle Avenue. The shortest distance is 0.6 miles between Tyson Central 123 (Tysons Corner Center) and Tyson Central 7 (Pike Seven Plaza). The average distance between the 11 station on the Tysons, Dulles Loudon County route plus East Falls Church is 1.9 miles.

The top cruising speeds of trains between all of stations on the route with the exception of runs between 3 of the station in the Tysons area is 75 MPH. The Dulles route is much more then just a train to the plane.

I will also note that the majority of the boardings on the Dulles route will not be going in to Washington DC. Most if not all of the facilities to accommodate the operation train exclusively within the Dulles corridor were deleted form the plans to reduce costs.