Transport Textbook » express http://transporttextbook.com Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:20:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Harmonisation of express patterns http://transporttextbook.com/?p=175 http://transporttextbook.com/?p=175#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:39:34 +0000 calembeena http://transporttextbook.com/?p=175
Harmonisation of express patterns is a large problem in Melbourne (and other cities too), where stops-all-stations, express, regional and freight trains can all be competing for the same stretch of track. The current solution to this mess is to run an irregular, infrequent mix of all of these services, and then triplicate after much procrastination when services are at capacity. Triplication of lines is not a long-term solution. It normally just means that services are either two times the amount in one direction, causing delays when services terminate at places that don’t have siding complexes, or exactly the same amount of services that were running before, just a greater percentage running express, meaning that minor Zone 1 stations may not get the amount of services they deserve. Quadruplication of lines can be useful, providing extra capacity often on track where several lines share and allowing half of the previous services to run express through the section. The main section of quadruplicated track in Melbourne ( South Yarra – Caulfield), is useful although a lack of flyovers  create a mix of  stopping patterns on both tracks and added with the single set of tracks through the city centre (aka City Loop) reduce capacity on both lines. The other alternative, however, is using the existing resources on the train lines effectively by harmonising express patterns; the best example of this working is in Perth, where all lines have expresses working efficiently in coordination with stoppers, even though the system is not triplicated or quadruplicated for any of the separate lines. There are several different models for harmonising, but the main two are zonal and skip-stop. Zonal express patterns consist of a stopper train that terminates around the halfway mark from the city and an express train which runs express to where the stopper terminates, then stops all stations to the metropolitan terminus. Skip-stop trains consist of two express trains, one which expresses to the halfway mark then stops all stations, and the other which stops all stations to the halfway mark, and then expresses to the metropolitan terminus. In Melbourne the areas where trains terminate are not particularly major urban centres, with the exception being Frankston, so zonal patterns would be more suited to Melbourne. Most of the train lines in Melbourne do not need express running, as the distance is not around the hour mark, but the old Zone 3 lines,  Frankston, Ringwood, Dandenong plus Werribee, are in need of proper harmonised express running.
Frankston
Frankston currently sees express running between Cheltenham and South Yarra during peak hour utilising the third track. Most of the capacity on the City Loop goes to the Dandenong lines, as there are less express trains and therefore less mixing and more capacity. During the day we see the Frankston line running express Malvern – South Yarra, and the third track is abandoned.
Dandenong
Dandenong currently gets next to none in the way of expresses, as normally the Dandenong trains fill in for the trains in between Malvern and South Yarra, as well as every other stop. A good way for this line to run is in a modified version of Riccardo’s Pakenham plan. I wish I could take the credit for this, but all the work is his; I merely terminated the stopper at Westall( which would be 4x) and added the Latrobe valley services into the timetable. This is an incomplete version on Riccardo’s behalf. It goes something like this:
The stopping pattern named V is for Latrobe Valley and freight. There are some spare slow paths for freight where the stoppers are as instead of going through to Pakenham, they terminate at Westall.
Ringwood
The Ringwood line sees at-capacity peak express running from Richmond-Glenferrie-Camberwell-Box Hill, with stoppers terminating at Blackburn and on the Alamein branch. The service provided to the expressed stations is often miniscule and about 6tph, but as a cross-platform interchange system has developed, where passengers will catch the express and then switch at one of the major stations, thereby relieving crowding on the Blackburn trains. Many of the problems on the Ringwood line stems from the transport planners’ wish to cram every service going through Burnley into the Loop, with only a handful of services terminating on platforms 6&7 at Flinders St. The best way to combat lack of capacity on this line would be to quadruplicate the whole section, but the main problems in getting this project done is that the general public believe that triplication is enough and since the line runs through some of the more affluent areas of Melbourne, we get NIMBYs, or Not In My Back Yard, who oppose any rail development as they believe that it is detrimental to the area.
Werribee
The Werribee line doesn’t see many expresses, even though most of the infrastructure is there for the services to be run. The express track running through Paisley is actually better than the Altona Loop, as it is all duplicated. The attitude of running all Werribee trains through Altona actually diminishes the capacity of the line. A project is coming to solve this, however; it will construct a new platform at Laverton so that the Werribee line and Altona trains can be segregated.
Conclusion
The express patterns in Melbourne would do well to be harmonised and most of it is possible, although infrastructure improvements such as a Laverton turnback or quadruplication to Box Hill would greatly increase the capacity of these lines.
Calembeena.
]]> http://transporttextbook.com/?feed=rss2&p=175 24