One Spark 2015

[coredumped]

The Skyway isn't a good system to handle big crowds. You can't add express trains and extra cars like you can do with more commonly used fixed transit modes. That's why some believe it would be a waste to expand it to the Sports District.

But didn't the original plan include room for more cars? The platforms certainly are big enough. Is it just a matter of buying the mid-cars and putting them on the tracks?

A bit more on-topic: congrats to all the OneSpark winners!

[Dapperdan]

The Skyway isn't a good system to handle big crowds. You can't add express trains and extra cars like you can do with more commonly used fixed transit modes. That's why some believe it would be a waste to expand it to the Sports District.

Just curious why you can't do express cars? To me it would seem to be a programming change that just tells the train to avoid a certain station and re routes the train ?  Train leaves Convention packed, bypasses Jefferson and stops at Central. It then goes back to Jefferson, picks up crowd, and deposits them at Central and then goes back to Convention and repeats process. Would it add a bit more time between the waits ? Possibly, but it would be fair to all stations.

[Steve]

JTA Announced that they would shut down Jefferson on the weekends. Not sure how well that was communicated or executed though.

Regardless, if the Skyway regularly had anywhere near this many people on it, the thing would function differently. It would make a lot more sense to order to two middle cars for each train, which would increase capacity dramatically.

[Steve]

The Skyway isn't a good system to handle big crowds. You can't add express trains and extra cars like you can do with more commonly used fixed transit modes. That's why some believe it would be a waste to expand it to the Sports District.

Just curious why you can't do express cars? To me it would seem to be a programming change that just tells the train to avoid a certain station and re routes the train ?  Train leaves Convention packed, bypasses Jefferson and stops at Central. It then goes back to Jefferson, picks up crowd, and deposits them at Central and then goes back to Convention and repeats process. Would it add a bit more time between the waits ? Possibly, but it would be fair to all stations.

Not sure how you could regularly do that and keep up the timing. The entire system is 2.5 miles and automated, so it's based simply on timing of all of the cars in conjunction with each other. If you stuck an express train in the middle of two regular trains it then it would blow the timing of everything.

With a real transit system, there is typically a third track that would allow one train to pass another. Generally, local stops have external platforms (as opposed to a center platform that the Skyway uses) with three tracks, the middle one(s) being express track for passing. Also a lot easier to do this with a driver than to make it automated.

[Steve]

The Skyway isn't a good system to handle big crowds. You can't add express trains and extra cars like you can do with more commonly used fixed transit modes. That's why some believe it would be a waste to expand it to the Sports District.

You could do it, but you'd likely have to effectively mothball all of the middle stations for an hour or so and just skip them (or not allow boarding at them).

[Dapperdan]

It's not a one track system. It has two on each side plus it has little pull off points here and there .

[Steve]

It's not a one track system. It has two on each side plus it has little pull off points here and there .

Not really. It has places where the trains can switch tracks, but that isn't really a passing siding (plus if you ever watch how slow that is for them to do it, it's not sustainable in typical flow.

A typical transit method has places that have more than two tracks that can serve for true passing.

[thelakelander]

By the time one spends the millions to add cars no one else has, extra track for express trains, etc., they'd be better off retrofitting the entire thing to a different mode...that comes with the extra capacity and opportunity to expand into adjacent neighborhoods.

[thelakelander]

It's not a one track system. It has two on each side plus it has little pull off points here and there .

Not really. It has places where the trains can switch tracks, but that isn't really a passing siding (plus if you ever watch how slow that is for them to do it, it's not sustainable in typical flow.

A typical transit method has places that have more than two tracks that can serve for true passing.

Pretty much, something like this, where the express trains can run on the middle tracks and not stop at local stations:



With that said, it wil be a long time before the Skyway "needs" express trains.

[thelakelander]

^See Steve's comment above.

[Dapperdan]

the way they were running them was a bit dangerous in my opinion. They were so crammed that not everyone had something to hold onto and if you have been on them, you know when they hit those turns there is a jerking motion that made several people stumble and almost fall. I know it is counter intuitive, but I almost feel like they should have had  bus trollleys running from station to station as well.

[fieldafm]

the way they were running them was a bit dangerous in my opinion. They were so crammed that not everyone had something to hold onto and if you have been on them, you know when they hit those turns there is a jerking motion that made several people stumble and almost fall. I know it is counter intuitive, but I almost feel like they should have had  bus trollleys running from station to station as well.

There were indeed trolleys running to supplement the Skyway's capacity issues.

[Houseboat Mike]

It's not a one track system. It has two on each side plus it has little pull off points here and there .

It's only one track per side.

[Awlloyd7]

I was talking to some people at Downtown Vision and apparently the current system was designed by Bombardier Transportation who does not make any of the models that we have anymore. It doesn't matter whether or not we need extra cars or a new rail because either way we can't get them since they're not produced . Which goes into the idea that expansions would be pointless if the current system doesn't go through a complete reconstruction with a new system design that costs less to run and uses less resources to make. Which is what I believe should be done.

[Radio Man]

Perhaps a moderate redesign to utilize a different type of rail car, coupled with transitions to ground level at the current "end of the line". Then, we would have a more flexible, easily expandable, service. This would obviate the need to demolish or completely redesign the existing system. Just thinking out loud here.