METRA Plaltform Heights

[Andres_Nunez]

I was wondering, how come METRA uses Low Levels Platforms on all it's routes? Well except the Electric District, i mean hasn't Low Level Platforms gone the way of the buffalo? Endangered? I mean i could see Metra Using High Level Platforms on all it's routes, it would decrease boarding times and improve efficiency. Anybody has any idea's?

 

[Klinger]

Metra Electric uses High Level Platforms.

Its because of the way equipment rosters were in the early days, and its easier to follow the same path, rather then rebuilding everything and starting over

Remember, Metra's roots are from former railroad commuter operations. They used basically standard car types, minus a few small changes (HEP comes to mind, and the later addition of Push-Pull Service) so these cars were set up for low level boarding. When Metra Took over operations, all the stations, not to mention the equipment they got, were all low level boarding, so it has been easier to follow this example, rather then starting over.

The exception to this rule is the Electric District. when the line was electrified by IC, they bought special cars (they had to) and incorporated high level boarding, which on an electric car is honestly the better way to do things, because it leave the entire underbody clear for various electrical components, without having to make room for step wells.

 

[Andres_Nunez]

but still, METRA is not that down in the dumps. They can upgrade, i mean are those plaltforms even ADA compliant?

 

[Klinger]

Its a lot more complicated then you may think. You would have to close each individual station, affecting thousands of passengers a day. And at the same time, you would have to replace all your railcars, including some that are only a few years old.

and yes, Metra is ADA accessible

http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/utility_landing/riding_metra/accessibility.html

 

[sniper297]

"Metra is not that down in the dumps", methinks you don't really understand what Metra is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Transportation_Authority_(Illinois)

Mass transit has never been really profitable since the riders want to pay 10 cents to ride all week, they don't care that the company needs $50 bucks per seat just to meet expenses. When the taxpayer subsidized mail contracts for railroads ended in the late 60s, the railroads were just losing too much money to continue passenger service. RTA, Metra, and nationwide AMtrak were formed to meet the need for passenger rail, so it's now more like other countries where it's all government funded rather than private enterprise. Metra is like any other, it's a drain on taxpayers that the fare structure is designed to reduce the drain, there's no actual profit there. Whether or not your proposed changes would be desirable is not the real question, the question is where would the money come from, and would it be worth the cost?

 

[JCitron]

The MBTA in the Boston area too had mostly low platforms. The commuter lines here, just like those on the Metra, were inherited from the commuter operations of the railroads. Over the course of a couple of decades, the T has been rebuilding platforms or adding in short high platforms for wheel chair access, but leaving the short platforms for the remaining length of the train. The short platforms are usually up at the driving end of the train. Hmm.... This would make an interesting station platform to use in Trainz...

John

 

[Blutorse4792]

The overall design of Metra's gallery cars hasn't really changed since the 1950s.

Why fix what ain't broke?

 

[schweitzerdude]

Two more reasons Metra stations will remain low platform:

1. Metra's commuter rail lines are regular railways, not dedicated "commuter rail" lines. This means freight as well (also Amtrak), and I think freight cars would have clearance problems with high-level platforms. Some suburban Metra stations (as well as Union Station) are also Amtrak stations, so that complicates the situation as well. In the case of Metra Electric with high level platforms, there are separate, non-electrified tracks for Amtrak and freight on the main-line (CN, formerly IC), and Metra Electric does not use Union Station.

2. Many of Metra's stations were built in the 1800's and are very historic and architecturally significant. The station buildings are built to fit low level platforms - to convert the stations to high level platforms would require that these buildings be torn down (or somehow raised I suppose). Not going to happen.

 

[sniper297]

Other item is the high platforms were not designed for wheelchair access, they were designed for speed of loading and unloading. Since rapid transit trains made more frequent stops, the average time from doors open to doors closed was about 15 seconds. Being able to step right across from platform to car floor and vice-versa increases the speed of the stampede, so they don't have to wait as long at each station. Commuter trains don't stop as often so 2 or 3 minutes per stop don't add up that fast.

Chicago interurbans used both elevated and ground level tracks with high and low platforms, solution for that;

http://www.irm.org/gallery/CNSM160/aaa

In the open doors you can see the hinged "trap", when going onto the L lines where the high platforms were, they folded that down over the stairwell and latched it to make a platform at high platform height. Out in the country with the low platforms they folded it up and latched in the up position to provide access to the stairs.

Freight trains had two different solutions - edge of the high platform folded up, each station had the outer foot or so of the platform edge hinged, and when a freight was due the station attendants shooed the passengers away from the platform edge and flipped the hinged sections up with a lever or pole. After the freight passed he would flip them back down again. I've also seen videos of freight train crews with one brakeman standing on the front catwalk with a pole flipping the hinged sections up ahead of the train, and another one standing on the back platform of the caboose flipping them back down again. An alternate method used on some lines was a "gauntlet" track that was set a foot or two further from the platform, and the freight trains switched to run on that outer track until they were past the station.

 

[JCitron]

The T's raised platforms are clearly labeled on the side with a sign that says will not clear a person if they're on the track side with a train there at the same time. In Lawrence the new passenger station with a high platform has a passing siding with no platform so the freight trains can pass without any issues. This station only has a single track which is somewhat of an issue for passenger scheduling but it gets the commuter trains out of the way for the freights and allows for the high platforms.

Here is the short high platforms at Andover

http://binged.it/Tyfc6E

John