Quote:
Originally Posted by NYguy
I’m telling you what I know firsthand, not in theory. The platforms basically function as a parking lot for trains dispensing and taking on passengers. We are at a set limit to how many trains can enter the station at any given time because if it, be it rush hour or any other time of day. Forget about Gateway, what would be the use of an extra tunnel if there’s nowhere to go at the end if it? This station NEEDS more platforms. It only takes one minor accident (and we’ve had many of those) on a single track to shut down MULTIPLE tracks and access to platforms, causing countless cancelations and delays for days. Which makes the planning even more imperative.
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You've kind of stumbled onto the real issue with capacity at Penn. They can't unload and load passengers efficiently because of outdated railcar designs, narrow platforms, and terrible vertical circulation which results in long dwells and inefficient use of track space. Long dwells play havoc with smooth operations even if one insists on terminating trains there and turning them back from whence they came. The solution to long dwells isn't to add more places to park the trains, it's to fix the real problem.