Calgary Public Transit II

[para transit fellow]

Wasn't there someone who taught at SAIT suggesting that the LRT should only stop every other station... as a means of enhancing capacity.

(my brain hurts when I try to wrap my head around that piece of thinking)

[Riise]

Originally Posted by para transit fellow

Wasn't there someone who taught at SAIT suggesting that the LRT should only stop every other station... as a means of enhancing capacity.

(my brain hurts when I try to wrap my head around that piece of thinking)

He may have been referring to Skip-Stop service.

[hulkrogan]

All you need is a siding at each station for express lines.

With all of the stations which have platforms on the outside of the tracks (and not an island in the middle) it gets pretty tough to through the short stretch of 3rd track in without messing the whole thing up.

[MasterG]

Does anyone remember when the c train is supposed to have next train times on the LED screens at the refurbished stops downtown?

[artvandelay]

Does anyone know if CT has the ability to make doors on the C-Train automatically open and close like they do on a real metro system?
This morning my train was delayed at Chinook, 39th, and Vic park due to people holding/blocking the doors. I know it's not a huge delay but it adds up. Manually operated doors were fine when ridership was lower, but I don't think it's working anymore.

[jeffwhit]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

Does anyone know if CT has the ability to make doors on the C-Train automatically open and close like they do on a real metro system?
This morning my train was delayed at Chinook, 39th, and Vic park due to people holding/blocking the doors. I know it's not a huge delay but it adds up. Manually operated doors were fine when ridership was lower, but I don't think it's working anymore.

Yes they do.

[CTrainDude]

Originally Posted by jeffwhit

Yes they do.

Ummm...no, they don't - at least not on all vehicles. It is possible on the SD160s, but not on the U2s.

[jeffwhit]

I stand corrected? I had read that in the early days of the c-train the operator did open and close the doors.

[shogged]

they can't force the doors shut if something is blocking them if that is what you mean. or at least i've never seen that happen and i've been waiting a good 5 minutes for people to realize they aren't going to fit.

I'm still pretty sure the doors are manually operated though. In a sense that, when the train arrives in station, the operator would select which side and open them, then start the "closing process" with another touch of the button.

[jeffwhit]

^^No, I understand that, but i thought I read that the driver could open all the doors on one side, then set them to close. I was looking in the cockpit of the tarin this mornign to see what I could see and I think I am just misremembering.

[Bassic Lab]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

Does anyone know if CT has the ability to make doors on the C-Train automatically open and close like they do on a real metro system?
This morning my train was delayed at Chinook, 39th, and Vic park due to people holding/blocking the doors. I know it's not a huge delay but it adds up. Manually operated doors were fine when ridership was lower, but I don't think it's working anymore.

I can't see it making any difference. It wouldn't be safe to design doors that force closing. Just like elevators, they're not designed so that passengers can hold them open; they're designed so that passengers are not crushed. The ability to hold the doors open is simply a side effect of that.

[Koolfire]

We should higher station attendants like in Japan help with closing doors on crowded trains. j/k

What about having a clock/timer on the door that people can see for how long the door is to stay open. Similar to the new pedestrian crosswalk signals. Might save lives if someone knows the door is closing in 2 seconds and they don't have a chance to catch the train it might make them not do something stupid.

[DarkKeyo]

Toronto and Vancouver trains have doors that open automatically for a set period of time, and then they chime three times before closing. That's about as close to a timer as you could get, and they can still be held open, though not as easily. But to close the door on our trains, the driver disables the buttons that open it, rather than specifically closing them all at the same time.

If we replaced those buttons with something with a brighter light that could be seen from more than a few feet away, then people running for it would know that the train is about to leave. Unfortunately this wouldn't discourage people who intentionally hold the doors open anyways... Maybe a red coloured light? The current set of buttons are pretty crummy anyways, I never understood why they chose that particular button...

[SubwayRev]

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

I can't see it making any difference. It wouldn't be safe to design doors that force closing. Just like elevators, they're not designed so that passengers can hold them open; they're designed so that passengers are not crushed. The ability to hold the doors open is simply a side effect of that.

It works fine on every other train system in the world. I think it would be safe here as well.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by shogged

In a sense that, when the train arrives in station, the operator would select which side and open them, then start the "closing process" with another touch of the button.

If I recall correctly, the doors are on a timer (~20s) and start the closing process automatically. The conductor only activates the open feature.

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

It wouldn't be safe to design doors that force closing. Just like elevators, they're not designed so that passengers can hold them open; they're designed so that passengers are not crushed. The ability to hold the doors open is simply a side effect of that.

Nope, it's a design flaw. Door closing fatalities are a rarity on the London Underground and Paris Metro as the doors do not crush passengers but rather stop upon contact, allowing the passenger to remove their limb, while not re-opening the entire doorway. It avoids both injury and abuse.

[jeffwhit]

Why is it that people who get on at Centre street station (in particular) have a hard time with the "people get off, then people get on" system of train boarding? Jesus, I practically got showed back onto the train twice yesterday.
seriously, if you get on the train at Centre Street, you're probably some kind of stupid asshole.

[srperrycgy]

Originally Posted by jeffwhit

Why is it that people who get on at Centre street station (in particular) have a hard time with the "people get off, then people get on" system of train boarding? Jesus, I practically got showed back onto the train twice yesterday.
seriously, if you get on the train at Centre Street, you're probably some kind of stupid asshole.

Not just a Centre Street problem. I used to experience the same issue at McKnight in the afternoon when the cleaning ladies are heading downtown to work. Good thing I'm a big guy. But some of those gals are quite feisty and will push trying to get a seat with their friends.

[Bassic Lab]

Originally Posted by Riise

If I recall correctly, the doors are on a timer (~20s) and start the closing process automatically. The conductor only activates the open feature.




Nope, it's a design flaw. Door closing fatalities are a rarity on the London Underground and Paris Metro as the doors do not crush passengers but rather stop upon contact, allowing the passenger to remove their limb, while not re-opening the entire doorway. It avoids both injury and abuse.

I haven't been on either system so correct me if I'm wrong but if the doors stop closing when they hit something how does that stop someone from holding them all the way open before they start closing. Really I can't imagine a system where passengers cannot at least push the doors open more if they close on a body part; my foot is larger than my ankle and that seems relatively common.

[SubwayRev]

Originally Posted by Bassic Lab

I haven't been on either system so correct me if I'm wrong but if the doors stop closing when they hit something how does that stop someone from holding them all the way open before they start closing. Really I can't imagine a system where passengers cannot at least push the doors open more if they close on a body part; my foot is larger than my ankle and that seems relatively common.

What happens is the door stops closing, but does not re-open. In Calgary, if someone stops the door, it fully opens again, forcing the process to start all over again. Most train systems, when the door comes in contact with something, it stops, allows that arm or foot or backpack to be pulled out, then resumes closing.

I suppose doors could be held open, but I don't ever recall seeing it happen anywhere else.

[YYCguys]

With so much Ctrain platform construction going on downtown, I don't know which ones are open and which ones are under construction and closed. I am going to Lasik Eye Centre on 7th Ave, do you know which station would be open and closest to that business?