O-Train Line 2/4 [Stage 2 | Greenboro to Limebank/Airport] | In Service

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRenton

If the automated system is able to achieve 90 second headways, which is possible after a several years of operation, and experience, the DT tunnel could reach capacity of 40 trains per hour, in each direction. If you have 12 trains an hour leaving from both Kanata and Barrhaven, this will give 5 minute frequencies from the suburbs up until Lincoln Fields. From Lincoln Fields to Bayview, you would have a 2.5 minute frequency. That still leaves up to 16 more train an hour that can be put through the DT tunnel. You could actually bump up the number of trains serving Kanata and Barrhaven to 14 per hour (a train every 4.3 minutes from the suburbs and one every 2.2 minutes from Lincoln Fields to Bayview), and have 10 trains an hour coming from the T-Line onto the C-Line, and still be just a few trains short of maximum capacity.

Allocating just 25% of the DT tunnel capacity to the T-Line would allow it to be become a much more valuable part of the network. Even if it had just 20% of the tunnel capacity it could still run 4 downtown to airport trips, and 4 downtown to Riverside trips per hour (and 6 per hour from Riverside if the T-Line used 25% of the DT tunnel capacity). This would mean that stations like South Keys would have direct to downtown service every 7.5 minutes. And if the line was busy enough that more frequent service was needed, then it could get creative. It could add additional trains starting in Riverside and either terminate at Bayview (avoiding the use of DT tunnel capacity), or, have trains carry on across the river into Gatineau (if that link actually proves to be useful). This way buses feeding into the T-Line in Riverside and the southern suburbs can be timed so that they, under ideal situations, drop them off 3-4 minutes before a direct to downtown train arrives. But, if they happen to miss it, at least then there is the option of grabbing a train to Bayview and transferring there, at least getting their trip underway instead of waiting another 15 minutes for a direct train (or they could opt to wait for that direct train).

As I stated a few posts ago, unless the C-Line is so well used and has such explosive growth that its ridership alone would push the DT tunnel to reach capacity in 15-20 years, then the T-Line should be able to capitalize on that valuable piece of infrastructure.

If I were going to make lemonade out of the lemons that are now the T-Line and the Southeast Transitway, I'd make a loop, like this, providing a downtown subway under Elgin rather than interlining.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=18Ru9X9VELZ57IWzF8-HhY0Tn_xjXI8NP&usp=sharing