Quote:
Originally Posted by TowerDude
Why do they all make low platform stations like this?
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The easiest answer is because the Superliners that Amtrak runs on long-distance routes have
low-level doors.
The long answer is that freight train cars are often wider than passenger cars. If you design a high-level platform (typically 48" above top-of-rail) to align with a passenger car, freight trains will collide with the platform. The problem is even worse if the platform is curved, even slightly. Usually when you a see a high-level platform, it means the tracks are not used for freight at all.
In certain circumstances you can put in
gauntlet tracks to shift freight trains over by 2-3 feet through the platform zone, but at each end is a switch that requires careful maintenance and neither Amtrak nor the Class 1s are prepared to maintain a lot of trackside equipment (see the East Palestine disaster). Gauntlet tracks are better suited to commuter railroads that have the resources to maintain them.
You can also do a high platform but push the platform edge back far enough that freight trains won't hit it. However, then you create a dangerous gap where people can get their foot trapped. The new cars on Brightline have an automated gap filler installed to fix this issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k17PfoaGibY But Amtrak is still using Superliners that are decades old. They are simply unable to upgrade the rolling stock and platforms at the same time, so we are likely stuck with low platforms on long-distance services for decades to come.