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Old 07-03-2014, 05:38 PM
 
Location: Decatur, GA
7,345 posts, read 6,479,699 times
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Um, tiki, at best you could be on a 8-car set, that's the maximum system platform length.
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Old 07-03-2014, 06:54 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
5,242 posts, read 6,206,144 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
Um, tiki, at best you could be on a 8-car set, that's the maximum system platform length.
Ok, I'm pretty sure there are 10 car sets. I'm not gonna bet money on it, but one time I saw a set take up the whole platform, end to end, asked the guy driving and he confirmed a 10 car set. I had never seen that length before (that's what she said) but I do recall a 10 car set.

You are probably right though. Memory is spotty, but I remember it being very unique
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:16 PM
 
Location: Atlanta
2,862 posts, read 3,798,801 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
But those choice riders become regular riders unless they have a bad experience. The non-choice riders will also swear off the system at the first opportunity. Better just to have one big inconvenience once and get it over with, than to keep up bad service for going on 12 years now.
I thought you were exagerrating about the length of time they've been working on this project, but I see they started in 2003:
Why is Track Renovation being done Now?
MARTA - Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

MARTA started work in 2003 to rebuild and upgrade all 48 miles of track. Our trains have run every day for over 25 years – this work is necessary to keep the system strong for the next 25 years and beyond.

The Track Renovation is part of a major capital program that also includes the overhaul of over 200 of MARTA’s rail cars. When complete, customers will benefit from a virtually new system that will run efficiently and be more reliable.
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:32 PM
 
Location: Decatur, GA
7,345 posts, read 6,479,699 times
Reputation: 5144
Quote:
Originally Posted by tikigod311 View Post
Ok, I'm pretty sure there are 10 car sets. I'm not gonna bet money on it, but one time I saw a set take up the whole platform, end to end, asked the guy driving and he confirmed a 10 car set. I had never seen that length before (that's what she said) but I do recall a 10 car set.

You are probably right though. Memory is spotty, but I remember it being very unique
When you go past a side platform, or are standing on one, look at the underside of the opposite platform for little numbers, 2, 6 and 8 each about 75 feet apart. Those are the stopping points for trains of various lengths. Notice that the 8 is right at the end of the platform. Also, the train cars are 75 feet long, and the platforms are 600 feet long so 8 cars is all that can fit. If the operator told you 10 cars, either he didn't hear you real well and just said something (which I hope) or he didn't know his train real well, which is concerning. if they ever "operate" 10 car sets, it can only be a non-revenue movement between yards. I know they have deadheaded Bankhead trains as 4 cars when the most they can use in service is 2.
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Old 07-03-2014, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Kirkwood
23,726 posts, read 24,720,252 times
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8 is the longest I've ever seen and it was always on the blue line.
MARTA will have a great chance to showcase its changes to choice riders this weekend.
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Old 07-04-2014, 02:28 AM
 
Location: Decatur, GA
7,345 posts, read 6,479,699 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Staysean23 View Post
Tell me one heavy rail that doesn't single track or cut service on weekends..
BART doesn't seem to. The only thing I found from a Google Search was a 14 month period of single tracking, which they actually finished unlike MARTA.
CTA seems to single track, but they don't show massive schedule changes such as gonig fro 20 to 24 minutes, or cutting one line back this weekend, but running it next weekend, then cutting it back two more weekends.
Los Angeles seems to try to limit the disruption to late-night when they can.
MBTA also seems to limit disruptions to late at night.
Miami seems to be a mixed-bag. One the one hand, they seem to go from 30 to 35 minute headways much like MARTA going from 20 to 24 minute headways, but they seem to shift the times by a few minutes other times in order to keep reliability.
If DART does it, it's not obvious.
Cleveland seems to do late at night and shuttle bus replacement.
Washington Metro seems to try and do most of its work at night.
SF's Muni seems to reroute and bus-bridge (I know, reroutes are not possible on MARTA).
New York City, does do maintenance on the weekends, but it's not the same line weekend after weekend, it does change.

I would go through the rest of the light rail systems, but so far it seems those are far less badly affected which makes sense due to the lighter trains. But from this survey of this country's heavy rail transit systems, it seems MARTA and Miami are the sole outliers in how they handle ongoing maintenance disruptions, and even Miami does things better. As I mentioned in my "shenanigans" thread back in October, MARTA could do a simple schedule change to help a little bit: MARTA Blue line shenanigans 10-26-13 Miami does it, they shift departures one way by about five minutes, which is what MARTA could have and should have done during the weekend from that thread. It's not a huge leap to imagine that a simple shift could perhaps prevent the 24 minute schedules, and Red/Green line all weekend truncations. But suffice to say, MARTA could do better and they still aren't.
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Old 07-04-2014, 02:45 AM
 
3,451 posts, read 3,890,952 times
Reputation: 1675
Quote:
Originally Posted by MattCW View Post
BART doesn't seem to. The only thing I found from a Google Search was a 14 month period of single tracking, which they actually finished unlike MARTA.
CTA seems to single track, but they don't show massive schedule changes such as gonig fro 20 to 24 minutes, or cutting one line back this weekend, but running it next weekend, then cutting it back two more weekends.
Los Angeles seems to try to limit the disruption to late-night when they can.
MBTA also seems to limit disruptions to late at night.
Miami seems to be a mixed-bag. One the one hand, they seem to go from 30 to 35 minute headways much like MARTA going from 20 to 24 minute headways, but they seem to shift the times by a few minutes other times in order to keep reliability.
If DART does it, it's not obvious.
Cleveland seems to do late at night and shuttle bus replacement.
Washington Metro seems to try and do most of its work at night.
SF's Muni seems to reroute and bus-bridge (I know, reroutes are not possible on MARTA).
New York City, does do maintenance on the weekends, but it's not the same line weekend after weekend, it does change.

I would go through the rest of the light rail systems, but so far it seems those are far less badly affected which makes sense due to the lighter trains. But from this survey of this country's heavy rail transit systems, it seems MARTA and Miami are the sole outliers in how they handle ongoing maintenance disruptions, and even Miami does things better. As I mentioned in my "shenanigans" thread back in October, MARTA could do a simple schedule change to help a little bit: MARTA Blue line shenanigans 10-26-13 Miami does it, they shift departures one way by about five minutes, which is what MARTA could have and should have done during the weekend from that thread. It's not a huge leap to imagine that a simple shift could perhaps prevent the 24 minute schedules, and Red/Green line all weekend truncations. But suffice to say, MARTA could do better and they still aren't.

I said find me one that doesn't do it all.

Because it happens alot here in NY and its always the same lines every other weekend. I live off Q and B line when i ride the train tomorrow ill post pictures to show how it works and how service its cut due to maintenance and how we are asked to get off the train top switch to a whole different line because 2 or 3 stations are closed to maintenance. Then you have to wait because trying to go over the bridge , you have Several trains all trying to get over the bridge. Its a hot mess.

Last edited by Staysean23; 07-04-2014 at 02:55 AM..
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Old 07-04-2014, 04:31 AM
 
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
126 posts, read 230,864 times
Reputation: 129
I've just found it easier to accept that single-tracking is less of a short-term project and more of a fact of life, you'll live longer. Systems like the Washington Metro have been single-tracking for as long as MARTA has, and they've pretty much come out and said to expect it to continue indefinitely, 24-minute headways or not. The third largest subway system in America suffers from the same issues Atlanta does.

Also the MTA tends to do recurring work on a lot of projects (like the 7 Line project between Queens and Manhattan) weekend after weekend, and it's very common to see platform closures, bus bridges, and just closed sections of lines all together when traveling on the weekends, which is arguably more disruptive than any type of single-tracking operation (but necessary for a system the age and size of New York City).

The only system I can think of that manages to pull off most of it's maintenance at night isn't even in the United States, but the Toei/Tokyo Metro/JR East set of operators in Metropolitan Tokyo, where trains are pulled off the tracks every night for that reason.
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